"STOP!" I roared at my son... ...the kind of roar that’s usually reserved for the dog these days (anyone else relate to "dog rage" after becoming a mom?) I had felt it boiling up in the minutes and hours leading up to it. My mother-in-law was visiting for the weekend. My baby was either teething or reacting to a change in my diet. My three-year-old was being, well, three. And I had planned to get a bunch of work done — until my husband came down with a stomach bug and quarantined himself in...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Note: This email includes a story about a medical emergency and premature labor. Please read with care. “Mommy, what are you doing?!” my son sleepily giggled, confused. It was 2am, and I was stuffing two of his Pull-Ups into my pants because my water had just broken... at 33 weeks. We were heading to the hospital, and I was shaking with fear. My baby girl wasn’t supposed to arrive for another seven weeks, and I didn’t know what to expect other than what I was frantically googling. I mustered...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Back in July, I was spending 8 hours a day by my newborn daughter's bassinet in the NICU. She had come six weeks early, and sleeping was her full-time job. I’d hold her for most of those hours, stepping away only to scarf down a granola bar or rush to the bathroom. By the end of each day, my body ached from sitting, and my heart ached (huge understatement) as I dragged myself out of that building without her. While I was there, my heart also longed for my toddler son. I’d promised myself we’d...
2 months ago • 2 min read
One of my favorite things to hear is when playfulness brings out the laughs in GROWNUPS — especially when they’re feeling grumpy. (Btw, contrary to what you might think from social media, I’m often grumpy, too!) My friend messaged me the other day after playing the first advent calendar game, “Serious Santa” — a staring contest where you get up close and say “Ho-ho-ho” as seriously as you can without laughing. Her husband was in a funk and was very confident he’d win — and he did at first!...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Whether that subject line made you chuckle or cringe… this email’s for you! “So you’re telling me if I snuck a giant whoopee cushion onto your chair and you sat on it… you wouldn’t laugh?!” That’s what I asked a friend recently during a conversation about potty humor. She’s an amazing, fun, silly person, but the idea of joking about toots made her uncomfortable. For her, even typing out that word felt “improper.” It was just the way she was raised, even though she had an incredibly loving and...
3 months ago • 1 min read
I got back from a walk the other day and saw a bunch of stuff set up in the front yard. “We’re playing arcade games. Pay up!” said my stepdaughter who was “working the ticket booth.” My husband leaned over, handing me two quarters saying, “They only take real money.” We laughed that the kids were the ones sitting and watching the grownups playing. I managed to win four tickets by bouncing a ball into a bucket! When my stepdaughter told me to pick out a prize, I selected a pink football. But...
4 months ago • 1 min read
I don’t remember many specific gifts I got for Christmas as a kid. The only one I really recall was “Sally Secrets”—a doll with stamps and stickers hidden inside (yeah, it was pretty cool). My husband remembers getting a “WrestleMania” wrestling ring… But what we both really cherish and remember is the feelings and the moments of joy we shared with family. One of my favorite traditions growing up was listening to the Nutcracker. We’d put on a whole living-room performance every year, roping...
4 months ago • 1 min read
“Yeah. Not doing that.” That was a comment I got on a recent reel where my play therapist pal and I showed playful ways for overstimulated parents to reset. I’m used to the haters coming out, especially when a video goes viral, but there was something about this comment that made me feel kind of sad. I took it to say, “I’m too cool for that. You look stupid.” Now, I’m a theatre person. I’m really comfortable being and looking silly. But I also know all too well the pressure we can feel to...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Dinner on Friday was tense and grumpy. It was “transition day” for my stepdaughter, her first day back at our house after being at her mom’s. This day is always tough—big feelings as she adjusts to a new atmosphere and we shift from being parents of two to three. There was whining, complaining, and attitude… and my husband and I, after a long week, were definitely over it. I wanted to lecture, but I knew we really just needed to laugh. So, I suggested, “20 Questions. I’m thinking of...
4 months ago • 1 min read