A few weeks ago I shared something with my email subscribers--one of the more intimate "secret" posts I send to them that I do not post to the blog. (Psst! If you want to get them, too, you can sign up for free here). It was all about what my priest taught me in the confessional. When I confessed losing my temper with my kids and being consistently impatient and frustrated, he told me to pray. … [Read more...]
I Took a Month Off from Being a SAHM. Here’s What I Learned.
photo source This summer I was feeling “sort of stretched--like butter spread across too much bread” in the words of Bilbo Baggins. And I was trying to figure out where my discontentment and general worn-out-ness was coming from. Because Daniel had a month off of work between his internship and his new job, we had the rare opportunity to switch around our family responsibilities. I left … [Read more...]
Unrealistic Expectations, Anxiety Attacks, and Rediscovering the Joy of Motherhood
My older brother likes to do this bit from a comedian whenever I tell him how tired I am from parenting. It’s about idea that being a mom is the hardest job in the world. The comedian lists off occupations requiring backbreaking and dangerous labor and then says, “Do Moms REALLY have the most difficult job on the planet? Bending at the waist to put those DVDs in DVD trays?” So when I plop in a … [Read more...]
Learning to Embrace My Strong-Willed Child’s Temperament
When my oldest kid was a newborn, he was extremely colicky. He cried for most of his first year and even when he wasn’t crying, he was still very high needs. His intensity startled me. Daniel and I are both pretty easy going, but our child was the opposite. I remember spending so much of that exhausting year trying to change my baby. If only I could turn him into the kind of baby that sleeps! … [Read more...]
What Lady Mary and the Proverbs 31 Woman Have That I Don’t
I grew up in the Bible belt. I heard a LOT about the Proverbs 31 Woman--the wife of noble character. I attended whole bible studies about this woman described in Proverbs that we should all model our lives after! She’s busily working for her family and brings honor to her spouse. And we have her to thank for that whole “charm is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman who fears the Lord, she … [Read more...]
We’re All Screwing Up Our Kids
The other day I was telling a friend about some parenting challenges I was facing and how overwhelmed and inadequate I felt about mothering one of my kids. He said, “You know, I realized the other day that there is absolutely no way I won’t screw up my kids to some degree. It’s just going to happen. My parents are fantastic and I still have issues because of their parenting choices. My kids will … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Climb Out of a Really Bad Day of Mothering
You know those mornings that just start out all wrong? Whatever your expectations were.....they don't come to pass. Maybe you're woken up at 4:30 am by a child who just refuses to go back to sleep. Maybe you set your alarm and dragged yourself out of bed early to spend some quiet time with your cup of coffee and prayer only to hear little feet pitter pattering stomping like elephants down the … [Read more...]
“Have You Ever Felt Like Being a Mother Has Ruined You?”
“Have you ever felt like being a mother has ruined you? Has brought out the absolute worst--from being a sensitive, emotional mess that will snap at the slightest challenging remark or unexpected turn in the day to making you seethe with anger and frustration all too often? I feel like I used to be so good, so on top of everything, so "proficient." And here I am, on the eve of my son's … [Read more...]
Our Real Mommy Problem (Guest Post by Nicki)
Good morning, friends! I am under the weather with a sore throat and trying to avoid my nemesis, Tonsillitis (hence the quiet on the blog this week). But luckily, sweet Nicki is here to save the day with a guest post, so enjoy!-Haley This is a guest post by Nicki of Full Hands, Happy Heart. In case you missed it, “Our ‘Mommy’ Problem” was an opinion piece published recently in … [Read more...]
10 Ideas for YOUR Christmas List, Moms
When Daniel's parents ask for Christmas lists for the kids, I can rattle off several things right off the top of my head. But when I'm supposed to write down what I want....it's a different matter. I just stare at a blank page. I think other moms have the same issue. We spend our days focused on other little people and it feels weird to focus on ourselves. I just sit there for several minutes … [Read more...]
