“I miss being able to go to bed when I wanted. I miss date nights with my husband. I miss eating hot meals. But then it hit me. I don’t miss the OLD ME… I miss the things I used to do before being a mom.”
‘You can miss who you used to be and STILL be a great, loving mom.’: Mom realizes she’s not a different person, but a better version of herself
This Is What Christmas Is All About—And What It’s Not
“A beautiful Christmas doesn’t need much. Sometimes all it takes is two strangers playing a few rounds of cards with you.”
‘I was recovering from my date with a guy who rear-ended me, then asked me to dinner. Seeing the potential for a meet cute (and free meal), I agreed.’: Woman recounts hilarious first date with husband
“After 30 minutes of driving down dark roads to a ‘surprise,’ I‘d been convinced he was taking me somewhere to kill me. Just as I was praying to God to let it be swift and painless, the guy pulled up behind a building, put on a headlamp, and jumped in a dumpster. Not the free meal I’d had in mind.”
‘It’s common in toddlers,’ she said. ‘It’s rare he has it at 3 months of age.’ We just wanted our baby boy to be OK.’: Mom shares son’s battle through Wilms Tumor, ‘Every moment is a blessing’
“The short drive to the hospital was filled with anxiety and confusion. Our oldest son kept asking us where we were going, all he wanted to do was play and have fun. I held my tears and started to pray, but I had a gut feeling this was the beginning of a long journey for us.”
‘Motherhood is far from perfect. If we can celebrate that, we should also celebrate the imperfect chaos of parenting together.’: Wife candidly shares the effect parenting has on marriage
“In between watching him become a father moments and newborn sleeping on your chest photos, there’s the passing each other on the staircase in the dark moments and the sleeping in different rooms because one of us should sleep moments.”
‘I chose to have kids. But I am imperfect and eventually use up all my patience.’: Mom opens up about motherhood burnout, ‘Next time you see an exhausted mom, tell her she’s doing a great job’
“Mothers are told we chose to have our kids, so we CAN’T burn out. False. We do burn out. We feel over-touched, overly loved, and overly sensitized to everything.”
‘When I flipped it over to polish the underside, I saw the date 1919 engraved into the silver. I never understood its extreme value before.’: Mom shares history of family menorah
“It represents my family. It represents my family’s history. It represents a new life. A better life. A life of survival and freedom.”
‘I wanted our first Christmas together to be perfect, but tragedy struck. The following year, things were even worse.’: Mom shares importance of love, giving, and opening up about loss during holidays
“Many people struggle during the holidays from losing loved ones, and we wanted to let other families out there know it’s okay to talk about it. It’s okay to be hurting during this season. You are not alone.”
‘He was a sophomore in high school, and I was a freshman in college. If you told us then that we’d be married, we would’ve laughed at you.’: Stepmom shares love story, life as blended family
“Even at 2 years old, he would tell me to leave and get away. Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual, and that goes for being a stepmom and having a blended family.”
‘I don’t have it all together. But this season is about magic and love…not perfection.’: Mom urges love during the holidays
“My mind is on a never-ending treadmill of thoughts, but I will focus on what is most important, especially THIS season…and THIS year.”