Common-sense grace for the try-hard girl
You cleaned up the mess from the class party. You hosted the party for your graduating senior. You purchased the final teacher gift. And now, you are left with yourself and the implications that another school year has passed. The end-of-the-school year may come as a relief to you because sleeping in, lounging by the […]
I’m just going to be a raw and real here: being a mom of littles was not my favorite stage of life. This season was hard for me because I believed that every decision (big or small) would make or break the life, future, and personality of our two daughters. The amount of pressure I […]
How many times a day do you and I say, “I love my people, but they are driving me crazy”? Like a million. Here’s the deal: I would take a bullet for our girls yet I want to scream when I see their out-of-control rooms. I mean, how hard is it to not throw your […]
You’ve done it. Lord knows I’ve done it. We have a quiet time filled with thoughtful reflection, insight, and hymns that cause our hands to reach heavenward, and then… … we walk back into our regularly-scheduled life and the wheels fall off the bus. The kids make us mad. We can’t believe coffee takes so […]
Back-to-school meant back-to-stress for me. In elementary school, I stressed about what teacher I’d get. In junior high, I worried about whether I’d have friends in my classes, who I’d eat lunch with, and how my Aqua-Netted hair could possibly stay in place despite the Houston humidity… and gravity itself. In high school, I stressed […]
When the girls were toddlers, the last day of school made me cry. It wasn’t leaving incredible teachers and new friendships that did it. Nope. I cried because I’d be at home for three months with two toddlers, and I wasn’t sure what to do with them. My response to feeling out of control, out […]
I’m always optimistic at the start of summer—it’s a vast sea of possibilities. Picnics, extra screen time, and relaxed evening routines all sound lovely after nine months of structure. But there’s a darker side of summer…and I’m not talking about the tans. Summer has an uncanny ability to make us feel mom-guilt. Here’s how mom-guilt […]
The other morning, our non-hugger of a daughter wanted to snuggle and tell me all about the dream she’d had. I loved every minute until I realized carpool was coming. Later that evening, our non-reader daughter wanted to read to me. I loved her turning page after page until I realized that it was after […]
At the end of the school year, I feel a little bit crazy town, like all the tiredness and frustration and routine have compounded until they explode in May. I start doing crazy things like playing games with time, negotiating as if I’m at a peace summit, and bargaining and bribing people just so we […]
Parenting is completely out of my comfort zone, and maybe it feels overwhelming to you too. I love efficiency, strategy, metrics, annual reviews, and sleep. You know, all the things that parenting doesn’t offer. When I first became a parent, I felt like The Worst Mom ever: Why couldn’t I be more nurturing? Why did […]
