real, raw motherhood
I just was awarded my brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu For The Street. For those of you who don’t know what that means, the ranking goes as follows: white, blue, purple, brown and black. With four stripes on each belt before you get to the next color. BJJ for The Street was developed by…
I became a mother six years ago. I very much enjoyed my pregnancy and I even relish the memory of giving birth (much easier to enjoy in hindsight) but it didn’t take me long to be certain I never ever wanted to care for an infant ever again. The first three months of my daughter’s…
Guess how many nights I went to sleep by 10 pm this past week? None! That’s right! NONE! Once my daughter is in bed, I tidy up the house. Then it’s ME time and I want to do it all: I want to watch a TV show and relax. I want to read a book…
To the woman who is choosing to stay in a bad relationship, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is: you deserve better. The bad news is: you don’t believe it. You’re waiting for him to change when you’re the one who needs changing. You need to become the kind…
It’s not about what we produce but what we’ve accomplished. That’s what we’re left with at the end of the day” Chris Bailey– as heard in an interview by Claire Diaz-Ortiz– Work By Design Summit Every morning I put away the clean dishes. Every day I’m asked: what’s for breakfast? What’s for lunch? What’s for…
It started 18 months ago. January 13th 2015, 2 days before my husband’s birthday. He was scheduled for his yearly colonoscopy. Ulcerative Colitis is a condition that he’d suffered from since he was a teenager but had remained nameless most of his life. With the right medications, everything was under control and had been for…
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…
Dear child, You’ve just turned one. In the past twelve months, you have learned so much. You are so interested in the world. You’re a keen observer. You’re patient. You’re gentle. You’re adorable. When you smile, the sun shines a bit brighter. Everything you do amazes us. I wonder what your future holds. I have…
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),…
My sister’s boyfriend, Muller, was intent on introducing me to a martial artist who was visiting Reunion Island to teach a series of seminars. I looked at the flyer he handed me, unimpressed. “I don’t like guys with long hair”, I said when I saw the mullet the man in the photo sported. “He’s a…