Life Lessons from My Eight-Year-Old Self
The autobiography I penned at age eight begins with this: How it all started… When I was young I had some troubles. I had started to grow up to be a very spastic child. Every time I got mad I held my breath until I passed out. My mom was scared. It is a handwritten […]
In Syndication
When I was little, I had a stuffed elephant named Dumbo Society. I named him Dumbo Society because, well, Dumbo was the world’s most famous elephant and because Society sounded very fancy and sophisticated. You know what else sounds fancy and sophisticated? Being syndicated on BlogHer. That means I’m Fancy Schmancy. Why? Because I’m featured […]
Things That Make Me Cry
All the things. Every. Single. Thing. I’m a crier — a messy, red-nosed, puffy-faced crier. I cry happy tears, sad tears, grateful tears, angry tears, scared tears, confused tears. I cry them all. Lately, though, I think I’m getting worse. Hormones? Age? Not giving two shits about crying in front of people? Maybe all of […]
Changing Course
I’ve been MIA for awhile, I know. But I have a good excuse. Moving across five states with four kids, two dogs, and a guinea pig is not for sissies. It takes a great deal of time, patience, and money — two of which I don’t have. We’re all given the same amount of time, […]
The Final Countdown: 14 Southern Fried Lessons
We leave the South in six short days. The boxes are packed, we’re eating with plastic utensils, and the truck arrives on Friday. When we moved in the summer of 2011, I told Chris I was willing to try anything for two years. “Our two-year vacation,” I called it. “And at the end of those […]
The Skin I’m In
“Listen To Your Mother” was an unbelievably moving experience. The women, the stories, the camaraderie, the fabulous audience, every single moment of it. It was better than anything I could have imagined. And then. The photographer’s pictures were released. This post is not about “Listen To Your Mother.” That deserves its own sacred space. This, […]
Giving Thanks
I cannot deny that these past two years have been hard. Soul-crushing, fetal-position hard at times. Let me begin by saying this, by owning this: I know that if I threw my problems into a pile with all the other problems of the world, I’d grab mine back as quickly as I could. I know […]
NO!
One of my very favorite songs to listen to when the kids were younger was the catchy “They Might Be Giants” tune, “NO!” It opens with this: “No is no. No is always no. If they say no, it means a thousand times no.” Pretty good preparation for life, methinks. We face a lot of […]
About Face, Forward March
And so, in this crazy place we call life, everything can — and does — turn on a dime. Including my pity party. It’s a bit of a shame, really, to end it so abruptly. I put a lot of time and effort and tears into it. But I’ve been blessed this weekend to spend […]
Queen of Hearts
When you’re 500 miles away, sometimes people forget to tell you things. Even though you’ve asked to be included on all the Evites and Facebook Events and email invites — primarily because you’re deeply rooted in FOMO — occasionally, there’s a pool party back at home that you’re not invited to, a baby shower list […]