Drawing Nearer to Him: For the Mama During Lent

With the Lenten season beginning, I wanted to write a post that focuses on this sacred time of the year — specifically with mamas in mind. As you probably know, it is common for Christians to “give-up” something for the 40-day period we know as Lent. There are varying views on what “giving-up” and “taking-up” should look like during Lent. Personally, I believe the things we give-up and/or take-up should serve a primary purpose: to draw us closer to Jesus. That being said, I want to share with you two things us mama’s can give-up and take-up during this season of Lent that will help draw us nearer to Jesus — and also help us to be better mamas!

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An Open Letter to the Girl I was Before I Became “Mama”

Your days will no longer be carefree and whimsy will begin to scare you. You will find sprinkles of freedom here and there, but you’ll also realize you no longer yearn to be free like before. You prefer to be home. You will still explore, but you won’t wander as far as you used to. Your adventures will no longer be about you — and that’s okay. You actually like it that way. You will find joy in her curiosity. You will find peace in her smile. Your late nights will look a little different. There will be tears and you will be tired. Some nights you will sit and wonder if the morning will ever come. I promise you it does. The sun always comes out again.

11 Postpartum Realities No One Likes to Talk About

I watched another mom endure the same things I did during my own postpartum recovery. The things that made me feel weak, alone, and worthless. The things no one likes to talk about. The messy things. The gross things. The real things. I watched the mom in this ad over and over again. I admired her strength, her grace, and her perseverance. I yearned so badly to help her, even if it meant simply reassuring her that everything she is going through is normal and that it will soon pass. As I watched this mom again and again, an amazing thing happened — I began to see myself. I was no longer watching a stranger struggle through the woes of postpartum — I was watching me. I was admiring my own strength. My own grace. And my own perseverance. This ad — and the feelings it gave me — have inspired me to share the raw and messy details of my physical recovery with you — especially the things that I was not prepared for after childbirth.

3 Steps to Balancing Your Pre-Mom Self with Your New-Mom Self

Let’s face it — motherhood changes us. Whether it’s for better or for worse, bringing a baby into this world alters something (or everything) about us. Trust me, mama — none of us journey through motherhood unscathed. The trap most of us mamas fall into is letting our original self fall to the wayside while we navigate the rough terrain of first-time motherhood. Now, hear me out — being “mama” is a beautiful thing. It is an incredibly special gift bestowed upon us by God. But motherhood is not our be-all and end-all. Balancing your pre-mom-self and new-mom-self will be work. It will take time. But, it is important — no, necessary — for your mental and emotional health. It is essential for you to figure out you in order to be the best mama you can be to your babe(s).

I Gave My Exclusively Breastfed Daughter Formula and This is What Happened

I was so determined to make it through her first year of life without ever needing to supplement.” Today was hard. No, today was more than hard. Today beat me. And it beat me badly. It was just one of those days. I woke up and immediately things were going awry. First, I woke up…

I Don’t Have my S*** Together, Do You?

I want you to know when you are comparing your life with my “life” on social media, you are putting your worst up against my best.” When looking at my Facebook page or my perfectly-posed instagram photos, you probably assume I have a handle on this mom thing. I know this because I think the…

GUEST BLOG: My Journey Into Motherhood

Our guest blogger, Laura, opens up about her journey into motherhood. Her refreshing honesty and conversational tone makes you feel as though she is sipping coffee at your kitchen table while telling her story.

Stop Saying My Husband is a Good Helper

So the next time you see my husband pushing the stroller through the aisles of Target or changing our daughter’s diaper in the back of our SUV in the parking lot — please don’t tell me he is such a good helper, because I won’t agree.” My husband is a great dad. But he is…

This is Postpartum Anxiety and Depression

“All I have ever wanted is to be a wife and mother. I love being a mom. But when I am bobbing above and below the waves of postpartum depression and anxiety, I am so tired of motherhood.” I am drowning. No matter how strong I tread water, the waves continue to crash into me.…

Who Says You Need Your Own Comic to Have Superpowers?

“It’s just an in-the-moment-intuition-kind-of-thing. A mommy superpower.” There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.Ecclesiastes 3:1 I am going to start out by being completely honest — I have no idea what I am doing most of the time. Okay, like all of the time. When I sit…