I'm in California visiting my brother and nephews....that's right, nephewS as in more than one!!!! Tristen "Kai" was born 3 weeks ago so Julian and I hopped on a plane to Cali to meet him! We miss Todd and Lukas but are having a ball! So I thought it perfect timing to share my latest 360 Parenting post. Enjoy!!!
Making the Most of Your Maternity Leave
The journey of one woman as she seeks fulfillment in all of her life. As career and motherhood and "growing up" intersect, the object of life becomes clear: to be present. To truly live. To fully love. To impart impact. To let go of anxiety. To feel fulfilled.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Real Adult Life
One day you wake up and realize you're an adult. And that life is real and things happen. Bad things happen to good people.
Parents have beautiful babies only to lose them to cancer less than a year later.
Parents get sick with cancer and other non-curable diseases.
Parents lose jobs and wonder whether the money they've saved over the years will be enough.
Parents die.
I've known that life isn't always easy and I've personally been lucky in that I've not had too much personal experience with these hard life realities myself. But I have friends and love ones who are in the midst of these hard life things, and my heart feels so heavy for them.
One of my best friends said goodbye to her daddy this morning after a year and a half fight with cancer. He lived longer than the doctors predicted and my friend knows she's lucky to have had this "extra" time with him and is thankful he's at peace now and is no longer suffering. She's a strong one, this friend. Stronger than most. But my heart hurts for her and her mom. You see, my friend is a daddy's girl and I know there's nothing I can say or do that will fill the void that her dad's departure will leave.
This life is not forever. This is the one truth in life. So while you're here, say I love you to your loved ones. Say it often. Let go of the grudges. Say you're sorry. Forgive. And remember what is important. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the petty things in life, but today lets let it go and love one another fiercely.
Parents have beautiful babies only to lose them to cancer less than a year later.
Parents get sick with cancer and other non-curable diseases.
Parents lose jobs and wonder whether the money they've saved over the years will be enough.
Parents die.
I've known that life isn't always easy and I've personally been lucky in that I've not had too much personal experience with these hard life realities myself. But I have friends and love ones who are in the midst of these hard life things, and my heart feels so heavy for them.
One of my best friends said goodbye to her daddy this morning after a year and a half fight with cancer. He lived longer than the doctors predicted and my friend knows she's lucky to have had this "extra" time with him and is thankful he's at peace now and is no longer suffering. She's a strong one, this friend. Stronger than most. But my heart hurts for her and her mom. You see, my friend is a daddy's girl and I know there's nothing I can say or do that will fill the void that her dad's departure will leave.
This life is not forever. This is the one truth in life. So while you're here, say I love you to your loved ones. Say it often. Let go of the grudges. Say you're sorry. Forgive. And remember what is important. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the petty things in life, but today lets let it go and love one another fiercely.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Being a Mom of Two
Hi. I've been MIA, I know. Sorry. There's a good reason, I promise. Two reasons actually.
Their names are Julian and Lukas. And I'm their mom.
I am on week 8 of my second maternity leave and I'm enjoying it SO MUCH more this time around. I'm much more relaxed. I'm not fretting over every noise the baby makes. I'm not afraid to leave the house or drive in the car with him. I'm showering daily and usually changing out of my pajamas before noon. I'm even working out (i.e. walking/jogging on the treadmill and the occasional DVD) most days of the week. (If only I were one of those thin pregnant gals who didn't gain loads of weight. Oh well.) I'm not nervous about nursing Julian wherever and whenever he needs to eat. All around I am just much more comfortable with this mom thing. I guess those 2.5+ years practice with Lukas gave me a hand-up on the newborn stage with Julian. So this time around I'm not stuck inside all day long with plenty of downtime to blog. J and I are out and about so the blog has been one of the things I've let go for a while.
I'll eventually write out Julian's birth story and give some more details on how we're doing, but wanted to pop in for just a minute to share some brotherly pics and let everyone know we're doing great!
Their names are Julian and Lukas. And I'm their mom.
I am on week 8 of my second maternity leave and I'm enjoying it SO MUCH more this time around. I'm much more relaxed. I'm not fretting over every noise the baby makes. I'm not afraid to leave the house or drive in the car with him. I'm showering daily and usually changing out of my pajamas before noon. I'm even working out (i.e. walking/jogging on the treadmill and the occasional DVD) most days of the week. (If only I were one of those thin pregnant gals who didn't gain loads of weight. Oh well.) I'm not nervous about nursing Julian wherever and whenever he needs to eat. All around I am just much more comfortable with this mom thing. I guess those 2.5+ years practice with Lukas gave me a hand-up on the newborn stage with Julian. So this time around I'm not stuck inside all day long with plenty of downtime to blog. J and I are out and about so the blog has been one of the things I've let go for a while.
I'll eventually write out Julian's birth story and give some more details on how we're doing, but wanted to pop in for just a minute to share some brotherly pics and let everyone know we're doing great!
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