real, raw motherhood
I recently wrote about “not taking No for an answer”. I don’t like to hear other people tell me NO. But I’ve learned that telling myself No serves me well. By denying myself in the short term, I earn the greatest rewards: long term happiness, fulfillment and self confidence. Discipline is the foundation of a…
Charlotte’s web by E.B White is the first chapter book I read to my daughter last year. A first for both of us. Since I didn’t grow up in America, I have not read the American classics and oh my, it has been delightful to discover them. Charlotte’s web is, in my book (pun intended),…
After a lifetime of a strained relationship, five years ago I severed ties with the woman who gave birth to me and raised me. I don’t call her mom since she’s never behaved like one. We live oceans apart and she came for an extended stay at my house when my daughter was eight months…
She is six years old now. Just like that. Blink. Blink. Blink. Blink Blink Blink. Six years gone by. Each year better than the previous. Each year witnessing her growing up and me growing. I am not the mother I was six years ago. Thank goodness! I always had good intentions but my actions didn’t…
A new week! Reset! Here’s another chance to be who I want to be, do what I want to do. Do what I ought to do. Exercise. Eat healthy. Do Laundry. Read aloud. Clean. Cook. Nap. Go to the library. Work. Play. That’s life. The mundane, the sacred and all that’s in-between. You’ve got to…
Tonight, I did laundry. I grabbed my headphones and listened to my current favorite: the soundtrack to The Last of the Mohicans. The music moves me, just as the movie did. As I smoothed the wrinkles away from my husband’s shirts, just out of the dryer, their warmth spoke to me. I was struck by…
Hi. My name is Sarah and I am a recovering perfectionist. Striving to always be and do your best may sound like a good thing but perfectionism is crippling and exhausting. Life’s harder when you’re pulling a ball and chain. Lately I have been very intentional about letting go of perfection and celebrating progress instead.…
“I, Sarah, take you, Burton, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” The priest standing before us had such a thick Irish accent I had to fully concentrate as…
I am dropped off at the hotel and wheel my pink carry-on up the escalator to the front desk, heart beating like I was on my way to a hot date. In a sense, I am. My 24 hours alone start now. An exciting date with myself. The pressure wells up inside. I want to…
One more week to the big 4.0. I am grateful to have yet another birthday to celebrate. I am so proud of who I am right now at 39. From where I stand, 40 looks great. Never in a million years would 20 year old me have imagined this version of herself. I am not…