“Sometimes during the week, I’ll be exhausted. Just completely worn out from the day. I’ll come home, and Adam will have supper cooked. Usually, I clean up the dishes, and we take turns with baby baths/bedtime routines. But I have a complete pass on responsibilities when I really need it. All I say is, ‘I’m going hunting.’ Adam just smiles and nods.”
‘I go hunting. This is a picture of me hunting tonight. No guns. No animals. But I assure you, I am hunting. Let me explain.’: Woman’s version of hunting is self care, husband supports her, ‘He knows I need it’
‘One more thing,’ she said. ‘What?’ the pastor replied. ‘I want to be buried with a fork in my hand.’ His eyes welled with tears.’: Woman shares life advice, reminds us ‘the best is yet to come’
“In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the main course was being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part because I knew something better was coming, like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. The next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, the best is yet to come.”
‘What would you tell your 18-year-old self?’ Stay out of the tanning bed because you will get premature winkles and Botox is expensive.’: Woman’s all-too-relatable advice to her younger self urges you to ‘know your worth’
“First thing, if you end up with the boy that you’re most certain you’re going to marry and have babies with, you will be 32 and living with his mom. Which is exactly where he still lives. If someone wants to walk out of your life, let them. It is their loss! You are not defined by the crappy things people do to you. The crappy things people do to you show more about their character than yours.”
‘I cooked, I cleaned. I was a nurturing, good woman. Yet still, I was not enough for the wrong man.’: Woman urges ‘never settle for anything less than you deserve’
“I cooked when I was asked. I cleaned dirty breeches, dirty dishes, and everything in between. I was loving. I was patient. I tried to look as pretty as I possibly could. I was forgiving. I was ENOUGH. I was more than enough. But for the wrong man, it did not matter. You may be the rib, but a rib cannot fit comfortably in a body it was not designed for.”
‘Sometimes, you just end up with the kid that doesn’t sleep. Can we stop telling parents to FIX this?: Mom encourages us to ‘praise’ parents, ‘we are doing the best darn job we can’
“I was that mom, too. With the busy fingers. Googling all the things wrong with my child because he would. not. sleep. Everyone and their mom told me something was WRONG with him. So, I OBSESSED. Don’t co-sleep. Co-sleep. Don’t sleep train. Sleep train. No night feed. Night feed. Oh holy night, guys. ENOUGH. We don’t need a dependent little munchkin that will roll into med school with a binkie and a lovey. Some. Babies. Don’t. Sleep.”
‘A silly mistake. I should have brushed it off, laughed. But I didn’t. I almost let it ruin the night.’: Woman claims ‘grace’ is the key to marriage, ‘bring it every day, even when you don’t want to’
“I wanted to be mad at my husband and stay mad. I made sure he knew it. I ignored apologies, rolled my eyes as dramatic as possible, and threw some of my best hateful looks. When he outstretched his open hand on the table, our eyes met. We instantly turned into middle school girls who couldn’t contain our giggles. I tried to hold my poker face, but it was no match for the man across from me. He knows me all too well.”
‘Eat, drink, be merry, and avoid cousin Mary if she robs your joy.’: 4 things to remember this Thanksgiving
“Go if you want, stay home if you want. Excuse yourself if you’re tired, or it’s too chaotic. Boundary lines blur during the holiday season, and our cheer gets the best of us. Just remember, ‘We have an obligation to love everyone, but some people we must love at a safe distance.’ Send them to the kiddy table and keep yourself at peace.”
‘A man said something to me about not knowing what to do when he sees breastfeeding in public in this age of #MeToo. Yes, he was serious.’: Woman schools man on his ignorant comment, ‘Keep your mouth shut’
“He went on to explain he can’t help but ‘notice’ breastfeeding, and since he’s a guy, he can’t help looking at breasts when they’re ‘just out there.’ Yes, I educated him.”
‘Let me know if you need anything.’ But a new mom never will.’: Woman’s candid advice on how to help a new mom so they don’t ‘shoulder it alone’
“Bring a meal, but don’t go in. They just had a baby, they need food. They don’t need to put on a bra, clean the house, or entertain.”
‘I stared at the edge of divorce with a man I desperately love. He is not a mind reader.’: Wife says ‘perfection is not real’ in marriage, ‘It’s never too late to say I’m sorry, I love you’
“I am not a perfect wife. I get jealous. I’ve snooped through his phone. I’ve done things I’m not proud of. I have insecurities. I’ve been cheated on.”
