Inspiration
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Raising Surrendered Girls in a Strong Girl World
I'm a mom of three girls in a culture that shouts "strong girls" and "girl power" at every turn. Yet when I hear or see these phrases I sometimes cringe. I know this sentiment is neither common nor popular. I also know that words like "submission" and "surrender" are almost taboo - even sexist or chauvinist when used in reference to women. Despite all this, here I am trying to raise surrendered girls. You might want to stop reading and dismiss me at this point, but hear me out.
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Fear is a Thief
Maybe you’ve heard the expression “Fear is a Liar,” but fear is also a thief. It creeps up on you out of nowhere. It comes when you least expect it. It is sneaky. Like a thief in the night, it comes to steal, kill, and destroy. It steals your joy, your confidence, and the precious moments in your life.
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Ripples and Waves
Last year I stood here at INSPIRE with several women. Today I stood here alone. But nonetheless I stood.
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Go While You Stay
There's nothing worse for an extroverted, achievement-driven, go-getter with severe FOMO (fear-of-missing-out) than feeling like you are sitting on the sidelines. I've always been a "yes" girl. I've always wanted to be actively involved in as many things as possible - always with my hand in dozens of jars, wearing multiple hats, and on the go. I thrive this way. However, being a mom of littles has made it more difficult to live like this. Nap times, feeding schedules, bedtimes, sitters, etc...are now all things that come first, and I sometimes find myself feeling more like a bench player.
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The Struggle is Real
"The struggle is real." The other day in my quest to help my family eat healthier meals I tried to whip up some chicken and veggies for dinner as we were rushing to get out the door for swim lessons and the baby was screaming for food. Dinner ended up pretty terrible as my 6-year old gently told me "Mommy, I can't really chew this chicken." I ended up letting them toss the rest of their food as we scrambled to the car. On the way to swim we were notified of a weather cancellation, and I ended up grabbing Taco Bell as our second dinner. So much for healthy…
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2nd Best Day Ever
It was an ordinary Sunday. I woke up at the crack of dawn with the baby. We spent some time together downstairs before the rest of my family woke up. I drank my cup of coffee. But today, the busyness of the week and the accumulated lack of sleep had caught up to me, and pure exhaustion had set in. I was done. I was grumpy and already snapping at people. I was annoyed at my husband for not understanding how tired I was. The voices and demands of kids (sweet as they may be), a crying baby (already ready for a nap), a persistent headache, and just that general…
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Thrive
If this picture isn’t the essence of what it means to thrive I don’t know what is. Years ago, this bougainvillea was planted in my parent’s back yard as a tiny little plant. Today, it has taken over almost the whole back wall of their yard. It is thriving to say the least. And it’s so beautiful. My sister (pictured here) was gathering some blossoms to use in a flower arrangement. When I envision thriving, this is pretty much what I think of. Some synonyms for thrive are “flourish,” “prosper,” “bloom,” “blossom,” “advance,” and “succeed.” Part of the definition of thrive is to “grow or develop well or vigorously.” Boy,…
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Awaken
Awaken. There are so many things I could write about this word. I love it so much! First let’s take a look at the dictionary.com definition of this word: rouse from sleep; cause to stop sleeping make someone aware of something for the first time The first definition is more literal, and the second is more figurative. I love both meanings, and both of them apply to how I want to greet each new day. I am a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom. I have three little girls, ages 6, 4, and 9 mo. My 9mo old still doesn’t sleep through the night without waking to be nursed, and I teach ESL online…
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Inhale
This is my “word” for 2018. I went back and forth and considered a few others, but this was the one I kept coming back to. There were just so many ways I could think of that this word would apply to things I wanted accomplish and the way I wanted to live. In Genesis, we read about the unique and personal creation of man. God didn’t just speak Adam into existence like the rest of creation; “He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7). In order for Adam to have life he had to inhale the breath of life from God Himself!…
