He has discovered his love of reading on his own and being read to, preferably by his sister, which basically melts my heart. And the craziest thing happened: I saw him reading more on his own and I got sad.
Read MoreTurning 8 & Moving From 'Mommy' to 'Mom'
"Mommy, I better start calling you mom," Elena quietly said to me as she tied her shoe before school one morning.
"Why?" I asked, trying to not let the panic I felt rising show.
"Because I’m getting older."
Read More30 Years Later
As a mom, and an adult, I can look back on my childhood and see the stuff that maybe I wasn't aware of. Or the stuff that I chose to ignore. Or the situations that I didn't even consider her feelings about. I can see her perspective now.
So, on the 30th anniversary of my dad's death, I just want to say: I miss you, dad, so much.
And thank you, mom, for everything. Love you.
Read MoreSeventh Heaven--Big Boy Days
And in that moment it all changed. I've joked in the past about E growing up so fast and being Miss Independent, but I always had my baby--I always had B. And suddenly--he became Mr. Independent and I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR ALL THE FEELINGS.
Read MoreSix to Seven: The Year She Stopped Turning Around
It's a mixture of pride and heartache to see her grow up. To be honest, I don't necessarily miss the baby days but I do feel like I'm in this little bubble of time where it's perfect and I want to squeeze and hold onto it forever, but we all know what happens to a bubble that's squeezed.
Read MoreHigh-Five! It Was a Good Year
But here we are, saying good-bye to five. I'm actually kind of sad because it was such a great year. Moving away from three and four were not hard for me--they were hard years and I was ready to get on the next. But five...so many good memories.
Read MoreHow are you?
Pulling out of Starbucks I felt better than when I arrived. No, I didn't change the world. But I took someone else's example. Someone who was becoming the person they were waiting for and took action, small as it was. She changed my morning. She inspired me.
Read MoreLil' Kickers and the Lil' Boy
I'm a big fan of Lil' Kickers and how they teach the fundamentals of soccer in a way that is fun and age-appropriate. But I'm an even bigger fan of the gift the coaches gave to my son. They taught him that trying is the most important part of learning anything.
Read MoreSouth Minneapolis
Each time I’m in
or travel through
this place
I’m briefly transported to the past
and I have to wear
and then discard
the pain.
Why Do the Good Die Young?
I don't understand and probably never will. But perhaps it's not my job to understand but to live the life I have while I can because you never know when everything could change. Then again, maybe that is understanding.
Read More