When I married my husband Jason, I believed that he only had eyes for me. Deep down, I felt chosen. Chosen by him to do this thing we call life. Together. Forever. My dream slowly started to crumble when I …
Choose Vulnerability
Vulnerability: one of life’s most radical opportunities for immense failure or intense joy. Relationships allow us a choice: to enter in with all that we are, or to cautiously hold ourselves at bay. Subconsciously, or maybe consciously, we evaluate others. Are …
Letting Go of My Mothering “Shoulds”
My first few years of parenting were hard, really hard. If they were a journey, they were climbing a steep mountain face with a hundred pound pack on my back and a baby carrier strapped to my chest. It was …
Creative Ideas for Eating Out With Littles
Dining with littles is no small task. My husband and I are foodies, and we enjoy the mystery of going to new restaurants and trying different foods. When our girls were small, it didn’t take long to realize we needed …
The Reason I Apologize to My Children
I apologize to my girls. Quickly and often. There are two reasons for this. First I fumble through parenting and make daily mistakes, so I give myself frequent opportunity to have to say “I’m sorry”. Second, I’m showing them the …
When You Don’t Know How to Play With Your Kids
Playing is hard for me. It always has been. A few months ago, my niece asked me to play dolls with her. As the mother of two car-loving boys, I had no idea how to play with dolls. I’ve finally …
The Vulnerability of Miscarriage
I have a story to tell. It isn’t an easy one to share. It’s deeply personal and I wish it had never happened to me. And yet this story is one of the most defining moments of my journey in …
Not My Child: Protecting My Son From a Sexual Predator
Several years ago, our family was befriended by a community acquaintance with whom we shared some extracurricular activities. Over time, this man (I’ll call him Bob), began paying attention to my 2-year-old son. He’d ask my son for high fives …
Five Things Moms Need to Hear
“Take off your shoes before you kick your brother in the head!” I said that once while on the phone with my sister. I told her to hang on a sec and blurted out those words. I didn’t even realize …
How to Be Vulnerable
“Can I cry?” The deluge of tears and snot began, of course, before this terse sentence had even left my lips. I was mired in a season of life where I felt like nothing but one huge, raw, exposed nerve, …