Hello sweet child. I am writing you this letter today because I walked out on you and everyone yesterday, and I want you to know why. I want you to look back on that night and understand it was because I love you so much. I walked out the door, and I kept walking because I needed to breath and think about why we were butting heads. See, my precious, you are everything to me. You made me a mother. We aren’t seeing eye to eye right now, and I am wracking my brain and reading books to understand you better. I want you to know how special you are. You are incredibly smart. Your mind races from one idea to the next, and you put together the mysteries of the world in the most beautiful, philosophical theories. Your appetite for fun, adventure and danger are insatiable, and sometimes I’m…

I studied pretty hard for the SATs. I took courses, went to practice tests, worked with friends and really did my best to prepare for the standardized test that determines your college future. Why isn’t there some sort of pre-parents study guide? One that gives you the list of special skills you need to practice to ensure you adapt and succeed at becoming a mom? I wish my mom, or anyone really, would’ve provided me a study guide or practice list before my first little bundle whirled into my life. You know, like a, “this will be on the test immediately upon giving birth” type of guide. There are so many simple things I could’ve started practicing prior to my first child, that would’ve better equipped me mentally and physically. For example, mastering the one-handed, peanut butter and jelly sandwhich. I could’ve been practicing and practicing this skill to avoid many…

Boy were we excited. This was a date night we looked forward to for weeks. It was to celebrate many things; a birthday, a new baby, the holidays, remodels and our year of working on our marriage and finding a deeper love in our home. We were ready to pretend we weren’t parents for just a minute. Little baby was along for the ride, but he’s a good baby who sleeps quietly, and compared to the obnoxious toddlers, that’s nothing. I found this fabulous romper to wear. Full of sparkles and lace because all of that is so anti-mommy, and that’s what I was gonna be that night. Not a mom, but a girl dressed up ready to hit the town. Years if motherhood should have given me some inclination that things might not go as planned. I was too excited to give that inkling even a moments notice. We…

We all know the book, Where The Wild Things Are. The imaginary, monster/adventure world describes the mind of a boy almost perfectly. They are adventure-seeking, monster-loving, little kings. They want to fight, take charge and beat things up. Boys are competitive little animals, and it’s not necessarily natural for them to be loving and kind to their brother(s). Brotherly love is a unique concept, but I’ve learned some things that help me understand and cultivate a loving relationship between my two boys. Tackling Is Love: Think of tackling, shoving or karate chopping like hugs and kisses for brothers. At first, it looks like it could be a knock out session, but there’s no anger. There is pure love and play. They absolutely love wrestling each other. Because they are still little, they haven’t learned appropriate boundaries to avoid someone (the little one) getting hurt. He usually cries for a second,…

On October 21st at 1:10pm, I joined the mom-of-three club. Since that day, I’ve graduated from hospital undies. I started putting yoga pants on, rather than pajama pants. I haven’t quite excelled into my new role as mom-of-three yet. Transitioning into life at home with two toddlers and a baby is a process I’m going through, with no real “I’ve got this down!” moments. (Hopefully soon?!) The older boys are loving this new phase in life. They are running around naked and crazy half the time. It’s difficult to dress them with one hand while nursing the baby in the other. As soon as I sit down to nurse, food starts soaring back and forth, laundry baskets get dumped, pillows go flying, and they literally have the time of their lives. Yeah, I’m navigating through the war zone in survival mode, driven by instinct…. Read More over at Tacoma Working…