The day I was born, my dad was 48 years old. The year I graduated from 8th grade, my dad retired from working two jobs. The countless plays I performed, my dad slept…I mean sat through every single performance. The year I graduated from college, my dad survived quintuple bypass and colon cancer. The day …
There are certain days that are particularly difficult after a pregnancy loss that trigger heartbreak all over again. Mother’s Day, holidays, anniversaries, due dates… On those days, I find myself suffering in silence. My first pregnancy loss at 6 weeks led to completely shutting down, isolating myself from the world, telling virtually no one of …
It started out as what I thought would be a simple, reasonable, teachable moment. My four-year-old son had just gone potty and immediately went to rub his yes. “Don’t touch your eyes till you’ve washed your hands, or you’ll get pink eye.” His eyes widened as he hopped off the toilet. “What?! Pink?!” I tried …
This is a sponsored post. I was compensated by Med-IQ through educational grants from AbbVie, Astrellas, and Genentech to write about communicating symptoms and treatment side effects with the healthcare team. All opinions are my own. In 2006, my mother had a mole removed on her arm that ended up being melanoma. After testing surrounding …
Annual IEP meetings are like root canals…painful, exhausting, feeling like it will never end. Today was annual IEP day. Compared to years past, it went surprisingly well. I didn’t cry which was a first. For those lucky enough to not experience IEPs, let me explain something…there’s a reason there is a box of tissues on …
During my 5th and final pregnancy, I decided to take professional maternity photos. This was something I had never done before and well, this was my last chance to get some Pinterest worthy pics. But unlike most maternity photos, I didn’t share a single image…that was until after my baby was born, healthy and thriving, …
On the morning of February 15, 2012, my life was pretty darn perfect. Happy marriage, perfect 6-month-old baby boy, and a sweet and silly boxer. We’d enjoyed a nice Valentine’s Day at home. My husband, JP, gave me a beautiful bracelet embellished with a small heart. I’d braved the cold to grill steaks. Our son, …
During my sister’s recent trip out to visit, my oldest just instinctively knew “Favorite Aunt Jean” needed extra love and hugs💜 She spoke often about her big cousin Kimmy like my littles often do about their baby angel brother and Grandma Barbara. Their innocence and natural inclusivity of our guardian angels was a welcomed surprise to …
This photo captures a boy running towards his mom…upon zooming in, mom notices the boy’s expression is one of sheer joy. Now on the other end of this lens is not a new toy or a cupcake…it is the moment upon seeing his mom. Truth be told, mom had only stepped away for literally 10 …
This is why I do what I do🙏 Last week, I shared with my incredible Life of Mom community that it was 10 years since my mom passed away. I spoke about how much I missed her and some of the silly things she used to say to us kids, like “when I die, I’m …