Not only was it a long road to surgery when I was pregnant with #2 and having gallbladder attacks, but no one stresses what the effects of the surgery will have on the rest of your life. I have a co-worker who is pregnant and going through the same experience I had. No one wants to have surgery, but especially when you are pregnant. I was faced with that decision when I was pregnant with Ava. It was the scariest thing, the thought of losing her because I couldn’t endure the pain of the gallbladder attacks, not to mention all the weight loss, which was endangering her during that pregnancy too. No surgery leaves you 100% and that has seemed to be the case after my gallbladder and appendix have been removed. I had emergency surgery too when she was 6 months old to remove my appendix. This left me having

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One good day is all this momma needs.  The pressures of life, work and helping a strong willed and very spirited bug learn how the world works can really wear a girl down.  Traveling and trying to maintain a routine, wore on both of us this past week.  Pack and Plays are now no match for my buglet, I found this while out of town the past few days.  This meant a crash course in sleeping in a “big girl bed.”  She did surprisingly well, but the ordeal was not without lack of sleep.  We are now going on the second morning in a row where I am greeted by the pitter patter of little bare feet at 7am.  The big girl bed is on our horizon. And the well placed temper tantrum can really bring down an otherwise good day.  Pair that with a few unfortunate events, like spilling

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I thought we were in for a rough night at the latest Swanfest Concert, the outdoor concerts we attend on Sunday nights. Just as I got settled selling jars of honey for the band, my eight year old had a meltdown. The band was Wild Honey, and they sell jars of local honey under their own label. I was asked to man their honey and t-shirt booth during the show, which meant it would be difficult to leave early. Suddenly I had a kid who appeared too tired after a morning at the beach with her Dad. After a good cry, she calmed and eventually perked up. Suddenly she had an idea. “Why don’t I go around the crowd selling the honey?” she asked. I wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. I didn’t want her to annoy the audience. I decided to use a classic Mom technique—stall. “We

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I want to raise my daughter with a healthy body image as well as a sense of style. Finding this balance is not easy. I don’t want her to just accept the way she looks, I want her to love the way she looks. At the same time, I know there are aspects of her body, face and hair that she favors, and aspects she would love to change. I have two daughters who don’t look much alike. My older daughter is very tall, has a large frame, long legs, straight hair, fair skin and freckles. My younger daughter is average height, thin frame, wavy hair and medium skin tone. I am certain that growing up together, they will be making comparisons. I started hearing the straight hair vs. curly hair envy before they were out of elementary school! My middle schooler is not easy to shop for. Clothes that

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My sisters were here last week for Katie’s graduation.  I am so glad they will travel long distances to be here for my girls’ big events.  They have a special relationship with their nieces.  We often joke about the things the girls and my sisters say and do together that we can’t imagine ever happening with my aunts growing up.  They have always been the most energetic, fun, silly, caring aunts two girls ever had.  They have poured their hearts and souls into loving my girls from the instant they found out I was expecting them. Katie and my sisters and I have an ongoing group text message on our phones.  We usually chat with each other daily, sharing the funny or frustrating things going on in our lives.  Katie usually throws in some sort of crazy (and often surprisingly unattractive!) self-portrait in to illustrate her mood.  The conversations usually

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