As a psychology student, I learned about motivation, about external and internal motivation. I also learned about attribution, whether someone attributes success and failure to something outside or within themselves. People will say their destiny is in their hands and hard work will reward them with what they have striven for. People will also say they have no say in their lives and it’s up to fate or God. It seems you’re either on the side of taking the proverbial bull by the horns, or not. I was always the striver in my family, the one who wanted to get somewhere, who wanted to be someone. I was always headed…
-
-
Laugh Often, People
Too many years ago, my lifelong best friend up and moved away to China, of all places. She’s still there. She was there when the coronavirus broke out. She was there when events and celebrations and parades were cancelled. She was there when her whole city basically went under lock down. She was there for the worst of it. She’s still there, still healthy and alive. She’s also still kept her humor, her unique way of looking at the world. She still finds the bright spots, still finds the little ways she can enjoy life. We communicate over social media and seeing her posts and stories about life over there…
-
Catching My Breath
The universe communicates with me in unexpected ways. Perhaps you think I’m crazy or perhaps you completely understand. Either way, all that really matters is that I’m not completely in charge of my own life. Life has it’s plans for me and, no matter how much I fight against it, it’s a losing battle for me. Anyways, yes, the universe communicates with me in unexpected ways. For the past few months, it has been speaking to me through a dear blogging friend, Brooke, to remind me to keep my heart and mind open, to let the good and bad in and simply experience them for a fuller, richer life. But…
-
Balancing Blogging and Living, Part 2
Life has a funny way of handing me lemons, sometimes asked for and sometimes not even close, and telling me to make lemonade. She’s determined to show me she knows what’s best for me, so who am I to argue? Apparently, it wasn’t enough for me to bow my head and say, yes, I understand why I must find a new balance. The day after I posted about finding a new balance between blogging and living, I ended up with a relatively minor infection, a very routine one in general, but one I hadn’t had for about 30 years. Between the discomfort of it and the antibiotics, I felt like…
-
Balancing Blogging and Living
On Tuesdays, I usually share the stories, writing related posts, book reviews, and book releases I’ve come across over the past week. Last week I was fortunate to host an author and his nonfiction book Taking Action for a Better Tomorrow. I had planned on doing another stories, etc. post today, but I must also be a person with a life to live. I’m a busy wife and mother. Even though I never, ever had any plans of being a stay-at-home mom, it’s where I’ve found myself for nearly three years now. Recently, thanks to a lovely mom sharing another lovely mom’s story, I’ve been trying to take my role to heart,…
-
Brief Break, or How I’m Attempting to Avoid Blogging Burnout
Last year I gave myself the insane task of post 5 days a week while raising two toddlers. Needless to say, I was exhausted halfway through the year and decreased my posting frequency. This year, I’m trying out a new method: 6 weeks of posting followed by 1 week of break. Well, I’ve accomplished my 6 weeks (as of this post), so now I get a break. Like most of my other breaks, I won’t be posting, reading, or responding to any new comments. It’ll be a complete break all next week from blogging so I can focus on everything else in my life, and get a few things going.…
-
Blog and Life Updates
Blog updates A month ago my plan was to spend November almost exclusively posting my NaNo story and then return to my regular 3 times a week schedule of mom, books, and writing posts in December until the holidays. Well, I’m going to do Allison proud and burn that plan. Why? Because she’s a loud voice in my head and life is just too busy for me to contemplate non-writing posts. Life updates About a month ago we learned we needed to move by the end of November. My husband’s new job nowhere near where we currently live means we must move. Fortunately, we’re staying in Southern California, but…have you…
-
On Being a Dad: Balance
What does all this mean to me being a father (and husband)? How have I changed? How have we changed? Let’s discuss Newton’s Third Law of Motion. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. There must be balance. Something cannot come from nothing. I am still the same but slightly worn. Kat is like a fine wine – she always looks great. But I know she’s tired. I am tired. You are all tired. Everyone is tired. I think you are all tired of reading this too! We have reached a new balance which will also be shifting as our kids (and we) grow older. I love…
-
Where Did This Wall Come From?
I have a wall in my head. Not a real one, of course. Perhaps a block. Maybe a locked door. Who knows? But it certainly feels like a wall when I crash into it. And I don’t know where it came from. I don’t remember having a wall before kids. It’s easy to say it was built from extreme sleep deprivation over the past 4 years. But I’m not entirely sure that’s true. Though I don’t doubt that my ability to think efficiently is at least partially attributable to the lack of sleep. There are only certain lines of thought that have me smacking into this wall. Thinking about blogging…
-
Soul
We are tired (Kat more so than I) – as I imagine many of you and others are out there in the world. We’ve made a conscious choice to be present. So there are many functions and events that we do not currently attend. Simple outings are challenging. Let’s all commiserate as we discuss “going to the market for groceries.” Is the toddler car seat in? Is the baby seat in? Who will take care of one child to prepare him/her to go outside while other parent does the same for the other child? Going down the stairs is also an adventure in futility as our first born can be…
