This week was a tough parenting week.  Worst week ever!  My motherhood crown flew off my head.  I handed in my trophy and went into a corner to wallow in cluelessness and self-pity.  Teaching my sons to be kind is something I’m proud of, but forgetting to also teach them not to do so at their own expense, was a big mistake. My weakest personality trait reared its ugly head. The people pleaser in me served a nice big cup of wake the hell up coffee.  This is not a lesson to teach your kids, but here I was, guiding them in the wrong direction. What is a People Pleaser? Be ..read more

To My Child Here is some advice on love, don’t simply follow your heart. Your head needs to be involved as well. Let me begin by saying that I am so proud of you.  You are incredibly strong, kind and ambitious.  Everyone who meets you is affected by your lively spirit, your infectious smile and your empathy for others. Throughout the years you have come to me for help with your homework, advice on friends, and on decisions that were big and small.  Sometimes you took my advice and sometimes you did not. However, I want you to know that you are so valuable. Advice on Love Ho ..read more

Divorce is one of the most difficult journeys one can go on.  It is survival of the fittest and can be separated into two parts; the legal and the emotional.  The legal is stressful, and the emotional turmoil is hell, it grinds us into little pieces and tears families apart. Fault We were both at fault but it took me years to face my truths. This may confuse you, especially if you’re going through your own personal hell. I get it. However, there are often red flags before marriage.  My ex-husband and I married for the wrong reasons. We weren’t true to our inner selves and lied t ..read more

This is dedicated to all of those women who have written or commented about their frustration about simply not being understood or heard. Remote work, working-at-home, hybrid models, and the new workplace and home office space are bringing relationship challenges. Years ago my husband had a really nice office located fifteen minutes from our home. This is the story of how I invaded my husband’s office space. Bringing My Work to His Office Space One day I packed up our three kids and two dogs and drove to his office space. The kids dumped their Legos onto the floor while the dogs barked at eve ..read more

Once Upon a Time Once upon a time, there was a child who had the most uncanny ability to see the good and beauty in all of her friends. The heart of this child was young and pure and stayed that way throughout the years.   In fact, more often than not, this child would put other people’s needs first.  She never walked away from a friend. This continued for a very long time until…… Difficult Truths The child became an adult. This was not timed by developmental stages or years but was met through life and love, by success and failure.  The number one lesson in life and the basic t ..read more

The best advice I’ve ever received was to “respect your day and value your time.” This advice applies to all regardless of age, career, or lifestyle. Please note that in this post I have posted links to products that have helped me organize my time. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.” Respect your day. Today is your day so fill it with your goals, your personal meetings and achievements, from nutrition and self-care to errands and hobbies.  Your time and how you use it is a valuable gift and worthy of your full attention.  YOU are worthy of your full attention ..read more

The Words “I am” The words “I am” are really about your changing identity. In my childhood I was naive.  In my teen years, I was insecure and a bit of a brat towards my parents.  My college years consisted of chaos and some education mixed in.  My twenties brought uncertainty as I hurried life and ended up married with a baby, unsure of my future.  In my thirties, I was a divorced single mom.  In my forties, I was a mother to three, a wife, and career-minded.   Now, in my fifties, I am actively considering the new me.  I am trying to finish the phrase “I am ..read more

Life after raising my kids includes a loss in my sense of purpose. Now I understand why deciding to be a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) is a risky decision. It’s a decision that has been challenging and rewarding for twenty years. It’s also one that has brought a forced retirement and loss into my life. I’m proud of my accomplishments, I am….but now I feel like I’m standing here with my hands and arms empty. My heart is full and empty at the same time. I ache. Remote Work and My Husband I’ve written about my husband working out of home here, one of my most popular posts that has resonated with hundre ..read more

The Word Retirement I’m not a big fan of the word retirement. It almost makes one believe they are retiring from life. The word is defined as: “withdrawal from one’s position or occupation or from active working life” (Merriam-Webster). I’m in my fifties and because the word hints at stopping or, “life is over as you know it,” it has a negative connotation. People associate it with being washed up or done and it’s a lie we’ve been told for years. So how should we approach this stage of our life? A New Beginning Many people ” retire” from their old jobs only to start a new one in a different fi ..read more

It’s 2024 and I originally wrote this post in 2018 so an update is needed! Today’s parenting in a tech world requires gadgets! I’m that mom in the neighborhood, the geeky one, the one in love with technology, and the one who uses technology to parent her kids.  If you are not using technology in this day and age of cell phones, game consoles, and WIFI, you may be missing out!  It’s time to shut down your fax machine and get with the times.   Here are some of the technical solutions that we use in our home. I am an Amazon affiliate and in this post, I’ve placed links to the produ ..read more