Dear Skylar, Today you turn two. In the months before you were born, we found out we were having a GIRL. I cried. For some reason your daddy and I were confident we were going to have a boy first. We were shocked, but not let down in the least. I cried because I knew …
I’ve read my fair share of parenting books at this point. Many of them defend those so-called “terrible twos” saying they really can be terrific twos! And I remember reading their words when Skylar was an angelic 14-month-old and nodding my head, thinking “Yep, that’s gonna be my girl”. But Skylar’s 2nd birthday is in …
Do you ever feel like you’re a slightly different person every day? Some days, I like the changes I feel. I’ll spring out of bed ready to tackle my to-do list with fervor. I’m confident in my abilities, my goals, my hair… Other days, I feel like I never get my eyelids fully opened and …
It’s a gorgeous day in Tucson. I’m seated on a coffeeshop patio in the foothills and it’s a blustery 76 degrees. I should be basking in the glory of this weather, landscape, pumpkin spice coffee, but instead my chest is tight with guilt. Many of us can’t take a full breath because of stress, but …
I have a shirt that says, “focus on the good”. I ordered it from Unlock Hope years ago. I always laugh at myself when I accidentally wear it on a travel day or a day I know is going to be especially long. Because, well, those are the days I don’t naturally “focus on the good”. …
I grew up worshipping my mom. I loved her handwriting, her nurturing voice, her enthusiastic responses to tiny victories in my life. When I succeeded in the pool, no one was more excited than my mom. She used to come into my room in the mornings and wake me up by rubbing my back and …
I’d like to take a survey to see how many first impressions are correct. And what my first impression is…not sure I want to know. One of my former teammates was quite honest and told me I didn’t sit well with her the first time she met me. I was over-the-top, Texas-big-hair nice. “Hiiiiii, I’m …
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” Jimmy Dugan aka Tom Hanks said that in “A League of Their Own”. It’s been one of my motivational mantras since my high school swimming days, but gosh, it applies to more than sports. As …
My sister-in-law gifted me the beautiful (aesthetically and prose-wise) book “GraceLaced” by Ruth Chou Simons for my birthday. Ruth is a mama to six boys, the youngest of whom is 3. She is a talented watercolor artist and writer. And she’s a mom to – I’ll say it again – SIX BOYS. As I leaf …
I turned 31 yesterday. I didn’t weep or ponder my wrinkles or dwell on the fact that I’m a decade over 21 and no longer get carded (though I have complained about that lately). What does this 31-year-old have to grumble about?! I have a happy, healthy toddler, a caring, hunky husband, two families (the …