Lose Yourself
Today’s guest post is from MJ Frandsen, who adventures through motherhood with a pen in her hand, a pony tail elastic around her wrist, cochlear implant batteries in her purse, and gratitude for the repentance process. She is constantly challenged and inspired by her boys; ages 3, 1 and 28–her husband, with whom she has [...]
Tentatively Untitled. Because you’ll see why.
Here’s what we need to just get out of the way: My writing is crap. Also, if another child gets out of bed to tell me something “important,” I may actually start crying. REAL tears. It’s not that I don’t want to listen to them tell me their importants, but I don’t really want to [...]
Sunrise, Sunset or Where Did the Summer Go?
This morning my children will don their new school clothes and, toting new backpacks stuffed with sharpened pencils and blank notebooks, they’ll head out the door for the first day of school. And, just like that, summer vacation will be over. Like me, you may be wondering where the summer went. I always start summer [...]
A Missionary Mother
Today’s guest post is from Marcia Stanford. Marcia lives on a tree-lined street in California with her charming husband and delightful children, who are growing up much too quickly. She is a BYU English major currently completing the last few courses via Independent Study. Raised in Utah, she now savors the opportunity to pick fresh [...]
La Leche à la Hong Kong
No one warned me that we’d be hiking all day long, trekking under full blown summer sun on Lantau island, running low on water, dehydrated, sluggish, in need of shade and a toilet. Had I known all this beforehand, of course I would have carried several water bottles for myself and several clothes changes and [...]
Moments
Today’s guest post comes from Cami Kesler. Cami is married to her college sweetheart and is the mother of three sweet girls and owner of a poodle named Nancy. She works part-time as a labor and delivery nurse and loves running, quilting, sporadic/intense reading, journaling, blogging, and eating chips and salsa morning, noon, or night. [...]
Dear Mother’s Day
Today’s guest post comes from Sarah d’Evegnee, who has her MA in Literary Criticism from BYU and has taught English at BYU, UVU, and is currently an adjunct faculty member at BYU-Idaho. She is also a mother. When her two worlds inadvertently collide, she quotes Sesame Street in the classroom and deconstructs Dr Suess as [...]
It Was Good
Night begins to encroach upon the edges of my windows, and the slackening sun is orange and dull, but the front room is illuminated in its entire Lego-spilled splendor. And I am searching for a pacifier for the baby. He is clean and warm, in fresh jammies—extra soft from hand-me-down wear and the recent dryer—and [...]
Mothers and Daughters
Today’s guest post comes from Amira, who has lived, worked, traveled, and studied around the Muslim world. Visiting the Great Mosque of Djenne or the Registan of Uzbekistan sounds much more enticing than seeing the Louvre or the Colosseum. Fortunately her husband agrees and they have happily lived together in the Middle East and Central Asia. [...]
On Having It All
*A quick reminder before I begin: Segullah’s book club will be discussing Emma Donoghue’s novel Room on May 19th. You have plenty of time to read (right?). Please join us!* My first baby was born on August 27th—the first day of school in the Jordan School District. Since I was a high school English teacher [...]
Parenting and Happiness
Twenty-one years ago I wrote the following in my daughter’s baby journal: “It’s a lovely morning—sunny, yet hazy in the hills with wisps of fog. The baby and I have had a pleasant morning playing downstairs. She squealed and rocked on her hands and knees as I played her Raffi tape. Then I fed her [...]
Pointers for Nana
I am expecting my first grandbaby, a girl. Her due date is April 2nd which also happens to be my daughter’s birthday. My daughter will get all sorts of tips and attention as a new mother. The baby will bask in the glow of gushing and cooing – heaven knows I’m providing my share already! [...]
Running the Numbers
And the evening and the morning were the first day. I ran 200 fewer miles in 2010 than in 2009. I read 25 fewer books. I spent a lot of time doing things I don’t enjoy like moving, volunteering in classrooms, baking (mostly) unsuccessful allergen-free breads and goodies, hosting parties and play-dates, and cleaning. I [...]
Post-Christmas Reflections
The new clothes and gadgets have all been put away (at least they’ve been moved up to the children’s rooms), wrapping paper and boxes are crammed in the recycling bin, and the sugar cookies and coconut bread and chocolates and the leftovers from Christmas Day have been eaten. After a whirlwind month of decorating and [...]
So, What else do you “do”?
This if for my friend who recently wrote me an email about her discouragement. She has a three-year-old and a new baby. Someone asked her the other day, “So, what do you do besides keep 2 children alive?” They laughed a bit, but the girl waited for an answer and my friend stood there thinking, [...]
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