real, raw motherhood
I was 34 and married twelve years before I became a mother. We had wanted that baby and carefully planned for it. Pregnancy was wonderful. Labor and delivery, something I look back fondly on. We brought home a newborn with a mild case of jaundice and, for the first week, all she did was sleep.…
Kids cost money. No surprise here. Feeding them. Clothing them. Educating them. One of the biggest chunks of our budget goes to pay for our daughter’s extra curricular activities. Here is her weekly program: Mondays: Sewing and Violin Tuesdays: Art class every other week Thursdays: Swim class (we just had to stop and I’ll explain…
I’ve spent the past two weeks engrossed in reading Gone with the Wind. I watched the movie again a couple of months ago and decided it was high time I knew Scarlett better. Only a few chapters remain and I’ve put the book down, reluctant to get to the bitter end, wondering how close to…
Friend, I am far from you. Too far to lift the load off of your shoulders. Too far to hold you tight in my arms and wash your pain away with my own tears. I am far but I see you. I see you proudly carrying on, with your chin up and your shoulders squared.…
I love books. I love to be surrounded by them. I love to touch them. I love the crispness of thick glossy paper and the rugged feel of cloth binding. I love the shine of gold leafed editions. I love the musty smell of weathered well loved oldies. I love the strong scent of brand…
I remember when we celebrated our 10th anniversary. We rented a house on the beach for three days and had a blast. I felt ecstatic. We had made it: a decade had gone by and we still loved each other. We had sailed the rough oceans of the first years and we now enjoyed calm…
Training doesn’t just happen. You must make it happen. Put it on the schedule. Go to bed at a decent hour. Wake up. Get ready and get on the mat at the appointed time. Training requires commitment, discipline, follow through, grit and… clean clothes. You can’t wait until you feel like it. You can’t do…
I pushed for four and half hours before I could hold her in my arms and yet my labor didn’t stop then. The real work had only begun. Mothering is hard work. Daily work. Patient work. Challenging work. Rewarding work. A child and a mother were born on the same day in that hospital room…
Dear officials and lawmakers, YOU are failing her. SHE is a seven year old innocent little girl. Born and raised in Kailua, Hawaii, what used to be one of the safest place on earth but she knows fear daily. She doesn’t feel safe in her small hometown. Every time we go out, we see someone…
We made it to the new year. We’re the lucky ones. Even if you don’t believe in making resolutions, pause a moment and take a deep breath. You are alive. What are you going to do with that life? I plan on enjoying mine. I went through a few dark months in the second half…