"Mother is the name of God in the lips and hearts of children." William Makepeace Thackeray On this Mother's Day we celebrate the Art of Motherhood. It is a joyful experience, filled with immeasurable love, sometimes immeasurable grief, and always a lot of giving. It is undoubtedly an art form, a craft, a creative, undefined, makeup-as-you-go noble profession that takes what seems like a lifetime to master. More importantly, it is a privilege. What is the Art of Mothering? I think Reena …
Lifestyle
I Lift and I Like It (part 1)
“Lifting weights makes you bulky.” “I don’t want to look too muscular.” “That’s great that you can lift that much and you don’t look too manly.” “Wow. I could never do that. I’m not very strong.” “You do what? You’re too little to do that.” “I’d have to get in shape first before trying that.” These are just a handful of excuses that I hear from women about being reluctant to lift weights. Instead, I see them literally running in circles to burn fat and be slim. I was like you, I tell …
What My Disabled Daughter Has Taught Me About Courage
"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared." -Eddie Rickenbacker WW2 Hero My 4 year old daughter has Cerebral Palsy. She had a minor procedure recently. Not our first rodeo, but I was anxious nonetheless because it required general anesthesia. My husband usually stays home to get our 2 older boys off to school so I am used to going it alone. We were in the waiting room, watching that little bald headed Caillou on the flat screen. She wasn't …
Love Languages Made (even more) Easy
Dr. Gary Chapman is known around the world for his best-selling book, The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts. It has become so wildly popular because the concepts are simple to understand and yet profound and life-changing when applied. Most people already know their dominant Love Language (Gifts, Physical Touch, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service), but it usually ends there. It's not enough to just know your language, we have to understand it and communicate it to …
To Clean or Not To Clean?
Do I clean the house or play with my kids? That is the question. Sigh, the daily struggle. My OCD husband and my Pinterest addiction fuel this constant desire for my house to look like a page out of Home Décor magazine, but our two crazy demons (aka, my beautiful children, 4 and 2½) have other ideas. We live in a small house near the beach, so sand and wet towels are always everywhere. Lots of extra space, plenty of storage and a housekeeper? Not in my home description. I once …