• Family

    Grateful for what I have Gained

    November 16, 2022 - By 

    November is the month of Thanksgiving. Although I truly believe that gratitude should be practiced year-round, I like to practice it especially in November. November 16th also happens to be a significant day for me. It’s the day I re-discovered my potential. My health and fitness was – for many years- something I took for granted. I was a swimmer and a gymnast, a tree-climber and an outdoor adventurer, but I wasn’t what you would call “sporty.” I never liked the gym. I never liked running or rowing or competitive anything. But I stayed active in work and in life.…

  • Family - Fun - Parenting

    Yes Day!

    July 31, 2022 - By 

    Ever since I let the boys watch that Jennifer Garner movie, Yes Day, the boys have been begging to have one of their own. For the uninitiated, a “Yes Day” is when you pick one specific day that the parents can’t say no to any request the kids have. Now, there are some ground rules. There is a monetary budget. There are no requests to travel outside of the city (or a set radius of your choosing). And no requests that impact the future (for example, they can’t ask for a puppy). We laid the ground rules (most of which…

  • Family - Throwback

    Canoe Manoo

    April 29, 2022 - By 

    The Kansas City Zoo has a program to sell composted animal manure to the public. This program is called, aptly, “Zoo Manoo.” So you understand where I’m coming from with the title for this Flashback Friday blog post. Canoe Manoo: AKA The World’s Shittiest Canoe Float. The year was 2013. The Husband and I went up to Iowa to celebrate the 4th of July. Baby A-man took his first ever flight at just 5 months old. And then there was the canoe float. We had some friends from Arizona also fly to Iowa to celebrate the 4th, and participate in…

  • Family - Fun - Marriage - Parenting

    Camping… Sort of

    April 23, 2022 - By 

    Now that most of the major outdoor house projects are complete (**fingers crossed**), the husband and I have made a goal to spend some weekends going camping as a family. We really haven’t done this (with kids) but once, at a campground just a stone’s throw from our house in Iowa. It was amazing, and we stayed in a tent, but it wasn’t quite like true nitty-gritty camping. You can read about it here. Well, the weather looked to be warm, and we didn’t have any plans, so we decided this weekend was going to be our inaugural Missouri camping…

  • Family

    Hangers and Doorframes

    February 23, 2022 - By 

    You might think this post is about a house. Or maybe a clothes closet, or a hat rack by the front door. It’s not. Its about children. My oldest just turned 9, and my youngest is about to turn 7. They are growing like weeds, in a very measurable way: But they are also growing in so many immeasurable and almost-unrecognized ways. A while back I made a post on the Milestones that nobody tells you about, and here we have reached one of those again. Maybe someday I’ll look back on this post with a fondness. A sort of,…

  • Family - Marriage - Parenting

    I Had a Miscarriage

    October 15, 2021 - By 

    Let’s talk about it. I’d hope, by the title, that you will realize the serious content of this post. This is not funny, or witty, or irreverent, or insightful. It is raw and real and painful. But please, I hope you can do me (and my baby) the honor of reading it all the way through. I had a miscarriage. Let’s talk about it. I mean, let’s not just talk about my miscarriage. Let’s talk about them all. Statistics show that as many as one in three pregnancies can end prematurely. The odds are that you know someone who has…

  • Family - Food

    Tend Your Garden

    September 28, 2021 - By 

    This is my second year gardening at the Kansas City house. I’m probably what you would call a “hobby gardener” – although due to the size of my garden this “hobby” is rather time-consuming in the summer. I’ve been gardening on and off for most of my life, although this garden here is by far the largest undertaking. I’ve learned some superficial gardening lessons over the years but the ones I’ve learned these past two years are impactful on so many levels. Or maybe I’m getting wiser in my 40’s, who knows? Each spring, I start daydreaming about seeds. I…

  • Family - Fun - Marriage

    The Things that Bring Us Together

    August 14, 2021 - By 

    “Mom,” my oldest son asked me, “why are you taking a picture of your shoes?” “Well bud,” I replied, “Do you know I haven’t worn these shoes in a long time? Do you know the last time I wore these shoes?” He shook his head. “My wedding. When your dad and I got married.” His eyes got big. “Yep, over 10 years ago. Before you and your brother were even born. So, I took this picture to remember how much has changed since then. And how much I love everyone and everything in our lives.” Okay, so maybe being at…

  • Family - Parenting

    Real Life and Cookies

    August 2, 2021 - By 

    Do you know what it is? It’s chocolate-chip cookies, mid-mixing. You see, the boys and I were making a batch of cookies. Which sounds like a lot of fun. Some of my own favorite memories from my childhood including making chocolate-chip cookies with my mom. “But why,” you may ask, “isn’t there anyone actually making cookies in this photo?” Well, my friend, because my cookie-helpers are currently taking a 5-minute quiet time in their rooms. Sometimes they get along so well. And sometimes they bicker like cats and dogs over Every. Little. Thing. They fought over who got to break…

  • Family - Parenting

    I’ll Hold Your Hand

    July 16, 2021 - By 

    My oldest boy is over 4 feet tall. It won’t be long before he’s taller than me. Before he’s a tweenager and then a teenager and perhaps he will be embarrassed of me and roll his eyes at me and be convinced he knows it all. But for now, he’s still a snuggler. A hand-holder. An “I love you so much mom” hugger. Yesterday, when his younger brother had a playdate, A-man and I got some much needed one-on-one time. And as we walked across the parking lot to the big box store (in search of a toy he wanted)…