When Souls Know
You know I love me a good story. The following is easily top 3. Genuinely one of the most sacred moments I’ve witnessed this side of heaven. I’ve begun typing it out a million times, but never committed. It has always felt too precious to put into words. But I got a text today from the other half of this story and I knew: it’s time. So…. it’s the year of our Lord, 2018. I have gotten deeply invested in a local organization that serves and empowers women coming out of sexual exploitation and trafficking. I literally have no business being in this space except that God has dropped me…
Lanes in the Here and Now
This past week, we saw a lot on social media and in the news about a satan-branded performance at the 2023 Grammy award music show. Admittedly, the performance was alarming, even to several of my non-religious friends who thought the whole demonic worship thing was a bit much. Most of the talk around it focused on how desperately depraved our culture is and how scary it is to be raising kids in this space. Lots of fear, lots of grief. And I get it. There are many realities of our culture for which fear is warranted. The consequences of sin and evil should bring us all to our knees. (Also,…
#Socialing with the End in Mind (+ questions that can help get us there)
One of the questions I hear most from parents in my social media trainings is, “But why do they do that?” (“That” being one of 80-kazillion social media irritants: Snapchat streaks, selfies, spam accounts, 90-minute Instagram caption deliberations.) Fair question, but I think a better one is: Have you challenged them to do it differently? Are we all just frustrated by these things, or are we encouraging our kids to do it better? Are we worrying or equipping? Big difference, right? • • • Social media is often viewed as an Unapproachable Subject. It’s too big of a deal now. The kids are too invested. It is too confusing. Where do you even start to tame a…
That One With the Adorable (Killer) Bunnies
Once upon a time, my friend gave me a title for my future autobiography. It is perfect. It is, simply, “Phone Calls to My Husband”. The calls I’ve made to him over the years are nothing short of spectacular. These are actual sentences I’ve said over the airwaves: “Hey, so…I accidentally cut off our dog’s tail and the duct tape isn’t holding the tube sock bandage.” “I’ll be late because I have to stop by a random lady’s house to pick up a craft Beckett lost in a parking lot that she posted about on Facebook.” “The doctor said my neck is fine but I have a bird poop in my lung.”…
How About We Not Be Jerks This Week
On Halloween, I was standing on the sidewalk texting while Fishlegs Ingerman (far left) was tripping and spilling his candy everywhere for the 14th time. I honestly can’t remember who I was texting or why, but it felt important enough to finish before I bent down to help him.
Attention Deficit Mom Disorder
Yesterday I did that thing where I put a kid in time out, forgot I put him in time out, and stumbled across him much, much later. He was all, “Mommy, can I come out now?” I replied with, “Have you had enough time to think about what you did?” (Also, could you be a dear and remind me what it was? Because it’s been long enough I forgot.)
America’s Funniest Home Fails
One of our favorite pastimes as a family is watching America’s Funniest Home Videos on Sunday nights. (You know, the show that is currently in it’s TWENTY-SEVENTH season. Yes. 27. Only 49 fewer seasons than Law & Order.) About 6 months ago I decided to try submitting one of our own home videos to the show. Not because the video was *that* funny, not because I was trying to win $1,000,000; simply because the thought of surprising our boys with a cameo on their favorite show sounded magical.
Solo Parenting: Third Trimester Style
When you’re married to a CPA, ends of quarters are busy times because of numbers or something. (I don’t really understand.) Knowing Taylor would be working late every night and over the weekend, I psyched myself up for a fun time by myself with the boys. We all count down the second until daddy gets home from work. He is the ultimate wrestle machine and backyard baseball coach. Plus he distracts little hands long enough for me to accomplish something productive. (Laundry? Dishes? Toilet cleaning?) We like him. But with only 6 days of super long hours, the boys and I could TOTALLY DO IT solo, right? Day 1: make crib sheets for “little little brother”. One…
See you on the Interwebs, Friends
It seems like I’ve spent ample time in airports the past month. Of course there was the whole flushing-the-boarding-passes fiasco, a good read if you missed it. And then there was the return flight of that trip when – moments after entering the gate and finding seats – Hutton tripped and broke his front teeth on a metal vent. That was neat. And ended rather vampirey for this guy. I figured after both of those epic fails – one resulting in urine-covered hands, one resulting in a trip to the pediatric dentist – traveling solo to different speaking engagements would be a breeze. And it was. Mostly. How to Not Make Friends on Airplanes The only…
Prozac-Mack, Second Child, & Language Schmanguage
My dog might be a Prozac lifer. Those words are physically painful for me to say. I didn’t anticipate being a person who medicated their dog daily, but then said dog destroyed 1 couch, 3 bedding sets, 6 pillows, 1 dog bed, and 1 metal crate. It’s like a really expensive, depressing version of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. I finally took him to the vet today who basically said, “Yea, that sucks…but it probably won’t get better. Here’s some Prozac and a month’s supply of sedatives to give as-needed.” Aside from the fact that we miiiight have overdosed him the first day (like, his legs didn’t work and he ran…
