My family and I recently got back from a two-week vacation up in northern Michigan - my happy place! It’s a trip we make often since my family owns a rental home there. While we always have a wonderful time, it’s not a quick drive by any means: we’re looking at a minimum of 4.5 hours, and that’s if there’s no traffic… or tantrums from the kids along the way. Over the years, I've braved … [Read more...]
Why Self Care Is Important; How to Make Yourself a Priority Even When You’re Busy
“You need to take care of yourself too.” When I heard those words - when my oldest was just 4 months old - I felt myself rebel against them a bit. My priority is my daughter and taking care of her, I had thought; her needs come before mine. And in many ways - nearly 5 years later - that’s still true. But I’ve come to learn something important: I’m the best mom and wife and sister and … [Read more...]
Nanowrimo Prep: Give Yourself Permission to Do This
It’s almost time for Nanowrimo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month. This “event” is to help encourage writers to get the novels out of their heads and onto the paper (or computer screen, I should say) in just one month’s time. If it sounds crazy, it kind of is… but it is also really amazing motivation to write the stories that have been swirling around in our heads. The goal: at … [Read more...]
The Courage to be Vulnerable: Book Review of ‘Daring Greatly’ by Brene Brown
I’m going to get vulnerable here… and this is new for me. I feel like I’ve always been concerned with how other people perceived me. I always worried that I was too awkward and too weird. Or maybe too quiet. Or that I never knew what to say. In turn, I never felt “good enough.” It’s something I’ve been working on for awhile, basically ever since I’ve had kids… because I saw (and see on a daily … [Read more...]
What The Trolls Movie Teaches My Daughter (and Me) About Getting Back Up Again
There are a few kid movies that seem to be on replay in our house. Moana, for one, and, in a close second: Trolls. Thankfully, both have phenomenal soundtracks, so I don’t mind it much when Little Miss constantly belts out “How Far I’ll Go” or “Get Back Up Again.” In fact, I absolutely love the lessons in both the movies, and that includes the lessons in the songs, too… especially since … [Read more...]
