"You have your hands full." It's something I got used to hearing for the past four years.
Half Empty
Sure, Teachers Have Time for That!
All the things I discovered when I stepped out of my parenting shoes and into the classroom.
In All Things, Give Thanks
I wanted to celebrate something normal in a year when so many not-so-normal things are happening.
No Filter Needed
I don't want her to see the freckles where the summer sun kissed her face -- and make them disappear.
Letting Go of FOBO
It just happened again. I had the same conversation with one mom as I've had with several others as summer is ending. "I just feel like we didn't do enough," she said. I responded with "Oh, I'm sure you did plenty," but as much as I can try to convince someone else, I'm having a... Continue Reading →
The Journey of Motherhood
For 18 years, I've been living with one man. Hanging one man's shirts. Sorting one man's socks (and picking his dirty ones up off of the floor). Folding one man's underwear. Last week, that man found another pair of men's underwear in his drawer. "These are not mine!" He said. But instead of freaking out... Continue Reading →
Too Much Space
"Man, I'm tired," my husband yawned the other morning. "Anna was kicking me all night long." I just smiled and shrugged. The thing is at 6 years old, she only hops into our bed now a couple times a week, and when she's not there, it almost feels empty. For the first 13 years as parents... Continue Reading →
Dear Son: You are Not the Best
Last year for six months, the sound of a tug boat -- sometimes a tug boat blowing into a foghorn -- traveled from my son's room and filled our whole house. In 5th grade, he was told to practice his saxophone every night for 20 minutes, and he refused to miss a night, even when we said it was okay to miss... Continue Reading →
The Purpose of Siblings
I'm waiting for the explosion. My boys are playing together, shooting baskets into a little hoop on the back of the door in their room. I can hear them laughing, having fun, high-fiving....then there's some muffled commotion....and here it comes. "OOWW!!" The door flings open, and the youngest boy is chasing his brother down the hall into the living room. He... Continue Reading →
We Are A Baseball Family
This time of year, my living room's extra messy. There are bats standing up against the wall and gloves on the toy shelf. If you walk without looking on the floor, you might trip over a ball or a cleat. But it doesn't drive me nuts like when Legos or Polly Pockets are strewn everywhere. I actually kind of... Continue Reading →
My Little Self
It's been a long, cold winter, and I'm a lot softer and paler than I was when this season started. So the other day when I looked in the bathroom mirror, I couldn't help but groan at what I saw. "Ugh...I look horrible!" I said out loud. And a little voice that came from a place as high as my waist... Continue Reading →
A Light at the End of the Tunnel
If you'd told me my senior year how my own child's senior year would go, I would have said you were nuts.
Dear Mom and Dad: I’m Sorry I Bothered You
Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. I know you must be on the edge of your seats after reading a title like that, but I knew I had to get your attention somehow. You see, for the past few weeks since we've been on a stay-at-home order, I've been hearing you say things to me like "if... Continue Reading →
The Happy/Sad Days of Covid-19
As blessed as I am to have my family safe at home, I go to bed each night sad and terrified for others.
Still Failin’ After All These Years
I did it again, guys. I failed as a mom. Yesterday was my daughter's 9th birthday. She'd been counting down the days for weeks, and finally it was here and when she woke up she was SO excited, shouting "It's my birthday, it's my birthday!" I put all of her presents on the table so... Continue Reading →
Preserving My Family’s Legacy
I never knew either of my grandfathers. By the time I was born, one had already passed away and the other died not long after, so I was never able to experience grandpa things like sitting on their laps, or laughing at their jokes, or hearing them talk about what life was like when they... Continue Reading →
He Still Loves Her Just a Little
After having two boys two years apart, it took us a while to decide to have another baby (as I explained in another post, we had to discuss if he/she would be better than a new kitchen floor). Of course, after we made the decision, our baby girl was well worth the wait and I... Continue Reading →
Who Stole My Bon Bons? 