Everybody wants to know how to live a happy life. Am I right? Before I tell you the big secret to life, let me ask you this. Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to live lives that are shiny and successful? Even more, why do we feel like that’s what we should […]
I’ve made a lot of mistakes and done some things I’m not proud of in my life. I think we all have, but I’m 100% harder on myself. For years I’ve found it nearly impossible to let go of shame for being imperfect. As a highly sensitive person, I’m hyper-aware of all the things within […]
Friends, meet Alex & Emma. For years, my husband and I fought for our girls, chasing down answers and all too often getting the runaround, a guilt trip, or a brush off because their symptoms simply didn’t fit into any known puzzle. In 2009, after years of unexplained and misdiagnosed medical and developmental issues, we […]
I’m so used to these canvases hanging on the wall that I don’t often stop to admire them anymore. They aren’t anything fancy, they aren’t framed, they’ll never be discovered as pricey works of art, and one of them even has a puncture hole from our last move. But they are proof that we chose […]
The only perfect holiday is a perfectly imperfect holiday. You can be all in and living your best life and not have it all together. This is normal and happy and 100% in keeping with my kind of holiday. Take my family, for instance. This morning we found our Elf on the Shelf and then […]
Why do we put so much focus on making memories that look rosy and perfect? We owe ourselves permission to live real, honest, unfiltered, truthful lives that are both imperfect AND beautiful. For Example, on a recent family camping trip… Our daughter had an epic meltdown in the camper because her pants felt weird and […]
I might be one of the few who took that whole stay-at-home thing as a direct order to do what exactly what I wanted to do anyway- stay home with my people. Slow down the schedule. Scale back the commitments. Settle into a less fussy existence. But introvert re-entry can be a lot of work. […]
“I’m just feeling upset, but I need to hide my face so people won’t see.” my four year old cried. “I understand. Do you want to sit with me or do you want to hide by yourself?” I asked her. “I just want to be by myself for a minute,” she answered. And so I […]
New Year’s Resolutions. Ugh. If I’m not careful, the post holiday blues and short winter days will start whispering that I have to make big changes in order to be happy, fulfilled, or content. Then my January will look something like this. Step One I will declare December for the out of control eating mess […]
I put on my leggings and sneakers yesterday morning, but part of me had already assumed I wouldn’t actually stop at the park to walk after I dropped my child at school. My subconscious was already making excuses. After drop-off, I sat in my truck to check my email and pull up the audiobook that […]
