I had an epiphany this week while standing in my kitchen. For the first time in a long time, I felt at home. It's been a while. Since I was a little girl, I've always loved to cook. Some of my favorite memories as a child center around a mixing bowl and beaters and baking lessons with my mom. When I became an adult, the kitchen evolved into a place where I could express my creativity and unwind. Food became a love language for me, as it gave me the opportunity to gather with and feed my people. For so many years of my life, the kitchen's been a place of joy. That all shifted when my oldest so ..read more

I was that mom. The mom who assured her children regularly, despite their begging and pleading, that we would never, ever have a dog. It’s not that I’m uncomfortable with animals. Dogs are awesome. Both my husband and I grew up with them, and we had two puppies of our own when we were first married. But, as we continued to have kids {four of them}, and the level of chaos in our house increased {immeasurably}, we stood steadfast in our commitment to keeping the crazy to a minimum. Honestly, I was not at all confident in my ability to keep another breathing thing alive in my house. Until…about ..read more

The other day, a friend and I went walking in our neighborhood and came upon a mom pushing her six month-old baby in a stroller. Neither of us know this woman well, but we see her walking her baby often. And our brief encounters always lead to small talk about babies, and of course the speed at which her little guy has grown. Since this is not her first child, she has mentioned more than once how quickly time moves, especially after round one. Once she walked away, my friend and I agreed that we would do anything to have just a few more moments with our babies as babies. Except, we'd only go ..read more

You’ve taken down the jack-o-lanterns, snuck more than your share of the kid’s Halloween candy, and finally started unpacking those fall sweaters. Ah, yes…it’s November! The heart of fall y’all. A month full of family time and Thanksgiving before the winter holiday craziness begins. A time to pause ahead of all the shopping lists and party invites. This is the sweet spot before we begin to lose sight of what the holidays are all about. Right? Or, is it? Have you been inside of Target…or Hobby Lobby…or even Kroger, lately? Please understand, I absolutely love the winter holiday season. I can’t ..read more

When reminiscing about childhood, who doesn’t put Halloween at the top of their list of favorite holiday memories? Dressing up in a costume and running around the neighborhood collecting bags full of candy is as good as it gets. And, as moms, all we want is for our children to enjoy all of the same types of idyllic experiences that we had growing up. But, if you are raising a son or daughter with a medical issue that impacts his or her relationship with food, these nostalgic moments may not look like you imagined they would for your own child. Halloween may be the epic kickoff to the food-cen ..read more

Happy fall, everybody. As I promised when I took a break at the end of the summer, I am checking back in after a much needed two month-long hiatus from writing and social media. I felt such a strong need for quiet and focus going into the back-to-school season, but little did I know how much I would need this centeredness during what we unknowingly had ahead of us. I want to share a little bit about our last several weeks, as this will impact the way I move forward in many aspects, including my writing here. Four weeks ago, our 13 year-old, Cade, was hospitalized and diagnosed with type 1 dia ..read more

Nothing says summer like s'mores... and this recipe is a twist that makes this traditional treat a little less messy, yet just as fun and delicious. These are magic s'mores bars! My dear friend Jen - one of our most precious food allergy angels who has been using her creativity to cook safely for my kids since the day they were diagnosed with their allergies - dreamed up this amazing recipe on her own, and it couldn't have been a bigger crowd pleaser! With a homemade graham cracker crust base, chocolate center and marshmallow top, this treat is a perfect blend of a pie and cookie bar, all wit ..read more

While I don’t like to jump on trendy bandwagons without good reason, I could not be more excited to delve into what everyone is talking about these days: the Enneagram. As we’ll see over the next few weeks, digging into what makes us tick simply makes us better. It allows us to become aware of our weaknesses, while giving us the confidence to lean into our strengths. Just as important, it provides us with a deeper perspective on the people we love and an understanding on how we can love them better. While the idea of being “labeled” makes many people resistant to anything that threatens to bo ..read more

As a food allergy mom, my role is multifaceted. From the day of my oldest son’s diagnosis, the most important job I’ve had is keeping him (and his brother, who soon followed in his allergic footsteps) safe. But, over the years, this has evolved as I’ve tried to help my more “grown up” boys navigate a world full of food in the most normal way possible. Even now, though, I’m often caught off guard by what is going on in their little hearts. This week my youngest food allergic son’s class got to vote on a class reward for good behavior. The choices included a mixture of food-related treats and o ..read more

Recently, I've had several friends choose to get off social media. It’s certainly not due to their dislike of baby and puppy photos. Nor, is it because they feel mislead by an incomplete picture of their friends’ lives. Most of us have been swimming around cyberspace long enough to understand that we are primarily viewing highlight reels. So, what is it? Our words are simply more powerful than we realize. Forms of “impersonal” confrontation have always nurtured an unhealthy degree of boldness in us. This can be traced back, long before email, when letters to the editor allowed people to unlea ..read more