Do you have moments in which even when your family is together, they're not really together? Like when you're driving somewhere, and everyone has their headphones in, watching videos, listening to music, or playing games on their miniature iDevice of choice? Or when the whole gang is home on a weeknight but each person is working, texting, gaming or television watching from a different room in the house? …
[Read more...] about Have You Experienced Family Un-Bonding?
I sat in the chair watching 5 inches of my hair hit the ground, and thankfully, I instantly knew I was making the right decision. I wasn't sure earlier that day as we drove there. Was I going to cry? (Yes, that HAS happened to me before -- not a good day.) Change can be exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. Those two emotions can manifest tears or joyful feelings of freedom. Sometimes you just don't know until you do it. …
[Read more...] about What I Learned from Getting My Hair Chopped
It was a huge moment. One that I hadn't expected would happen this early, quite honestly. And yet the opportunity arose and I knew I had to seize it. Before I realized it, I was having "THE TALK" with my daughter. Breathe deep, I told myself. This is a moment I had envisioned so often, but wasn't quite sure how I would handle it all. …
Adultitis is a big problem. Epic. Seemingly insurmountable. It can't be taken down by government legislation, well-financed corporations, or an army of powerful tanks. However. Adultitis can be toppled by ordinary people participating in small rebellions* every single day. Simple decisions to zig instead of zag. …
I love this quote by Amelia Earhart... "When a great adventure is offered, don't refuse it." I think great adventures are offered to us all the time. And YET, if you're like me most days, it's too easy to miss them because you're bogged down in the details of the day-to-day. I truly believe the saying, "The devil's in the details." …
[Read more...] about 5 Tips for Managing Details Before They Eat You Alive
Halloween has come and gone. After bribing Lucy with M&M's (her new favorite treat), she DID put on her Elmo costume long enough to get a plastic pumpkin half-full of candy. Victory! Last year the three of us donned themed costumes. (Frankenstein, the Bride of Frankenstein and their pet skunk... um, yeah. I know... go with it.) So, a while back as October 31st drew closer, Jason and I started chatting about THIS year's theme. With an almost two-year-old, a major consideration was what we could actually convince her to wear. Considering "no" is her favoritest of words, we knew we'd have …
Being a mom has been WAY harder than I ever imagined. (Mom, you sure made it look easy!) Amidst many recent moments of second-guessing (the norm for first-time parents of a toddler), I am excited to report that I had a major breakthrough last weekend. You see, it was a perfectly beautiful summer afternoon in Madison. Days like that are the reason I endure Wisconsin's never-ending month of February. …
What's heaven like? I'm sure you asked this of your elders when you were a "little," but have you asked it recently? What do YOU think heaven is like? I absolutely adore my mom's answer to my inquiry when I was five years old. I'll never forget the conversation. She was pushing me on the swing of our trusty backyard swing set. (Boy, being the youngest, that thing had seen some love by the time I came along.) By age five I was a swinging fool. I spent a large fraction of my childhood examining clouds and dreaming on that swaying piece of plastic. The conversation went something like …
[Read more...] about How to Create Heavenly Moments In The Here and Now
Lucy is one year old today. Happy Birthday, Lucy Ruth! She's in that cute stage where she reaches out for things that she wants. Typically, her reach is accompanied by a grunt, as if to say, "gimmie that!" On Sunday morning in church, as I held my bundle of energy (not unlike wrestling a cat), I couldn't help but observe her noticing something. Unlike other parts of the service, she wasn't reaching for the guy's coat in front of us or the bag of mini-marshmallows his four-year-old son was inhaling one by one (which was hilarious, by the way). …
The days are getting colder, and the opportunities to take my little girl to the park for a swing without turning her into a babysicle are dwindling. *Sigh* She can sit on the swing all by herself now (with close supervision.) It seems like it was yesterday when we had our first swing. I'm sure it will seem like tomorrow when she starts asking for "underdogs." Today it was a sunny day. It's supposed to rain tomorrow. Make sure you're not wasting the sunny ones. …
