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The other night we were praying night prayers. I asked my oldest what he wanted to tell God, or ask of God. He began, “Dear God. Please help me to be a better boy.” I choked up. I actually felt the sting of a tear swell up in my dry eye socket. He was really getting this whole prayer thing. He continued, “And God, please make my mom a better mom. Please make her stop shouting at me so much. Thank you very much. The end.” Indignation replaced sentimentality. I bit my tongue and almost gasped out, Speak for yourself, buddy!!! When I realized it. I had become a habitual shouter. The kids knew it and now I knew it too. I remembered the great book I…
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My dad is a gastroenterologist. We grew up around the house, car, soccer game, hearing about stomach lining, perforated colons, and of course, poop. No part of the human digestive system went unspoken of. You can imagine this has naturally translated for the kids with their grandfather “Baba” as they call him. I overheard my son explain to my daughter the other day that poop was the lining of the colon sloughing off. This was while he allegedly was prepping her for a procedure {!!}. Her response? I want to keep it. Lots of body talk around here. Along with all that for me came a fascination with the gut. Gut bacteria, in particular, and how this world of microbiology and each individual person’s microbiome that…
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Capsule wardrobes for four year olds? Two year old girls? Babies? Done and so happy with them! How about for me? I am not going to stick hard & fast to the super minimalism, but I did want to cull through and pick out clothing that would feel good on me this summer. Anyone who has experienced motherhood, physically growing children or heart-growing children has most likely also experienced the changes that come along with for our bodies. Stress and lack of sleep lead to weight retention. Multiple pregnancies lead to a soft belly. We wear scars most can’t see. And this is OKAY! I’ve written about embracing your postpartum body and I needed to re-read it the other day. None of my jeans were fitting…
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The years of having small dependent children bring with them the joys and the sufferings for our relationships with our spouses. I can safely say, having these three kids has been the single best thing that could have happened as a result of our relationship (because of it? due to it? oh whatever) AND the single hardest thing to endure when sometimes you just want to be with the other adult, or even better (not always, but sometimes) ALONE. Young children are black holes of need for adult attention. Even if your kid is the most sleep-trained, autonomous creature ever. When they’re babies, they need diaper changes and feeding. When they’re toddlers, they need reassurances and food prepared. When they’re prek, they need constant and…
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the kind you can only send your sister. And should only. When I was a kid, my mom would tell me don’t make faces like that . . . what if your face got stuck like that? And do NOT DO THAT in front of other people. Here I am, a 32 year old mom of three, still making these faces. And texting them to my sister. Just to prove the internet is not a place only for fancy photos. But real ones too. Did you see Haley’s article on the hardness of being a mother? Did you see this bracelet? How about Nancy’s potty training lessons learned including surviving the faint tinge smell of poop at all times??? Did you see that Lydia had her baby…
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As I’ve been going through like the mad woman that I am and purging out toys, books, clothing we aren’t using regularly or frankly, that I loathe, I’m realizing there are a few staples from the first years of my older children’s now long-past childhoods that the baby loves. That I love. That really, after three kids, I would buy, full-price. At the snap of a credit card against the counter. That fast. Over on my baby registry post I list out the must-haves for babies in general, but these are my real workhorse toys that I am going to put my stamp of approval on. Big stamp. Me. Right there. 1) Silicone teething ring It has different textures along its ridges. It can be clung…
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