The following is a list with links to articles published on sites other than my own. Some, though not all, of these articles are exclusive to these sites.
A Letter to My Youngest (originally posted on Charleston Moms Blog)
“You have something your brothers don’t. You, lucky girl, have four people to tell your story. No one else had that.”
Easter without the Sugar Overdose
My favorite ideas for non-candy basket fillers.
The Upside of Guilt and Letting Go
“Guilt. It plagues parents. We feel guilty for everything. Holding our babies too much, not holding them enough, letting them eat junk food, not letting them eat junk food, asking for help, accepting help and the list goes on. . . I am letting that guilt go.”
The Human Heart and All of it’s Intricacies
“You see, my youngest son was born with a congenital heart defect. I have seen his heart via echocardiogram (a specific ultrasound to view the heart) a hundred times, and I still don’t understand it. Those grainy black and white images hold as much mystery for me as do the complicated emotions tied to it.”
“I have wondered if the loss of my brother has made me value our relationship more or if I always knew that it was special. I think I always knew. He was my best friend, my earliest memory.”
A Letter to My Youngest – see above
5 Tips for Navigating the Holidays
“Fast forward 20-30 years, now I am a wife and mother. It’s my job to create the magic for my children that I enjoyed as a young girl. It turns out that there was A LOT of behind the scenes activity going on. Wow. I had no idea about the amount of gift planning, shopping and wrapping, food preparation, decorating, and thoughtful activities that my parents put into making the holidays so special for us.”
“There will be plenty of times over the next twelve months that I will ask them to hurry up and that I will think to myself, “if only they could tie their own shoes . . . fill their own water bottles . . . buckle their own car seats.” However, I am going to try to focus more on where they are and what they need right now, whether it’s one more story at bedtime or an extra ten minutes to get ready to leave the house. This is their only childhood and I want them to remember a mama who cherished them every step of the way.”
10 Strategies to Simplify Life
“These days are flying by and I am spending too much time at the kitchen sink and in the laundry room. Those baby snuggles and chubby cheeks are disappearing right before my eyes. I don’t have time to be super mom and lets face it, that’s a no-win anyway.”
The Upside of Guilt and Letting Go (originally posted on Red Tricycle)
Embracing the Essentials 