Intentional Living

I am not easy to love. I can be selfish, prone to hurt feelings, not great with boundaries, and slow[...]

It’s been a week where I feel a little buried under the needs of all the people who live in[...]

You’ve made it through every impossible minute you’ve ever faced, with a 100% success rate. You’ve made it because of[...]

To every heart stuck in a tough spot - This will not last forever and you are not alone. When[...]

I have about six writing pieces in progress right now and opened my computer this morning to polish and finish[...]

It’s day 8 of 2023, and here’s how it’s going around here: Christmas boxes are still out The floor’s been[...]

Didn’t read as much as I wanted. Didn’t sleep as much as I wanted. Didn’t hold my temper as much[...]

This is the time of year the air starts getting really thick with the pressure to get it all together[...]

I always feel a little “hung over” after a holiday. Not because of too much imbibing but because of the[...]

Whether you’re bursting with grateful praise, or finding it hard to even feel thankful for the breath in your lungs,[...]

What I wouldn’t give to travel back in time with what I know now. With the self-respect I have now.[...]

I’ll be the zillionth person to board the TSwift bandwagon to say “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.”[...]

I was a total party pooper to my 11-year-old son yesterday. He said, intentionally, thoughtfully, and a little sadly: I[...]

Well, Timehop, thanks. Sincerely and also with a glare. These 17 days of our son’s beautiful life feel like a[...]

I was livid at God for cheating me – for taking my baby, for wrecking my body, for smashing my[...]

Pro tip, weird hack, whatever you want to call it… this emotional management strategy works. Real talk on feelings (like[...]

I’m up… again. Maybe I’m up *still?*. It’s been a week and the days just kind of blur together. This[...]

I may have my hands on the wheel, but we all know who’s *really* driving this crazy rig. (Still wondering[...]

Truths I Don’t Like #748: I am the villain in someone else’s story. Probably lots of someones, actually. A lifetime[...]

I think most of us engage in a daily tug-of-war between suffering and gratitude.  If someone had told me to[...]

Happy New Year!  2021 has already come in like a lion, and it's been tempting to fly into rage/despair/eyerolls on the[...]

I have a present for you!  Well, presents, plural.  PRESENCE, actually. 31 little gifts of presence for the Advent season.[...]

This is our 20th year celebrating the holidays together, Jack and me, and our families, which feels crazy. We are[...]

I had a failed epidural with Elisha, my 2-year-old.  Kudos to all the mamas who loved and embraced natural childbirth.[...]

Forgiveness can bring us peace and a path forward.  So why does it feel so impossible sometimes? I'll answer that[...]

Since when did it become so hard to be nice? My heart broke a little in the grocery store last[...]

Giving feels hard right now. We’re all maxed out.  Stressed out.  Worried out.  Zoomed out.  News-ed out.  Social media-d out.[...]

After months of intense personal work, I recently made some big sharp-right-turn life decisions.  And last Sunday was the first[...]

I have been trying my whole adult life to make sure other people “don't mistake my kindness for weakness." It's[...]

I filled out an online questionnaire last week that included the question: To what extent has Covid-19 affected your life?[...]

You can't change the world until you change yourself. And change through personal growth is the most necessary, challenging, time-intensive,[...]

My guess is socialdistancing and quarantine will be the ultimate hashtags of 2020.  COVID-19 is here, ready or not.  [...]

I got laid up with a nasty cold after an entire week of “writers block.”  But it’s never really writers[...]

Surviving the holidays seems impossible when your life is falling apart.  (Spoiler alert: you can do it.  Keep reading and[...]

I’m an introvert.  Which means even the sweetest gatherings with the people I love most can leave me feeling overwhelmed[...]

This is one of my favorite graphics of all time: I love this graph for the reassurance and laugh it[...]

Fear is real, and it’s universal.  Everyone feels it.  But before I get to fear let’s talk about failure. I[...]

There is something wonderfully intimate about written words.  When you look carefully at something handwritten, you can sense feeling in[...]

Today we're talking time management. Time management for dummies. Time management for smarties, actually... because anyone intent on learning how[...]

All I ever wanted was to be a mom. Now as an adult, I realize that there are so many[...]

When G was 5, we had her in gymnastics.  A favorite treat after class was playing at the nearby park[...]

Things I can control My attitude My spiritual life My communication My health My choices My investment into my relationships[...]

Why do we feel discouragement, and even more importantly, how do we bounce back faster? Not everyone is prone to[...]

I know you play the comparison game because I do too. I found myself swirling in it up to my[...]

How can I get my kids to do chores?  This is actually the follow up question to my standing Monday[...]

My little guy turns 6 months old today.  How half a year has passed, I have no idea. I had[...]

Don’t worry!  What Men Think: Part 4 (finale) is coming soon!  My guy is getting caught up from our trip[...]

I posted of my favorite graphics earlier today on social media.  I cannot even remember where I saw this a[...]

The news feels scary these days.  If it’s not the actual current events and politics, it’s the fire people are[...]

This is Part 2 of a twin sister post! Missed the first one? Check it out here and then flex[...]

Are you operating at 100%? I'm not talking energy level, although that's important, so if you're droopy I highly encourage[...]

If you're aiming for nothing, you'll hit it - every time. We set goals for our work, our weight, our[...]

God isn’t messing around when he says “Hop in, let’s go.” He said it to Noah. He said it to[...]

Happy New Year! We woke up to the thickest fog we've seen here in a long time. The morning behind[...]

I’m back. Well, I never really left, but life got a little wild. We’re all here and we’re all doing[...]

The truth about dealing with pain is that, despite our best efforts to hide it, we are all doing it.[...]

We just returned from 9 days in northern France and it was a dream.  The trip was a gift full[...]

What do I really want to teach my children? One of the kids’ favorite morning cartoons tossed out the phrase[...]

Revised June 2019 We're coming up on Fathers Day, which is my favorite time of year to reflect on the[...]

For most of us, Memorial Day has become an occasion for sleeping in, gathering with family and friends to eat,[...]

My husband sang in a choir for the first time in his adult life this past weekend. If I had[...]

Sometimes I am the most awesome woman/wife/mother/room mom/entrepreneur/leader/writer. Sometimes I don’t know science and help my child make a school[...]

Summer is HERE! Can you feel it?  8 days of school left here for our littles and they are all[...]

I am no celebrity hostess. I do not have any decorating skills, table scape themes, stylish serving ware, or even[...]

It’s my own fault, really. The disappointment I felt was exactly what I set myself up for. I had big[...]

Ahhhh…. a brand new month. We're starting fresh with a clean slate - it's a time to reflect, and a[...]

We get asked fairly frequently, “Was is scary to change careers and change your life? Do you ever miss it?”[...]

If I look back on moments in my life I felt most frazzled and frustrated, nearly 100% of the time[...]

Me as First Lady Barbara Bush, 1992.The beautiful pearls belong to my mother and I wore them again on my[...]

After what is always a completely fulfilling Holy Week, I’m toast on Easter Monday. I had set my expectations for[...]

G burst in the door sobbing one afternoon last week. She had been playing with the neighborhood girls and BAM.[...]

Over the course of many years I have laid down much of my writing on scraps of paper here and[...]

 Based on a recent poll on social media, this particular topic on bucket filling in our family was the winning[...]

My heart is pounding and overflowing. I always said I’d do it… and so I finally did. Thanks to the[...]