The year 2020 has been like a rolling, burning dumpster fire. I’m home all the time with my babies, and while I’m grateful to be protecting my family, the constant headlines and reports have me feeling perpetual dread. Luckily, I have had time to myself to read and I wanted to share some suggestions for books to get you through 2020. Some are educational, some are uplifting, some just make you think. But I’m a better person for it, and I can’t wait to hear your suggestions too!
Continue readingTag: inspire
I write a letter to each child on each birthday and include it in their journal. This fall, I’m writing to my daughter – my youngest child – who is turning four years old. Please enjoy this letter to my daughter on her fourth birthday, and feel free to use it as a template as you write to your own kids.
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I think almost every parent at some point feels that they have too many toys for their kids. It seems like no matter how much cleaning and reorganizing, selling and donating, threatening and taking-away we do, we end up with multiplying toys.
As our family looks to downsize and simplify, we notice that our kids enjoy their imaginative toys the most. These are the toys which inspire open-ended, creative play. (And as a bonus, they rarely require batteries or make loud noises!) I’ve compiled my kids’ favorites and the smartest buys, so read on for the best toys to inspire imagination – and I hope that they help your family pretend, create, and play together! Continue reading
My mother is the most selfless person I have ever met. I don’t understand how she is so effortlessly generous and kind, but I have noticed that the world recognizes it like I do. People flock to her: her smile, her laugh, her sarcastic sense of humor, and her leadership. It’s hard to tell you exactly what my mom has taught me in 30 something years, especially since she was my first teacher.
Now that I’m a mother too, all of these lessons she’s been ingraining in me have even more meaning. For her birthday, I’d like to honor her by passing on some of her most precious messages about motherhood, and life in general. Continue reading
Being a mom is hard. Like, really hard. Worthwhile and joyous and life changing, yes. But hard nonetheless.
Being a dad is hard too, damnit. My husband has been working extra hard lately, and he deserves to know how appreciated and loved he is, so I wanted to write this just in time for Valentines Day. Thanks for reading this letter to my husband.
A little backstory: Babe and I met in high school, I was a freshman and dating his best friend. We were on-again-off-again until we decided that resistance was useless, and married in 2008. Since Kid #1 made his debut, our lives have been a beautiful chaotic swirl. Now we sit surrounded by half-full sippy cups, Hot Wheels being batted around by the cat, and burp cloths on every table.
I still love this man. Hell, I love him more now than ever. And nothing screams “jackpot” more than watching him with our children. He is patient, fair, and already has mastered dad jokes. But we never get time to sit and gaze into each other’s eyes, talking peacefully and admiring one another. So, I want to write him a letter.
