“Mom, where’d you go?” My five year old daughter worriedly pressed her face against the protective mesh wall of the trampoline. “I’m right here, honey. I just stepped around the garage.” “It was scary. I couldn’t see you.” I reassured my daughter, “I was right here. I would never leave you.” With my renewed though... Continue Reading →
Thanksgiving weekend, my family enthusiastically set out to find our Christmas tree. Minutes after unloading at the idyllic tree farm, a toddler initiated a crying spell that lasted the entire hour we strolled the fields and barn. Meanwhile, another child complained about the cold, a sibling threw a tantrum for more cookies, and another brother... Continue Reading →
I just need a break. Do you ever find yourself muttering this under your breath, or pleading this to your husband, lamenting this to a mom friend or yelling this at your unsuspecting children? I just need a break. Maybe, like me, you find yourself getting creative with this statement. I just need a moment... Continue Reading →
Despite the fact that I have everything I need, too often I find myself sliding down the miry slough of self-pity. What about you? Self-pity comes naturally to us all, but I think it’s a particularly tempting sin for moms of young children, since little ones require so much of us and often keep us... Continue Reading →
Do you ever consider what animal your personality mimics? Perhaps you are the proverbial mama bear ready to draw your claws at a whiff of danger. Or perhaps your steadfast loyalty conjures images of a circling bald eagle. Are you the unpredictable rearing stallion or the easily spooked garden rabbit? Whatever your “animal spirit,” we... Continue Reading →
Since becoming a mom, I’ve noticed that society—or at least, the Internet—often praises mothers as a group for their unselfishness, as if the mere act of becoming a mother automatically transforms women from regular people into selfless saints. Around Mother’s Day, memes will begin to circle social media praising the heroic selflessness of moms, and... Continue Reading →
My dad loves to recount the story of stumbling upon my sisters and me hiding with all our dolls in our closet. When he asked us what we were doing, we told him we were pretending to be Corrie and Betsie ten Boom, hiding Jews from the Nazis. He had read Corrie’s inspiring true story,... Continue Reading →
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to share something for which I am deeply grateful—my neighbors. They have shown us extraordinary kindness in the four years we’ve shared a street with them. Their friendship has taught me a great deal of what it actually means to be a “good neighbor.” Good neighbors seem rare... Continue Reading →
During the seven years I have been a mom, countless moments have left me breathless with joy. The moment each of my babies was laid on my chest for the first time, or the times when they’ve fallen asleep on me and I’ve traced the curve of their soft cheeks in awe, or the instances... Continue Reading →
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