Navigating new motherhood one cold cup of coffee at a time
My husband and I moved here with one dog, a baby bump and no support system, and are leaving here with two dogs, two kids under three, and a village of hand-selected family. We have not, however, had a babysitter for the popular “first night out kid-free” milestone yet. And this has been by choice… Continue reading When home is exactly the break that you need
I'm proud that I followed through with many of my resolutions for 2017 – well, most of them. My biggest goal was to minimize the clutter in my life, which has transformed our home. It has helped me cut down on wants vs. needs, find a style that I actually like – both in my… Continue reading I failed last year’s resolution and uncovered something better
I'm that girl who is ready for Christmas in August. It's my favorite time of year. Not just for the cookies, music, decor, shopping, and the whole Jesus birthday thing, but because of how it fills my cup spiritually. There's an extra dose of love in the air that ripple effects from our communities into… Continue reading Why I will continue asking my husband for Christmas gifts now that we are parents
Fifteen months since becoming parents, and I still turn to one of the first pieces of advice I received before going into labor. "When you bring your baby home, create a sacred space between you and your husband where you both have equal opportunity to find your way as parents. Be cautious of visitors coming… Continue reading Why we should stop helping our husbands
Three years - that's it? As we looked at our approaching anniversary date, we thought this year's celebration would be a higher number. Having a kid definitely catalyzes your relationship; It feels like we've been tied together far longer, but I suppose this feeling isn't a bad one. We're used to marriage by now. We have graduated the honeymoon… Continue reading What I’ve learned in three years of marriage
In between slicing mangoes and toasting waffles - while making sure our collie isn't stealing our labradoodle's food like he always tries when I'm looking away - I overhear on the morning news that it's International Happiness Day! My mind races to so many different thoughts on happiness. My baby boy is starting to whine… Continue reading How happiness changes as I get older
Thanks to Facebook's "On This Day," feature, I saw a blog I had written on this day one year ago countering all the negative warnings that people innocently give to expectant mothers, as if we are doomed for a life of "never agains." These innocent warnings are intensified with comments of how much we stand to lose… Continue reading The one warning that we should be giving to expectant mothers
When we got pregnant, my first thought was a blur of joy and shock. My second thought was to count through the nine months it would take to grow you to see if daddy would be home for your birth. If we were staying in Hawaii, he would have deployed for a fourth time. Lucky us, we had… Continue reading A letter to our military child
I had a weird request for my approaching 27th birthday. I asked my husband to take photos of me. Just me. Recently, a series of harmless events happened that provoked some reflection. We received our 2016 family yearbook, I started documenting more videos for the "one second of every day" app, and I have three piles of dressy… Continue reading Finding self-love as a mother
This is the first resolution that I'm wishing for a lesser year. And I mean that in the best way. When I think about the past five years, they have all been centered around adding something major to my life. 2013 was the year I chased my dreams in Hawaii and launched my career. 2014 was the… Continue reading 2017: the year of sitting still
