In this new year I promise...to listen to the whispers of my heart, initiate kitchen dance parties, stay up way too late dreaming with my husband by a cracking fire, invest in countless guilt-free pajama days with my kids, listen to ocean waves in search of real wisdom, walk countless miles with my God in the early mornings, attempt to savor the beauty I see, smile generously, and to love bigger and bolder than yesterday. Adultitis, please know I will fight harder than ever to bring you down, today, tomorrow and forever. 2017, "living big" is an understatement. Let's do this! #AdultitisFighter …
Virginia’s Birth Story
Jason and I are officially outnumbered! It has been a wonderful blessing getting to know our little Ginny Rose these last three months. I'd be lying if I said it's been all rainbows and lollipops. Sleep deprivation combined with the winter blues is a bad combination. I'll admit to having Googled at one point, "How do you know if your baby has colic?" The biggest disadvantage little Ginny had coming into this family is that she followed Ben, who was officially declared "The Most Chill Baby of 2012." Seriously though, Jason and I agree that he probably cried a total of an hour during his first year of life. Ginny is more "normal," I believe. The biggest joys come from watching Lucy and Ben eat her up with love and affection. Lucy's prayers of having a little sister were answered and she is 110% smitten. Ben took a little longer to warm up. He thought she was nice, but she did bump him into middle child status. Needless to say, "DaddyBen" was a real person the first month after …
My Birthday Comeback Story
Birthdays come with a a lot of pressure! Everyone -- including myself -- hopes that it's a GREAT day. Some years this greatness is easier to achieve than others. Last year was a breeze. We played hooky as a family, savoring the early spring weather at the zoo. It was a VERY awesome day! But this year (my 35th) was shaping up to be a real challenge. …
Must. Wear. Eye Black.
There's something you need to know about me. I'm looking for any excuse to wear eye black. If I see even a remote opportunity to wear it, I'm jumping on it. …
Ben’s Birth Story
Ben is five weeks old, which means we have officially survived "hell month," as many call it. Our first month included the holidays -- yikes, what a crazy marathon! I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a challenge, but it's all behind us now. Joy is at an all time HIGH when I'm holding Ben. He is the chillest little man I've ever met. I just can't get enough of his baby smell and adorable little noises. By far, the suckiest part of the whole "new baby" scenario is the night feedings -- getting up every 2-3 hours really tests my sanity -- and by late afternoon if I haven't managed to sneak in a nap, my cup is pretty empty. This past month I've been reminded just HOW important kick-butt teamwork and communication is between Jason and I. It takes effort as we try to make this delicate balance happen yet again. As we gear up for month two, we graduate to the next step: traveling as a family of four. First up is a week-long road trip to Minnesota for three gigs followed by a trip to …
Quality of Life
I'm reading an excellent book, "The Mystery of Children: What Our Kids Teach Us About Childlike Faith," by Mike Mason. One line just jumped off of the page today... "Is the quality of your life such that your children come to you to find out what your secret is?" Hmm. That's truly something to contemplate. You can easily replace the word "children" with coworker, spouse, neighbor, sibling, etc. Notice the word "quality." That word can mean so many different things for each person. I guess the common denominator is happiness. Are you living life with a level of happiness that makes others ask "why" or "how"? The other night on our way home Jason and I saw a dad pushing his little boy (probably just under two-years-old) in a stroller. The boy was literally sitting at the edge of his seat, looking all around, taking everything in. It was noticeable how eager he was. He was truly absorbing life... again, demonstrating pure happiness. Take a few minutes to assess how you are (or …
Fear Mongering
Last night Jason was enjoying the All-Star game and while flipping channels at the commercial break he saw a promo for the evening news. "The fourth Madison murder this year! Is this a growing problem? Are you safe?" Something tells me that watching that news clip would've helped me sleep like a baby last night. (catching the sarcasm, here?) There's a huge distance between being informed and fear mongering. Not to be a media basher, but the reality is that bad new sells. Here's a sampling of the top news stories in Madison last night... Murder on Madison's South Side, Abduction Investigation, GM to Speed Up Closure of Janesville Plant, On the Menu: Higher Prices?, Madison Bus Driver Could Face Felony Charges. Not that I'm advocating denial here, but do we need this negative programming right before our night of rest? It's no surprise that there's a major connection between lack of sleep and stress levels. With that in mind, I share with you the following... Top 5 Ways to …
Acting Young
Today is the youngest you will ever be. Act like it. - Mark Cuban Whether you liked him in office or not, former President George H.W. Bush Sr. is a great example of what this quote it all about. This picture is from his sixth jump, at the age of 83, just less than a year after a hip replacement. What kind of jump should you be making? (Thanks, Phil, for sharing this quote!) …
Summer For Some Kids
What happened to the lazy days of a child's summer vacation? When we first moved to Madison eight years ago I spent the summer working for a summer daycare/day camp. We had third through fifth graders. The daycare hours were 7AM- 6PM. This was the first time my eyes were opened to the reality of what summer vacation is like for many modern kids. As one of the many "teachers" we tried to give the kids unstructured time, in order to let them feel like they could enjoy the lazy days of summer. Honestly, though, there is only so much you can do. Maintaining sanity and safely in a program with 50- 75 kids on any given day requires structure. Lunch is served just like at school. Activities are planned, in order to keep order and balance. That's a lot of kids to manage! The kids were great, but I saw a cloud of disappointment over many of them that I just couldn't shake. It took me a while to figure it out, but once I did it bothered me beyond belief and I was not able to participate …
Childlike Movies Galore
In keeping with our tradition to do something childlike on our anniversary, Jason and I celebrated eight years of "Mr. and Mrs." last night by going to see the playful movie Son of Rambow. Reviews have said... "It makes you feel like a kid again." "One-of-a-kind... an endearingly wacky look at boyhood and aspiring moviemakers. I really like this film." I have to agree! This movie brought me into the reality of childhood from the perspective of two imaginative young boys. I felt like I was walking (and running) right alongside them on their journey. It reminded me of the power of a young minds to create something out of nothing. It inspired me to want to grab my friends by the arm and tackle an adventure, like no other, together. It was a real treat! Very childlike! It seems like there are lots of childlike options at the box office right now... and in the next few weeks. …
Jason's new book, "A Chance of Awesome: How Changing the Way You See Changes Everything" is now available, and it will help you to see opportunities you’ve been missing and provide the inspiration to grab them.