Before having my first child, I knew life as we knew it was totally going to change. But as much as I read all the pregnancy and parenting books, and joined a bunch of online mommy groups and read all sorts of advice… There was one thing I don’t think anyone could have prepared me for. I didn’t realize how all the diaper changes, middle-of-the-night wakeups, nursing and feedings, laundry (it’s … [Read more...]
What my Three-Year-Old Thinks of “Work”
Lately, Little Miss has been climbing into our window seat when my husband leaves for work, opening the window, and yelling, “Bye daddy! I love you so much!” It's incredibly sweet and endearing. But then one day she had something to add to her declaration of love. “Where is your work? Is it over there?” She shouted as pointed down the street. My husband, Tyler, said no, that he needs to … [Read more...]
What Fills Your Cup? The Importance of Self-Care
My daughter is obsessed with water, and taking one cup to fill another. I’m sure it’s a toddler thing. But the other night during bath time, she was pouring the water back and forth, and she suddenly looked in the empty cup, and exclaimed, “Where did it all go?!?” Maybe it was my tired pregnant mama brain, but it made me think about that saying, about cups being half full or half empty. I … [Read more...]
5 Steps: From Ideas to Action
Raise your hand if you have all these ideas in your head, but they’re just that… ideas. That used to be me -- I’ll admit -- most of the time. I had all these grand ideas and plans. They ranged from the mundane, like creating and sticking to a cleaning schedule, to the grand, like creating a hot dog food tour. (I really did toss this idea around, because -- for real -- people take their Chicago hot … [Read more...]
Give Yourself Permission to Take a Break (When Necessary)
If there's a cardinal rule to blogging it's simple: be consistent and post frequently. I'm still working on my blogging frequency, but -- and I recommend this to anyone who has a blog -- create a schedule or editorial calendar and stick to it. Except when you can't. Because, you know, life happens, and sometimes it's ok to just 'take a break.' (Even when you're just starting out, like … [Read more...]
