Encouragement

My fourteen-month-old has recently discovered whining and fit-throwing. She's been spoiled by her three doting siblings, who have rushed to give her whatever she's gestured and grunted toward. However, sometimes the answer to her wants is a simple "no."  Upon hearing this word, my easygoing, laid-back toddler transforms like the Hulk. We're talking full-on, body-throwing, real-tears-crying, fist-pounding, leg-kicking tantrums. Thankfully, my husband and I have been prepared by pediatricians on how to negotiate with these terrorist attacks. In short: we don't. We refuse to give in to her commands. She can cry; that's fine. This little girl has no idea whom she's dealing with. At number four, my husband and I have mastered the art of ignoring a tantrum. At home...

The low-point strikes again, except this time it was REALLY hard to get back up. Sometimes we get in ruts. And it’s NORMAL for everyone. The trick is getting yourself out. I’m usually pretty good at being aware when I’m in a rut and knowing how to get myself out of it. This one was different, this one was debilitating. Nothing really major happened to me, I just couldn’t keep going. There were a handful of reasons that may have caused the rut: overworking, not enough rest, duties of parenthood, maintaining a household, bills, etc. It gets exhausting. And if I’m not careful to balance the fun stuff with the hard stuff, I can get myself into a major rut....

Envy. Jealousy. Comparison. I recently had an eye-opening conversation with some friends about envy. All of us have experienced it and suffered through the effects, each to varying degrees. Some of us let it cripple, some of us let it rule but we all try to fight back. None of us have to live in it.  "Comparison is the thief of all joy." I'll admit that I don't know who said it, but the first time I heard this astute observation, I couldn't believe how succinct it was. It's true. I've been robbed of being the happy friend, the content daughter, and the mom at peace - all by my own mind. Did you know that comparison can also rob you of your generosity? This...

Vanity is something I was kind of born into. My mother was a very vain person. She never went without makeup, fixed hair and every piece of jewelry she owned. Her body was her prized possession and she took really good care of it. I was taught that your brain gets you places but your looks can take you even farther. Never eat two starches at dinner and never leave the house without sunless tanner are a couple of things that I was taught pretty early on. Looking back through photos of me as a young adult, I think I was attractive. I might not have been stunning, but I felt pretty comfortable with myself. I've lost weight and gained...

I’m a full-time mom. A full-time wife. A full-time friend. Sister. Sister-in-law. Cousin. Daughter. Daughter-in-law. Co-worker. The list goes on. It’s a lot of hats to wear, especially when you aren’t able to take one off. I don’t always feel the weight of everything I do, but sometimes, it hits me like a ton of bricks. And usually, it’s in the form of guilt. How did I miss a good friend’s birthday? Am I absent in my sibling’s lives and is it my fault? Did I really need to yell when my daughter spilled her milk?  Guilt. It creeps in every day and in every form. Sometimes small and sometimes big, but it’s always there in some form or fashion. It’s something that...