ShowMom Outnumbered

I will never forget the way her eyes looked when I told her we needed to talk. My daughter Tessa, in the seventh grade, glanced up at me, and then immediately back at the floor. I led her outside to the chairs on the lawn and waited for her to...

By day 4 of unrelenting high fevers for two of my daughters I had started to crack. My husband had been sick, too, and, as he adheres very closely to the Man Sickness Code, I had written him off as a partner all week. His role was simply to hand me...

It’s never been much of a secret that my husband is not the best at giving gifts. I’ve already told the story of our first anniversary when, still fresh with romantic expectation, I opened my gift from him to find what lay inside was a Target garden...

Several years ago, on this Valentine’s week at the mom’s group that I attended, one of the mothers stood up and reminded us all to dig deep and try, as the day came near, to remember not to set our expectations too high. To not focus on the...

Last week both of my middle schoolers came down with the flu. For a solid week they ran fevers, and did nothing more than watch TV and use even more cups than usual. On Tuesday when my husband announced from the bed that he felt like he was coming...

I told my kids we were going on a walk in the woods this weekend. In my mind I saw them lit perfectly by the golden hour, set free with smiles way up ahead on a gently winding trail. I pictured them bent over, sweetly smiling at bugs crawling on...

I stood in the check-out line three people deep. Only one checker again. The line behind me was growing, and the woman in front of me looked backwards and sighed as the woman at the register still stayed questioning something on her receipt. You...

Well, I made it. Night one of back-to-school after the holidays, and I can’t say I’m coming in hot. Christmas comes to lull you with its soft twinkle lights and never-before smelled scents such as “marshmallowcane birch;” (Does the candle smell like...

So, here we are. A brand new year. A brand new decade. In the interest of attempting a fresh start like one is pressured to do, I even put on perfume today, which is when my 11 year old, Tessa, walked in mid-spray and stood there looking confused...