When we were leaving Costco the other day, an older man tapped me on the shoulder and said, “I just wanted to tell you that you’re a good mom … I can tell because your kids are so well-behaved.” I jokingly responded, “They aren’t always.” He smiled at my comment but then proceeded to say that …
This morning, I noticed a thread of conversation on Facebook about how depressing it is going back to normal life after the holiday season. I definitely used to feel this way. There is something about vacation and holiday time ending and school starting up again that can be a let down after the fun of the holidays. …
I have dealt with a lot of heaviness and anxiety in the last month. My normal reaction is to eat french fries and binge-watch Netflix to distract myself. This time is different. This season has probably been the hardest for me in years and I knew that my normal coping strategies were not healthy or productive. …
I recently listened to one of my favorite podcasts‘ hosts talk about their favorite things in fall and the holidays. One of the things mentioned was hygge, a Danish word that roughly refers to coziness but in a much broader way. Hygge encompasses not only coziness but also connection with others, slowness and mindfulness. It is often easy to feel trapped by …
I love spontaneity and I hate feeling boxed in. Being stuck in a boring routine all day feels like my soul is dying a little at a time! I am only sort of joking about that. For years, I have struggled with the desire to always fill my time with something spontaneous and exciting, knowing that I …
I have dealt with anxiety of varying degrees in the past few years. I am sure it is mostly the result of hormones because it tends to show up and get worse during certain times of the month. I have found ways to really help keep in check and thought I would share them in case anyone else …
As moms, sometimes it feels like we are so busy taking care of someone else and making sure that everything runs smoothly that we feel invisible, like no one notices us. We feel like what we do doesn’t really matter. On an average day, I spend most of my time cooking and washing dishes. It …
Being a stay-at-home mom is filled with a lot of mundane tasks. Some days I feel like my brain is slowly starting to turn to mush. One of the main ways I fight that feeling is listening to podcasts. I recently had several people ask how I find time for podcasts so I’ll share how and why I do, because …
The longer I am a parent, the more I learn about grace — both towards others and towards myself. For some reason, moms tend to have over-the-top expectations of themselves. We think we can do it all with little sleep and a great attitude. But what we need more than anything is to extend grace to ourselves. I need to …
This afternoon Judah hurt Levi’s feelings and then laughed about it. I snapped. I lectured and ranted. Instead of dealing with it and then letting it go, I imploded. Seriously, we are talking about a 4- and 5-year-old, and their crazy mother. It ended with me apologizing and talking about how I make bad choices, too. …