I MOPS because I was a mom with a toddler, a marriage looking at its tomb, and a freshly emptied womb. I was 12 weeks pregnant when I lost my second baby and gained a depression that started on my bathroom …
Fighting for Your Marriage When Life Beats You Up
In the parenting journey, just as in life, nothing is guaranteed. The unexpected happens to all of us, but there are some things that not only come as a surprise, they turn life on its head. And in those moments, …
The Rebellion of Opting Out
Modern family life can feel a lot like a hamster wheel — a constant race you’re never winning. We overschedule our kids and ourselves, wedging some must-do activity into every waking moment of the day, until we’re short on time, …
Don’t Allow Work to Take Over
Work is like laundry, even if you did it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there’d always be more to do. For your own mental health, the health of your team, and even your marriage and kids, you …
Celebrate the Ordinary
I don’t like glitter and I’m not a fan of confetti. I’m not good at celebrating. I’m a doer, a survivor, a caretaker. I can help create a fantastic celebration for someone else, but won’t take that same energy and …
Five Practices to Navigate Touchy Conversations
Dinner conversation looks a bit different than it used to for me and my husband. After our daughter was born, many of our mealtimes were marked by few words – not because we were angry with each other, but because …
The Truth About Sexual Intimacy
My husband, Jason, and I have a complicated history with sexual intimacy – betrayal on his part and an eating disorder on mine. Oftentimes, I feel like we are stumbling along in this area. It’s true – there are still …
Soul Mates
“Dad, do you believe in soul mates?” I asked. His eyebrows raised behind the paper he was reading. “Well …” he began. His fingers drummed a nervous rhythm on the tabletop. My dad’s hands were always moving, either pushing back …
Finding My Village
Following the birth of my first child, I felt as if I had walked through a veil; one that separated me from my previous life. I was in awe of how different my new life had become. I was in …
A Village of Mothers
When we got married, my husband and I agreed we would wait at least three years to have children. This was a compromise between him saying, “Let’s have a baby right now, our clocks are ticking!” and me saying, “I’m …