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Grace. That’s my word for this year, this season. Grace. It’s a word that I thought I knew the meaning of, but only knew the surface of before this season. Grace, I’ve found, gives me strength. Grace, I’ve found, provides joy. Grace, I’ve found, makes me brave. Grace is a firm foundation I can stand on. This season has been one of rocky, wavy, stormy waters. It has been one of trial after trial after trial. And it has been one where multiple times I’ve had no idea how I could

The older I get, the more I realize that life truly is a balancing act. We are always balancing work life with home life, healthy eating with “cheat days,” or hours at the gym with “couch potato status.” Now that I’m a mom, I’m also juggling kid time with chore time, mommy/daddy time with sleep, and my list goes on. However, despite this circus act, I have resolved to make a change in my life. And even if it doesn’t end up being a physical change, I have resolved to make an a

When I began losing weight three years ago, I warned my husband that it (the weight loss and the changes I was making) would affect him and our family. I would be cooking and eating different meals and needed his support. The whole family was going to have to go along for the ride, including our then one and a half and six month old girls. Looking back, I am extremely grateful that I changed how I ate when my kids were very young. When kids are under two, they pretty much hav

I’m sitting on an airplane, drinking a gin and tonic, contemplating what makes for a healthy relationship. My husband, whiskey in hand, looks over my shoulder, raises his glass and chimes in with, “lying, sarcasm and alcohol. You’re welcome.” You wouldn’t know it by his suggestions, but he is actually pretty good at relationships. There are a million and one things to read on healthy relationships – so many so that contributing without being trite or formulaic is a struggle.

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” Franklin D. Roosevelt I still remember the night in exact detail. I was visiting my parents for Christmas in Indiana, Steven was on his 2nd deployment within our short 17 month marriage at that time. He had been gone only 4 weeks. I was 17 weeks pregnant with Madelynn (our first) and headed back to San Diego the next day. My mom and I had gone to have our haircut, but before we left my dad called. He had been tr

With the new year comes many resolutions that cover a variety of topics. From weight loss to organization…to eating better or quitting bad habits; every where you look there are people who are determined to make their life better once and for all! My husband and I did not make resolutions this year, rather we shared what we would like to see happen in 2015. Our discussion included finding more time to truly relax, making an effort to be healthier (eating better and exercising

I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me… It is a familiar song and one my Grandma always said made her sad as an adult. I didn’t fully understand why, until I was unable to be “home” for Christmas. My first home and the place I will always think of when asked about home is Indiana. It’s the house where I grew up with my parents and two brothers. My heart aches for that home during Christmas. That comfortable place where so many memories are. I can picture the tree, th

When it comes to Christmas, I am all about making gifts for my friends and family. Not only do I like saving the money, but I also like to make their gifts extra special and personalized. For those of you new to the DIY scene, do not fear; there are so many gifts that are super simple to make. Today I will share just a sampling of my favorites, but definitely search on Pinterest for more ideas (just a warning: you will most likely get more results than you ever dreamed of and

It was just a short three years ago that I experienced it for the first time, and I was one and a half months into my nursing career. Since I was still on orientation, I was lucky enough to have Thanksgiving off. I did however work that Wednesday prior. As I wrapped up my shift at the end of the day,  I noticed the sullen, quiet lull that took over the halls of the hospital. Everyone who could be discharged, was. Patients who were still in the hospital were there for one of t

If you’re like me, you’re always looking for inexpensive ways to decorate your house, especially when the holidays roll around. Every year since I’ve have been married, I have wanted to decorate for every holiday, but mainly Fall/Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m ashamed to say I’ve utterly failed in that department. Until last year, that is. This year is my first “stay at home mommy” holiday season and I’m so excited! If only you could see inside my head – it’s filled with ide

A few months ago, I wrote about how my husband, daughter, and I had moved into live with my in-laws. We did this for multiple reasons, of which you can read about here. Now, almost six months since I first wrote, and a grand total of eight months since moving in, I’ve decided an update is in order. Other than the “normal” challenges of having a very active toddler getting into everything as she grows and moves through her learning stages, things haven’t really changed around

Friday night was one of those nights I sat there in awe wondering, “how can I be so blessed?” Like many people my age, I don’t have family closer than 3.5 hours away and am not married. That means that my life could be pretty lonely. It means that I could feel like I have no one to call in an emergency. But as I sat in my home Friday night and looked around, I was overwhelmed with the very fact that my friends are my family here in Chicagoland. That at any point if crisis or

Friday was the day of great revelries with costumes, candies, and corpses. The one day of the year when you are allowed to be what you are not. Or is it? Husband eating #baconcorndog #glutenfree #cheater #ilovefood #irony In today’s society of electronic media and online social networking, we can be whomever we want to be at any time. Everyone has the tools to be a celebrity – perfect selfies, enlightening foodie shots, posting statuses perfectly crafted to make every moment

I’m presently watching the 60 Minutes special on Ebola, listening to nurses who took care of Thomas Duncan and hearing about their experiences caring for the first patient diagnosed with the Ebola virus in the United States. It’s hitting really close to home. As a nurse, I have had many friends ask me, “would you take care of the patient if they were in your hospital?” Currently I don’t work in a hospital and am an oncology nurse (always have been), which means that even in t

I am all too quickly realizing that our family is approaching the end of the baby chapter. Hank (baby 3) will soon be one year old and full-time walking – he’ll be a toddler. It is exciting to see him become a more “fun” interactive and rambunctious boy, but does make my mommy heart a bit sad. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy with having three children and do not want anymore. Steven and I both have peace about our family as it is. But it doesn’t mean that seeing the baby chapt

It’s that time of year again; time to break out the pumpkin spices and pie pans and decorate your porch with pumpkins. I love fall. I really do. If it was up to me, I would have only fall and summer as seasons. Along with fall, comes many fun crafts that you can do with your kids. My daughter is a couple of months away from turning 2 so I have to get creative when I think about what her skill level is right now. Today, we made some fun little bird feeders! These are very simp

I am always trying to find a new recipe that not only tastes great but is also super healthy for my family. I look for recipes that contain little to no processed ingredients and lots of veggies. Recently, my husband came home from work talking about how he had a salad for lunch and how he even made it “vegan”. In response, I was a little confused as I didn’t realize we were TRYING  to go vegan; sure we try to not eat a ton of meat but attempting to cut out all animal product

On Friday I had the privilege of celebrating my little brother’s engagement! It is hard to believe he is old enough to be headed toward marriage, but he is. With his official proposal that means I am the last child and the last cousin single. I’ve always been the single one. I’ve dated some, but the majority of my life since I became of dating age has been single and honestly, I’m thankful. I called to talk with my aunt yesterday because she has some medical issues going on a

To the diagnosed person, I know that I am probably writing to the majority of the U.S.A., but I felt that this letter needed to be written just to you. Yes, you there; you with the recent diagnosis. What did the doctor say? Cancer? ADHD? AIDS? Depression? Diabetes? I know I could go on, but I would get writers cramp if I tried to name all the possible diagnoses in the world. Every day there are so many who receive diagnoses, and while many are mere viruses, many are fatal dia

Moving in with the in-laws is working out better than I thought!