Before becoming a parent I had worked with children of all ages for over 10 years, with a focus on infants and toddlers for 1 year. I was educated, experienced, and excited about children. I had all sorts of plans when it came to parenting. And all sorts of expectations of what that was going to look like. I would never use a pacifier (“binky” as we refer to it). I would never let my child use technology/screens in early childhood. My child would never sleep in my bed unless he was sick. I was going to rule motherhood! Another one of my mother’s sayings is that if you want…

Every time I post on Facebook or NSN, I always have in the back of my mind what my parents would think when they read it. It does not necessarily change what I am writing, but it is always a thought. Recently when I launched NSN I had a conversation with them about what kinds of things I would like to write about. My mother wanted me to be sure to tell my readers that she says I am funny. To which I responded that I would LOVE to tell my readers about things she says (while laughing maniacally in my head). She happily gave her permission (*Disclaimer* Busch Light…

As much as I want to keep this blog positive and upbeat, I feel as though it is also necessary to tell the story of the times that are the furthest from positive, because no story is complete without the times of crisis. When I tell people my story and I maintain my smile and happy demeanor, they assume that it is always that way or that it always has been that way. They praise me for how I am handling large amounts of stress and emotional upheaval. In a span of 5 months my child was diagnosed with autism and my marriage came to a separation. I am carrying…

I am finding a lot of inspiration recently in nature, specifically trees. I do this partially by spending a lot of time at a local botanic garden and I am loving the story behind it. The land had been mined for many years and it had been stripped of its beauty and life. I can relate to that. I have felt the same way. There is a plain, undeveloped field of the garden that is blocked off from public entry which has a sign that says the area is under transition and that they are working to create new attractions. That I can relate to also. Currently post-divorce and feeling…