There is no such thing as a mom who has it all together.
When my therapist asked me to watch a dot on the screen and think about my inability to sleep the previous night, it felt a little ‘quack'. The first time I saw a therapist who specialized in EMDR, I only lasted one visit, and we didn't even practice EMDR, just talked about it. I can … Continue reading Releasing Expectation
All or nothing. That is how I have lived most of my life. I am either all in or I am not at all, there isn't anything in between. I operate in a fixed mindset. On or off. Black or white. Truthfully, that serves me well at times. However, there are areas of my life … Continue reading Ice Cream for Dinner
In America, we live within the borders we see on maps. Lines drawn across vast stretches of land define futures, with no regard to circumstance. Where I live, in Northern California, I can drive for a few hours and cross the border into Nevada. There is no wall, no physical border between us. I just … Continue reading A City With No Walls
Calories eaten in secret don't count, right? We all know that isn't true, but we sure savor that chocolate bar a little different when no one is around. It's not that I don't have to share it - if that was the case I would just buy two. It is about being free from the … Continue reading Savoring Secrets
I have always been a driven person, placing high expectations on myself. At least that is the way to say it that sounds the best. The more accurate truth is that I have always been a little girl doing her best, begging for someone to notice her. Operating at a high level of excellence was … Continue reading Mom Guilt
I’ve been fighting this battle as long as I can remember. Well, I don’t know if fighting is the right word, since that would imply that I have been actively opposing, and that’s not entirely true. Maybe I have been struggling, not fighting. At times I have fought, and at times I have coasted along … Continue reading The Age of Accountability
I once read in a book that if you're feeling like you need a vacation, you should try building a life that you don't need a vacation from. When I read those words for the first time, I stopped and pondered for a moment what that life might look like. Then I went about my … Continue reading Paradise is a Lie
You may have clicked the link today to see how many things I purged from my home, but the only thing that was purged from me this week was hope. As I have purged things from my home, the items that remain have become illuminated. These precious things that made the cut somehow feel more … Continue reading Purging Hope
It has been seven days - that's one hundred and sixty eight hours or, more dramatically, ten-thousand and eighty minutes - since my last encounter with sugar. Last Saturday night, I savored those Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies, topped with coffee ice cream, knowing it would be the last time I partook of such an … Continue reading Silencing the Flesh
I don’t adapt well to sudden change. I know I developed that character trait as a result of a chaotic childhood, where sudden change stemmed from eminent danger or was followed by the loss of something that made me feel secure. That isn’t to say that I don’t like change. I actually thrive on change. … Continue reading Preparing for the Journey
Uncommonly Common Mom 