The boys' birthdays have led to our great return to society as infection rates drop in our area - my oldest requested a trip to Chuck E Cheese in August (a weekday and remarkably empty) and my second child asked to go to a similarly expensive but more physical climby-jumpy-sweaty kiddie palace for his big... Continue Reading →
Move It
Farewell, old house! I love to relocate. I moved a lot as a kid, and after I've lived somewhere three years, I start to wonder what's next. We moved around because of my dad's job, and my husband doesn't have the same kind of job, so moving around isn't as necessary (once we moved to... Continue Reading →
A Small Slice of Grief
The holidays were hectic, and bled into January with family arriving to celebrate a third Christmas, followed by preparations for my daughter's birthday (2/2) and my husband's birthday (2/14). And then my grandmother died. It's become a sort of bleak tradition that I write something when there is a death in the family. My paternal... Continue Reading →
Drama and trauma and bees, oh my
A lot has happened this year, and it seems like most of it has happened to Archie, my middle child. Archie had his tonsils and adenoids removed several years ago, and his doctor suggested putting in ear tubes just for the heck of it since he was already having surgery. We agreed, because what do... Continue Reading →
Not Quite Jolly
Do you ever attempt to soothe your soul in an absolutely nonsensical way? Common advice for anxiety sufferers is occupying your hands to distract your mind, as if knitting an afghan would erase your constant stress. It certainly wouldn't do the trick for me, since I never had the mental fortitude for knitting -- instead... Continue Reading →
You Are Amazing
Remember a few years ago when everywhere you looked, there was a woman reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle? Women in Starbucks, women on airplanes, women on the beach, all heeding the call at the same time? I didn't read it. As a rule, I avoid any book that is wildly popular because those books are... Continue Reading →
Chin Up
I was sitting in a doctor's office this morning when I noticed a glob of children's toothpaste smeared on the back of my hand. It had been hours since I'd brushed the kids' teeth, so I only knew what the sticky goop was because it was blue and smelled like fake fruit. It was a... Continue Reading →
How, exactly?
I have well-documented anxiety, and have recently begun discussing it with a therapist again. Why, you ask, wouldn't I be in a constant state of therapy if I know I have anxiety? Because I very much dislike crying. I get an awful headache after I cry, and it's obviously embarrassing and exhausting, but I also... Continue Reading →
Rest and Repeat
I'm coming out of a period of hibernation. Not literal hibernation, as I recently traveled with my kids to Florida, but a mental hibernation. I got sick a couple months ago and the more time that passes, the more I'm sure it was some sort of autoimmune flare up rather than a virus. First and... Continue Reading →
It’s a Book
I have received edits from my first reader who confirms that it is, in fact, technically a book that I have produced. While I generally consider this person to be fairly critical, there are not nearly enough edits in the script to make it better, so I will fix what has been recommended and search... Continue Reading →