I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said I was being ridiculous - everyone hasn’t met me yet.
- Rodney Dangerfield

I usually feel pretty good about myself when I wake up—for the five minutes I refrain from looking in the mirror. That’s when the voices start: “your thighs have more dimples than a Shirley Temple look-a-like convention!” they say, or “what kind of ’80’s- wannabe haircut is that?”

Then I take my older son to school, and notice that the work-outside-the-home moms look… Read More

It was one of those days. I was weepy, hormonal, cranky, and generally out of sorts. I felt like I was going to scream because I’d been cooped up in the house with two kids, I had a work deadline breathing down my neck, AND I could feel a sinus infection coming on.

It had all started pretty well. That morning, seven year-old Jordan, two year-old Jackson, and I were cuddling on the bed and Jordan said, “Jackson is so cute I could die!”

Then it went downhill… Read More

We call it Operation Enduring Sleep. My husband and I, the two-member coalition in this war on sleep-deprivation, take our assignment very seriously. The mission: to transfer our sleeping toddler, Jordan, from his car seat to his bed without waking him.

After we deploy ourselves, our first step is to unhook the buckle on his restraining device. Jordan sighs, and we freeze. Our lips purse, our foreheads crease, and we both wonder if we’ll make it.

After unhooking our little soldier, we give silent instructions to one… Read More

Teach us delight in simple things. Rudyard Kipling

As I’ve written before, I’ve battled depression for several years. Mostly, it’s under control because of my medication, exercise, periodic visits to a counselor, family support, and other things I try to make a part of daily life.

One of those “helps” is being grateful for the small miracles that happen every day. Depression can be a black cloud looming over my head, and noticing everyday wonders has helped poke holes in the clouds to let God’s… Read More

Sometimes I wonder if men and women
really suit each other.
Perhaps they should live next door and just visit
now and then.  
–Katherine Hepburn

Do you ever find yourself burning with questions that have no answers? Such as:

• how can a boy who effortlessly opens restricted e-mail files have trouble closing the toilet lid?
• why do men and boys always “flick” the remote control at the exact moment we women become interested in a program?
• how can men live with dirty socks strewn all

I was utterly exhausted. Our toddler, Jackson, had been waking up in the middle of the night for weeks, and my system was totally out of whack. When we tried to let Jax “cry it out,” even for just two minutes, he got so upset that he actually threw up.

Talk about frustrating! I tried putting music in his room, giving him a teddy bear, even sleeping with him–nothing seemed to work.
Whatever the reasons, he got into the habit of “night-waking.”… Read More

This year, instead of making New Year’s Resolutions, I decided to write my “Mom-i-Festo.” This is the ideal, and I won’t always reach these goals (but NOT having goals means I won’t reach them for sure!). But the following points explain who I’d like to become as a child of God, wife, mom, daughter, sister, and friend.

• I will no longer compare myself to other moms. I have talents, quirks, and special qualities all my own, and I will start to own and (YES!) even celebrate them, beginning today. I will see

Mother is the most beautiful word in the English language, says a survey conducted by the British Council. According to the survey’s results, the ten most beautiful words are:

Mother
Passion
Smile
Love
Eternity
Fantastic
Destiny
Freedom
Liberty
Tranquillity

Lovely words, all of them. But reading that got me to thinking: what are a mother’s favorite words? Hmmmm…..how about sleep? Yep, that would probably be it—especially if the word is preceded by the adjective uninterrupted. Ah, bliss!

A mom’s second most-beloved word or phrase? It just might be, “I’ll change his diaper… Read More

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy —they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. 
—Marcel Proust

Last Christmas, I came across a unique book called Ferris Wheels, Daffodils and Hot Fudge Sundaes by Laura Jensen Walker. This gratitude journal, which was inspired by Walker’s bout with breast cancer, consists of blank pages to write on, quotes and scriptures

The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement. —George F. Will

I love autumn, with its crisp leaves, brisk air and changing colors. However, as a recovering perfectionist, I’ve had many autumns in the past that fell short of my “ideal” fall.

Here are my usual expectations, followed by a dose of reality:

1. My husband will lovingly help me pick out just the right pumpkin for our son’s kindergarten craft project.
   Reality: Carey is so swamped with work that I run to Wal-Mart on October