I’ve been called an ‘optimist’ plenty of times in my life. It’s often a compliment but not always. People have rolled their eyes at me and wondered out loud how I could have possibly turned something negative into a positive. But here’s the thing: not everything rolls off my shoulders. Sometimes it takes me a while to shake something off and see the good in what’s happened. But, more and more, … [Read more...]
Lessons in Resilience and Never Giving Up
I love the age Little Miss is at right now -- almost two years old. (Then again, I feel like I say that at every new “age.”) The connections she’s making, the words she’s learning, her bubbling personality. Everything! Of course though, with growing up and learning so much, she’s also discovering the world doesn’t revolve around her every want. With that new realization, I’ve already seen the … [Read more...]
What’s Your Answer to ‘Why’?
Little Miss has a new favorite word: “Why?” I feel like she’s started early with this question... she’s not even two! But if I ask her to do just about anything, or if I say we “need” to do something, the first thing out of her sweet little mouth is often “why?” It’s not always easy to answer. I try to answer as fully and as best I can, telling her that we clean up our toys because it … [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...]
20 Things Moms Say to Themselves to Get Through The Day
A couple weekends ago, before heading out of town, I needed to get Kafka the bulldog over to his DogVacay sitter who lived a good four miles away. This didn’t used to be a big deal. I’d throw his travel kennel, food, and toys into the car, load the dog up, and go. Not anymore. With Little Miss in the equation, combined with city living -- aka, my car is parked out on the street -- things are a … [Read more...]
