1 year ago, I was laying in a hospital room wondering what just happened. My daughter had been born just hours before, but wasn’t with me. Being 5 weeks early, she was whisked away to NICU to be hooked up to monitors, a heating pad, and oxygen. I, on the other hand, was whisked out… [Read More]
Let the Children Come to Me
[This is a guest post by Norine Shaivitz.] “[Jesus] called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.’” Matthew 18:2-3 I wonder if the child Jesus chose was perfectly quiet and still, after… [Read More]
You’re Not a Bad Mom If You Spend Time with People Who Are Not Your Baby
This segment of “Bad Mom” brings us to Part Two of this three part series. (See Part One here.) Mother’s Day was yesterday, and if your guilt about not being Super Mom 24/7 kept you from enjoying your well-earned day, then please, read this post. Preferably with a coffee or piece of chocolate. You’ve earned a… [Read More]
You’re Not a “Bad Mom” If You Don’t Breastfeed
I’ve only been a mom for about 4 months now, and I recognize that I’m definitely still in the newb phase of parenting. But these 4 months have felt like a crash course, full of guilty, stressed and confused feelings over what I should or shouldn’t be doing. In an effort to normalize these guilty… [Read More]
Mother’s Day, Mary & Meg
In honor of Mother’s Day and because it’s Mary’s month of May, I just can’t resist posting a plug for one my all time favorite books about women and mothers and Mary, by an amazing woman (but it isn’t only for women!). In 1934, Gertrude von le Fort published The Eternal Woman: The Timeless Meaning… [Read More]
Big Enough for Us All
What an unbelievable gift we as women have been given, the potential to bear life. All throughout our lives we hold this gift within us, a stirring within our hearts, leading us to the sacrament of marriage where we play a part in the mysterious miracle which welcomes new life, however it may come… [Read More]
A Writer’s White Flag Day
The other night, my husband took the older boys to karate and I stayed home with our toddler to get a head start on dinner so it would be hot and ready when they returned. This is our normal procedure and works beautifully normally. Suddenly realizing that hot dogs were on the menu by special request… [Read More]
Finding Peace As a Mom of 5
I’m not sure Hail Mary’s are supposed to be yelled. Perhaps it’s a new way of praying them? For the last several months (years), I’ve struggled with finding peace in multiple areas of my life, at the same time. Maybe that’s my problem. I try to find too much peace, too many places and it’s… [Read More]
So You Think Your Kid Needs a Cell Phone
Oh, how I wish there was an entry in the Catechism for questions such as these. We have five children, the oldest is twelve and in seventh grade. And, if my gray hairs are any indication, he has asked us for a cell phone no less than one billion times. The answer is still no…. [Read More]
on Tolstoy, summer and gold in the sand
Summer is half way over, and I’m just now getting into the groove. Staying up a little later, waking up later, too. Letting things go slack, allowing everyone a little more space, more time, more freedom. It’s like I’ve exhaled, finally, from the school-year before. And I realize how much stress I carry with me… [Read More]
Mommy, I Look Fat: A Lesson in Self-Worth
“Mommy, I look fat.” Oh those are words every mom dreams her child will say, no? Sometimes, when the mirror is placed directly before us, we plainly see the example we set for our children. Whether it’s the shorter shorts, the plethora of bikinis or changing fashion trends, summertime tends to bring body image and… [Read More]
advice for a young mother
The other night I went to a local eatery to meet up with some Catholic mommas. These ladies meet regularly at a local parish, to encourage each other in their motherhood and faith. We sat around the table at this elegant venue downtown. A raucous “Salsa Night” going on at the restaurant just next door…. [Read More]
Summer Is For Living: Enjoying (not just surviving) the Season with Your Kids
Whether your children go to school, stay at home or do a combination of the two, there is no doubt that summer brings a new schedule to the house. I mean, you can smell the chlorine, taste the ice cream and feel the heat, am I right? At our house, there’s a schedule, albeit much… [Read More]
5 Things I Wish I Would’ve Known About Motherhood
Before I had children, I was an expert on parenting. Weren’t we all? But in twelve years of motherhood I’ve finally learned the one universal truth: we’re all just faking it. Pinterest World is not reality. Yes, we have “pin worthy” moments, but that is not our life. Did you hear me yelling at my… [Read More]
The *Best* Mother’s Day Gift
The older I get, the higher priority I place on spending quality time with my parents and the more I realize the profound role I have in shaping my own children.Perhaps it’s because I now have a middle schooler in the house and I see time slipping away. I’m beginning to understand what it means… [Read More]
Life is Not an Emergency: Preparing for Advent
Several months ago, a friend gave me the book, “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. Admittedly, it’s not the kind of book you can just breeze through in one sitting. It’s a hardcover meant to be enjoyed, over the course of many a couch sitting, preferably with a hot cup of tea. Precisely the kind… [Read More]
5 Tips: How to Be a Good Mom and Not Lose Your Mind
While I’ve been ‘Mom’ now for almost 13 years, it seems that I’m still figuring out this motherhood thing. It can be hard to balance being an individual woman with thoughts, ideas, plans and inspirations that are all my own with the… thoughts, ideas, plans, inspirations, hunger, laundry, homework and tantrums of everyone else in… [Read More]
I’m not afraid anymore…
I’ve just realized it. Just now. I’ve been sitting here at my computer, attempting to design a stunning website for a client, listening to my two little girls (ages 4 and 6) playing in the living room next to me. They’ve been playing ‘Getting Married’. This entails putting on pretend make-up, going dancing and finding… [Read More]
