Family and Parenting – Choosing This Moment

Miles’s Guide to a Successful Walk

Posted: February 02, 2021 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 15 Comments

Last night, I typed the final words of a first draft of a novel. It’s scary to tell you this, because I know how terrible it is right now. The writing is bad. The plot is convoluted. It has more clichés than a politician, more contradictions than my two girls’ versions of why they were … Continue reading "Miles’s Guide to a Successful Walk"

Toddler Steps and the End of the World

Posted: August 25, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 3 Comments

Things have an apocalyptic (in the world-ending sense of the word) feel to them these days. A massive explosion in Lebanon. Wildfires and rolling blackouts here at home. A derecho storm taking out swaths of the Midwest. Back-to-back hurricanes threatening the southern US. Shady governmental dealings in Belarus and Russia and China (okay, so, nothing … Continue reading "Toddler Steps and the End of the World"

Stories from Lockdown

Posted: May 08, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 10 Comments

Eight weeks ago, when the term “social distancing” was just beginning to infiltrate our national vocabulary, when the first wave of events was being cancelled out of an “abundance of caution,” when toilet paper memes were starting to make their way around social media, the two small girls of this house decided to play one … Continue reading "Stories from Lockdown"

How to Use This Time Well

Posted: March 26, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 3 Comments

Confession: we have not done much that resembles “school” around here the last few days. This, despite the fact that we have nowhere to go, no place to be except home. This, despite the fact that we are used to this homeschooling gig and have not been thrust into it involuntarily like so many others. … Continue reading "How to Use This Time Well"

I’m Not Enough

Posted: March 10, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn No Comments

You are enough. It’s a popular statement these days, offered to young parents lost in the doldrums of self-doubt, of worry, of guilt. You are enough. Whoever you are, no matter your failings and weaknesses, whatever your personality and strengths, you are enough. Your child needs you, as you are, and no other. You are … Continue reading "I’m Not Enough"

We Have a Good Life

Posted: January 31, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 3 Comments

Jonathan and I sat together on the couch a few nights back, paging through the photo book I had compiled for our family for 2019. He paused to smile at a shot of Abby giving a lopsided grin to the camera, and then at Miles sacked out in my arms. When he got to his … Continue reading "We Have a Good Life"

I'm Showing You So Much Grace Right Now

Posted: January 24, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 2 Comments

The girls had a tussle the other day, one that I could hear building in the dining room as I was making dinner in the kitchen. Katie, ever the big sister, was attempting to get Abby to go along with her game, giving commands with increasing urgency and frustration. Abby, the quintessential little sister, was … Continue reading "I'm Showing You So Much Grace Right Now"

This is a Season

Posted: January 16, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 1 Comment

I wrote this post last year, in March of 2019. (It was near the top of the “Your Recent Drafts” section of WordPress, which tells you how often I even attempted to blog in the past twelve months.) I’m not sure why I never published it, except that maybe I was lost in the newborn … Continue reading "This is a Season"

All Mama Wants is a Silent Night, Part Two

Posted: January 09, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 2 Comments

Miles, in a surprising turn of events, slept well last night. Because the sleep gods are merciless, mercurial beings, however, he was the only person in this house who did. Sleep well, that is. Sometime between 8 p.m. and midnight, both girls’ digestive systems went into full revolt and determined to empty themselves by any … Continue reading "All Mama Wants is a Silent Night, Part Two"

Hold My Baby, I'm Busy Being a Doctor

Posted: January 03, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 4 Comments

I was about to step into the shower a few days back when Abby rushed into the room, a dress-up lab coat askew across her back, a doll dangling from her hand. “Mama, can you hold my baby?” she asked. “She’s sad and she wants someone to hold her, and I’m busy being a doctor.” … Continue reading "Hold My Baby, I'm Busy Being a Doctor"

Choosing This Moment

Finding the beauty in the everyday

Category: Family and Parenting

Miles’s Guide to a Successful Walk

Toddler Steps and the End of the World

Stories from Lockdown

How to Use This Time Well

I’m Not Enough

We Have a Good Life

I'm Showing You So Much Grace Right Now

This is a Season

All Mama Wants is a Silent Night, Part Two

Hold My Baby, I'm Busy Being a Doctor