real, raw motherhood
In honor of my 43rd birthday coming up at the end of the month, here is a list of 43 things that I’ve done, learned, bought or changed to make my life better. (In no particular order) 1: I quit eating meat. (21 years ago). 2: I quit smoking. I come from a country where…
“Why am I not good? Why am I not perfect?”, my daughter lamented the other night. “You ARE good but you’re right, you are not perfect. That’s because nobody’s perfect. Your Daddy is not perfect. I am not perfect…But… You know what I’m perfect at? I’m perfect at making progress. That’s all that’s required. To…
In August 2018, I was awarded my black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu by my teacher-and husband– Burton Richardson. Noone was more surprised than me that day. It happened so much earlier than I had expected. When the first burst of shock and excitement had subsided, two questions crowded out every other thought in my…
It’s a new year! I love new years. I love fresh starts. Goals to set. Resolutions to make. January may be one of my favorite months of the year. Full of hope and possibilities. 2018 was good to me. It was filled with travels, good health, achievements (I earned my black belt in Jiu Jitsu)…
Next week is one of celebration. I’m turning 42 and my blog will be two years old. Two years of faithful writing. Two years of publishing an essay a week. Two years of sitting down in front of the screen, equipped with a keyboard and the willingness to give a voice to the bouncing thoughts…
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…
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…
It’s official. I am not her hero any more. I thought I would have had more time. But seven years is all I got. Halloween was last night. For the past three years, we’ve gone to the same neighborhood a few minutes drive from our house. Before sunset, everyone costumed gathers for an informal parade…
We just finished listening to the audiobook version of Pollyanna by Eleanor H Porter. I was familiar with the name but knew nothing of the story. This title wasn’t even on our reading list but my daughter stumbled upon it in our Kindle app and, out of curiosity, pressed the start button. She came to…