Ah, Christmas. The day of gifting and giving and focusing on others. At least, that’s where it all began when those wise men set their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh on the dusty earth near the newborn baby.  I am sure we’ve all had good intentions as years past. We meant it to be… Continue reading At the closing of Christmas

I hit a wall today. That’s to be expected, I guess, at 32-weeks pregnant. But it was self-induced. And after nursing my pride for an afternoon, I think I’ve learned a valuable lesson. A couple weeks ago, I decided I wanted to take my half-finished fiction novel I worked on last year during National Novel… Continue reading A time and a place

I have a confession to make. I have been saying NO to Heidi a lot lately. I know that sounds about normal for an almost-three-year-old. But these aren’t NO’s to touching electrical sockets or running in the street or even indulging in a slice of pizza before bed (because let’s be honest, we definitely say… Continue reading Just Say Yes

Heidi is a wreck when she’s tired. You would think when her eyes are puffy and red-rimmed from being sleep-deprived, that she would fall asleep easily. Her room is cool and dark (finally bought those blackout liners!).Her bed is soft, comfortable, inviting (inviting to me anyways, haha). The house is quiet and peaceful. We read… Continue reading Simmer down

The past couple months, parenting Heidi has proved a bit challenging. In fact, some days it feels impossible. I believe someone told me it’s called the “three-teens.” (Get it? Like pre-teens? Only like…three-teens? The drama of a teenager mixed with the tantrums and stubbornness of a toddler? Yeah, sounds about right). This girl is fighting… Continue reading Tear in my coffee

I know a lot of people going through difficult situations right now…tragedy, loss, pain, recovery and uncertainty. It’s tough to hear about and think about sometimes because there’s just so much brokenness in the world. It almost feels like I’m in a vast field of land mines, and they’re exploding all around me, so close… Continue reading Every story has a star

Spring has been good for my soul. I am sure many of you feel the same. As much as I wish it were spring all the time, the winter really does give me a fuller appreciation for the milder seasons of the year. With spring comes playing outside….lots of playing outside. It is something that… Continue reading Trails of Life

One day, in the not-so-distant-past, I thought parenting involved diapers, lots of “no-no’s!”, following a decent nap schedule, maybe some sleep training, and making sure my kid got enough protein and veggies. I knew (or thought I knew) enough about discipline that I wasn’t anxious about the terrible two’s. I even hated that term because… Continue reading A slap in the face

A couple weeks ago, Heidi was happily eating her cereal at the dining room table while I sat across from her reading “Mommy, all done,” Heidi said, signaling that she was done with her cereal and needed me to wipe her down and get her out of her chair so she could play. “Just one… Continue reading Waiting in time out

On New Year’s Eve afternoon, I made myself a cup of tea and sat down to write down some New Year’s Resolutions.  They were pretty cut and dry: keep up with my blog, get some more editing jobs, finish my book, potty train Heidi, maybe lose another 5 lbs. I felt good and accomplished thinking… Continue reading New Year’s Resolutions….tweaked