One of the hazards of bearing a baby bump is the avalanche of advice on how best to raise your children. Friends and strangers suddenly feel the impulse to touch you without warning and share harrowing stories of traumatic birth experiences. And they always want to know, “Are you going back to work?” For some…
I’ve always wanted to be a runner. Despite my lack of skill or experience, the romance of a morning run appealed to me: simple, solitary, and powerful. I wanted to emulate that. When I finally started running, it was hard - harder than I expected. It still is sometimes. In my enthusiasm, I start out…
“Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.” Is. 30:18d My one-year-old eats a waffle for breakfast every morning. Despite that I have never failed to feed him, he inevitably wails for the entire two minutes it takes to pop up from the toaster. I sing and dance, trying to distract him. I explain that…
Any woman who’s ever been visibly pregnant knows that her baby bump is an invitation. Whether she likes it or not, friends and strangers alike regard the bump as a signal. It alters the laws of social interaction, eliminating the concept of personal space surrounding the protruding area. The bump also elicits a flood of…
The celebration of the Eucharist is the greatest miracle on earth. For parents of little kids, it can also be one of the most stressful! Of course, taking children to Mass is incredibly important and meaningful, but it hardly feels that way when yours is the child crying, laughing, screaming, or just generally being a…
Continue reading ➞ 30+ Ways Parents Can Make Mass Less Stressful
It was the middle of the night when I drove myself to the emergency room. My lungs were burning and I had coughed up a bit of blood. I tried to keep myself calm, to avoid panicking prematurely. If it was what I thought it was, there was a very good chance that I could…
Continue reading ➞ What I’ve Learned from Becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom
I stumbled over the toys strewn across the living room floor before sneaking into my daughter’s dark room to kiss her goodnight. I had looked forward to this night “off” all week, but now that it was over, I found myself coveting missed bedtime cuddles. I crept back out to the living room and collapsed…
Continue reading ➞ 5 Ways Ignatian Wisdom Can Help You Cultivate Work/Life Balance
