love, marriage, baby carriage

03/7/16

A Mother’s Promise

This is a sponsored post for Acorn Influence, but all opinions are completely my own. 

As parents, we tell our kids lots of things. We tell them, ‘if you’re good, you’ll get a treat;’ ‘if you go to bed now, you’ll get three books before bed tomorrow;’ ‘if you stop throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the store you can have candy for dinner for the rest of your life.’ Do any of these sound familiar?

My daughter is only 13-months-old, but I think about what sorts of things I will tell her as she grows up. Sure, I know there will be a lot of artful negotiating and bribing in our future, but when I make a promise to her, that will be different. A promise should be different. The word promise should be sacred and trusted. I only want to make promises to her that I will honor and keep.

Of course, I promise to love, protect, and care for her always. But I have something extremely important to me that I want to make a known vow, something that’s a living, breathing, palpable part of my family. One of the vows I am making to my daughter is a promise to both of us: I promise to raise her in the spirit of kindness and to lead by example.

02/21/16

How I Know Your Favorite Scent in the World

When I was growing up, my mom used to ask me this: “How would you know me if there were ten other moms that were identical to me?”

“I would just know,” I would say.

“But how could you tell if we all looked the same?”

“Umm, your freckles,” I would offer.

“No, they would all have my freckles, too.”

“The way you looked at me,” I would suggest, feeling incredibly deep in all my 10-year-old wisdom.

“What if they all looked at you the same way?”

“I know – your smell.”

Isn’t it true? The power of smell is undeniable. A familiar waft can bring you back in time and evoke powerful emotions. Scents can make your mouth water or your heart surge. They can help fill a hole when you miss someone or unknowingly bring you peace and comfort.

02/15/16

Ways Moms are Mean Girls (and Why This Needs to Change)

Mother. The very word evokes feelings of love, care, comfort, and warmth. We often refer to a mother’s love being so incredible that it’s truly indescribable. Mothers carry their babies within them for 40 weeks, creating an unspeakable bond that only she and her baby can understand.The moment her baby is laid on her chest, mommy and baby just know each other. They know they love each other without having ever properly met before. Moms show the magic and power of love at first site. In fact, I didn’t believe in love at first site until I had my daughter.

On the other hand, there’s the term momma bear. This term evokes feelings of ferocity, aggression, and strength. Momma bears, because of their fierce love and devotion to their babies, can shed their nurturing sweet mommy masks and transform into a wild animal at a moment’s notice – anything to protect her family.

Somewhere in the middle of these two sides of mommies comes a not so common term – well, the term is common, but not when describing mothers: mean girls. If you’ve never thought of moms as mean girls, I’ll explain, from my experience, ways that they are and why this needs to change.