I watched her grade drop by the day. Another assignment not turned in, another excuse or knowing giggle when I talked to her about it. After two years, she and I have learned to be real with each other about parts of our stories that we had carefully guarded, building a trust that suspended the […]
When a Good Thing Comes to an End
Today is perhaps my last quiet day home with just me and the kids for the summer. Monday morning, I officially become a full-time working mom for the first time. It’s a transition I am excited to make, and I’m beyond grateful for the opportunities it opens up for not only me, but also my […]
Being Real
When you’ve been through a refiner’s fire or two, you come out on the other side changed. It’s impossible not to be different. Sometimes, even though you know that you are not who you used to be, you wonder if other people notice, too, or if they just think you’re crazy. 😉 The other night […]
Reflections of a Mom: Letting go of Excessive Labels
Much like we all tend to do, I spent my growing up years building a picture of what my life should look like when I grew up. One of those pictures of my grown-up years definitely didn’t include me being a working mom. Nope. It took actually being a grown up and experiencing all of […]
Have Courage, Be Kind, Make the Most of Grief
I have always adored Cinderella, but the new movie in theaters has only grown my love for the story and lessons to be learned from that simple girl who chose to be courageous and not let the negative voices in her life determine her happiness. I took along my niece and son to see the […]
Remembering, Living, and Snapshots
A year ago, we were reeling from the sudden loss of my father-in-law. The details that go into wrapping up someone’s life once they’re already in eternity are overwhelming. The shock of knowing they’re no longer going to participate in the big or little activities of life is staggering. Last February is a complete blur […]
The Things That Matter
I wrote my first blog post on June 9, 2009, because I wanted to keep track of a certain little boy’s life, document his milestones, and share pictures and stories with family who lived far away. I didn’t really understand what “blog” meant when I started since I only read one other friend’s blog and […]
Free to be the Happy, Imperfect Home Decorator
Excuse me while I gush about the latest book I read. Have you read The Nesting Place by Myquillin Smith?!? I can NOT encourage you enough to check it out. I’d been wanting to read it because I’d heard good things about it, so I put it on my Christmas wish list and started reading […]
Freedom: My One Little Word for 2015
Sometimes when you’re five-and-a-half, nighttime can be a scary thing. This is what I’ve been informed of by the little boy living in my house recently. At all times of the night. No less than four times between the hours of 3:00 and 6:00 AM. Yep. We’ve been a bit sleepy lately. The intervention was […]