What does it mean to be close to someone? Is it a person with whom you share secrets? The person who makes you smile the most? The person you'd call for bail money? And what role does proximity play? We tend to feel close to the people we see the most, whether or not that's … Continue reading 31 Days to a Closer F(r)amily
Close. Simple. Free. Those were the words that my husband Jay and I were drawn to three years ago while we assessed and reassessed the comfortable life we were living in the suburbs of Atlanta. We had a decent household income, four kids, a big house, and a neighborhood with great schools. It didn't get … Continue reading Closely, Simply, Freely: Keys to Living a More Meaningful Life
Three years ago we embarked on our version of a family adventure. My husband Jay and I sold our large home in a great neighborhood in the suburbs with a giant swimming pool and tennis courts, and moved into an old, small house in a run-down neighborhood that smelled like old people. The house, not … Continue reading 8 Ways Homeschooling Has Changed the Way I Parent (and how you can learn from my mistakes)
Hey, fellow white people. What's up? According to my 7 year old, who overheard my description of the event in Charlottesville, Virginia involving neo-Nazis, homemade knockoff Captain America shields, and a non-governmental armed militia, "the world is crumbling." I don't have any signs that he's prophetic or anything so I wouldn't be too worried about … Continue reading A Political Rant for White People
Mother's Day was this past Sunday and I had an absolutely lovely day. My daughter helped my husband make turkey bacon for breakfast. We went to church. I got to sit alone and watch TV while my family picked up lunch AND dessert from Whole Foods. They had gifts and cards and flowers and we … Continue reading The Invisible Mom: Mother’s Day Aftermath
I originally wrote this blog a little over two years ago, before I had a kid in middle school. Before we sold our spacious house and bought one where we are always on top of each other. Before we began to travel intentionally as a family. Before we changed up our kids' schooling. This week, … Continue reading Why Happy Kids Aren’t My Goal
This week I said the phrase "If you kick that guitar one more time I'm going to take away your shoes AND your monkey!!" I said this because my minivan broke down and the Honda dealership very kindly gave me an Accord to drive in the meantime. It was a bit smaller than my Odyssey … Continue reading The Language of Motherhood
Somewhere is the fine line between living authentically, with truth and honesty as hallmarks of your character...and detailed oversharing. Oversharing is where your revelations are met with something other than, "oh, thank you for being brave and sharing what we're all thinking." Oversharing gets awkward smiles and nods while the other person makes non-committal noises … Continue reading I’m so Embarrassed
On this day, 19 years ago, I got engaged to a 22-year-old dude with no job. Four months after that I married him. I was 21, he was still 22, we had $1,800 total dollars between the two of us, and no income. And despite how sketchy that sounds on paper, it was the best decision … Continue reading What Love Is
I apparently decided today that my life was just too easy and that I'd like to offend everyone I know and lose all of my friends. Clearly, the best way to do that is by talking about politics and religion and thus, I'm going to do both all at once. Hooray, me! I'm sure I … Continue reading I’m a Political Unicorn