In the beginning, I loved being a mom so much! I embraced motherhood with my whole heart, and when it came, I was lucky enough and smart enough to enjoy each moment as much as I could. With my boys came a joy larger than any I had ever known. I just loved goofing and […]
These past few months have not been my favorites. I’ll be honest; it has been a bit of a rough ride. Suddenly, the entrance of my youngest into kindergarten has hit me like a brick. The days that used to feel like gifts are beginning to feel lonely. It is a new phase, and the […]
I walked into the toy store with my chest puffed and a proud smile on my face. I was there to buy a mermaid for my son. Yes, my 5-year-old son wanted a mermaid for Christmas. I found a worker and crowed to her about what I needed the way that other moms brag about […]
I sat at the dinner table the other night, looking at my wonderful husband and my two smiling, chatty boys, and I realized something very important: I didn’t care at all about what anyone at that table was talking about. Truly. I could not care less. But I smiled and nodded as I slowly shut down […]
This is a story I wrote many years ago. It happened to me when the war in Iraq was in full force and so many of our service men and women were serving multiple tours there. At the time, I didn’t have a blog or a way to publish it. I just wrote it quietly […]
My mother is an odd mix of proud, lippy liberal and sweet, non-confrontational Catholic girl from North Dakota. She spent years telling us to be kind, listen to our elders, say please and thank you and not step on others’ toes. She worked up to a swear word the way a pitcher winds up for a […]
I am thinking about love lately. I am remembering those heady, all-encompassing days of new love. When he is all you can think about and that flutter in your gut dances each time you see him. When your mind is stuffed with thoughts of that person and your breath seems hooked to every remembrance of […]
Life is a busy, flowing stream. Things come up and they seem so very important. We promise ourselves to follow up or to follow through on things and then the river of time takes its course and those promises fade away. Oh right … we think. I meant to do that, didn’t I? Something has been gnawing at me, though. […]
Being a mother imbues us with certain capabilities. Some are immediate. You grow someone else inside of you. You produce life-giving milk. Others come quickly after a child arrives. You can tell your baby’s cry from another’s. You know what each different cry means. My mother had her powers down well. I remember she could […]
Play, Early Education and more...
Living the writer's life in Seattle
I'm constantly running after my toddler Ale (Á-le). I'm out of breath and having the best time!
Ma Swell Vie 