In my "Motherhood Day" post, I promised you the rest of this story (to be read in your best Paul Harvey voice), so here goes. 

As I wrote before, Mother's Day morning started with our 6-year old bursting into our room and announcing urgently:

"You GUYS. Something happened. You GOTTA come see this."

I ...

It's really easy to make decisions based on our backstory (who we were in the past). We have clear, often recent, evidence of what worked--or didn't work--for us and what we were capable of. 

The problem with that, though, is there isn't room for much growth. Maybe we try to do a little better than w...

Today was Mother's Day, and I have to say it felt different (in a great way) from past ones.

I'll explain. 

For past Mother's Days, my desire was to not lift a finger. Just have total rest and basically "check out" from any caregiving work for the day. 

It would go okay, but someone would inevitably n...

A few years ago, I went on a solo trip to a friend's wedding, where I got to stay at a home near the beach. The wedding was my main reason for travel, but I decided to also use the time as a sort of pilgrimage to understand more about my Heavenly Mother. I felt strongly connected to my Heavenly F...

I love learning from nature and animals. I think they're a gift from God, to help guide us and teach us eternal principles during this Earth experience.

One thing I'm learning is through our new puppy, Charlie, who is 7 months old now. She is so full of life and love! Each member of our party of 6 g...

I spent some time at the ER this morning, getting tested and scanned because of a breathing issue I'm having (happy news is they ruled out all of the scary stuff and determined that it's just inflammation. <wipes brow with relief>).

Knowing how these visits can go, I brought a book along with me tha...

Have you ever heard of a people-pleasing fitness trainer? I haven't.

Fitness trainers are supposed to push you to do things you're not strong enough for. They expect you to be uncomfortable because that's where you'll grow. 

They are basically getting paid to (temporarily) hurt people.

What if there wa...

I'm working on a project right now that's requiring a lot of faith. It's the heaviest lift (motherhood aside) I've done so far, which is also bringing some stunning miracles to witness. Because of the heavy lifting, sometimes my brain and my spirit get tired and I hear thoughts like, "Who do you thi...

Determination is the fuel that takes us from the unknown into possibility, and children seem to have it in concentrated form (the metaphorical equivalent of rocket fuel).

Watching our kids start with a desire then go for it with determination is absolutely inspiring. Whether it's learning to ride a ...

Hide and Seek is one of the favorite games at our house. The person who is "it" waits downstairs, counts to 30, and then yells at the top of their lungs, "READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!" They then hunt the corners and closets around the house, looking for the rest of the family (everyone dreads being "i...

I've talked with several friends who each had incredibly difficult things happen this week (one of them, more than one). As a friend I want to be able to take at least some of the suffering so they don't have to carry it all. It's hard to know what to say or do to be able to support in a way that's ...

It's really easy to hide from your dreams. I've been practicing it for years. It looks really noble, like sticking with what you know for the stability of it, and it works. You get better and better at what you know, and you see great results. But there comes a point when you reach the edge of the s...