Confession: Nowadays, my biggest mothering challenge seems to be saying “What?” so many times. “Hey Mom.” “What?” “Guess what?” “What?” “Do you know what happened today?” “What?” “Um… I forget what I was saying.” “WHAT??!?!” Okay, there might be a few bigger challenges, like sibling rivalries, preadolescent attitudes, and foster bye-byes. But my point is […]
Confession: My daughter got a pet mouse for Christmas. She’d been begging for one for months. I said “Honey, are you sure you don’t want a dolly?” No, she was sure. A live mouse that she could keep and hold in her hand. Deep breath from Mommy. Already then. We bought his cage and food
Confession: I don’t usually write about my extra children until they leave us, but little Angel Boy is an ongoing part of our lives for now. I feel deep respect for both him and his family, and will not share photos or case-sensitive information concerning him. The things I write in this post have been
Caring for a child with special needs Read More »
Confession: I’ve been meaning to organize the closets and corners of my house for weeks and weeks now. I kept scheduling it in my planner and it kept getting bumped. This couldn’t possibly be my fault… surely someone else is to blame? With the holidays approaching and a schedule that is unrelenting, I decided to
Confession: I forgot what it was like to be a really busy mommy. I had four kids this week instead of three—the fourth a precious boy we got to parent for a week and a half. I’m probably not allowed to say more than that, and I can’t post any pictures of him here even
Ten tips for busy moms Read More »
When was the last time you sat down and wrote a list of the things you do well as a mom? I made one of mine, the same day I made my tongue-in-cheek-wanna-be-list-of-semi-failures-and-full-regrets. And I surprised myself by again making fifteen items without difficulty. To tell you the truth this list is harder to share
Did you know that a person’s strengths are often also their weaknesses? You can see it in marriage—a boyfriend is good at captivating his girl with a unique strength that later drives her insane. (Before marriage: “He’s such a music guy.” After marriage: “Does he ever think of anything else?” Before marriage: “Wow, check out
Confession: You wouldn’t expect deep philosophy to come from a 1980’s pop love song by the Nylons, but that’s how a piece of it came to me. The heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you’re loved by others. The first time I heard it I laughed out loud—just
One piece of the puzzle Read More »
Confession: I’ve never figured out when exactly you start feeling like a Good Mom. When my third child was born and I went in for her nth-month checkup, I was shocked to hear my doctor’s words: “Well, you must be getting pretty good at this by now.” Huh?? I’m Mennonite, okay? which means I’m officially
Three hundred voices Read More »
Confession: I think we should all get medals the morning *after* Mother’s Day, when the daily grind kicks in. How was your Mother’s Day? Mine was lovely… I woke up to find the kids bouncing around, waiting for me to see what they made with their daddy—a poster with flowers and butterflies. Each of their
