MamaManagement

On the dark days I want to buzz cut my hair and look nothing like myself. I want to unzip this suit of skin and face and hair and rid myself of the weight of it. It has become so heavy like a wet, wool coat beneath one of those lead vests they drape you in for dental x-rays. I want to feel light like waves on the ocean, skimming frothy on wet sand, like birds on the air, clouds on the sky. But the iron-cast belly of babies and middle age drags me down. I just want to wipe away the heat, to lay on the cool tile floor, feel the staccatoed breeze of an oscillating fan, hear nothing but it's gentle, caressing whir, stare blankly into the space just inches from the tip of my nose. An hour later I'll notice the comforting weight of my tiny dog's body against my leg and it will be enough to release the tears. Silent drops. Because, well, silence. My reflection, forever emblazoned on the back of my eyelids, will heave my ches...

One of my little places of inspiration, Grand Traverse Bay Lately, I find myself seeking out little pieces of inspiration. I don't know if it's the state of my mental and emotional well-being at the moment, or if it's the state of our world today. But I'm seeking. In the books I'm reading, in the Pinterest memes I come across, in thoughts shared on Instagram, in the words of friends...I'm hungry for bits of wisdom that might correct the course of my day, or week...or, life. I find these little motivational nibbles remind me to do better and be better. And I am always striving. (Sometimes maybe a little too much.) I am trying not to strive so much in the way of the perfectionist, but more in the way of the Frankie. (see Netflix: Frankie & Grace; reference also Phoebe Buffet, Friends) Not seeking perfection, but goodness...or maybe grace. So I thought I'd share ten of these little pieces of inspiration with you today. Maybe one of them will...

So, it's summer. (In case you hadn't noticed.) And summer means spoils from the garden and time to bake. So I've recently re-shared my favorite recipes for zucchini bread and zucchini brownies (which you can find here: MamaManagement Zucchini Recipes ...along with a few others). Now I'm sharing my newest zucchini baked good: Zucchini-Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies. If a chocolate chip cookie and a slice of zucchini bread had a baby, it would be these cookies. A marriage made in the gardens of heaven! They really are delicious...give them a try! Zucchini-Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 c unsalted butter, softened 1/2 c sugar 1/3 c packed light brown sugar 1 large egg 2 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 c shredded zucchini (excess water squeezed out and packed into measuring cup) 1 to 1 1/2 c old fashioned oats (start with 1 c and then see if you need more; I used closer to 1 1/2 c) 1 1/2 c choco...

Some of the best parenting advice I've absorbed recently can be summed up in four little words: Listen * Support * Encourage * Believe I think I've shared this belief before: I believe that if you're paying attention, the universe is constantly sending you messages. And when they're really important, the universe will present these messages to you in a variety of ways, often in rapid succession. The universe will put articles and books and people and experiences (and blog posts) in your path that direct you to lessons and information you need right now . And that's how I feel about this particular lesson. I read at least three different articles/books/posts within a very short period of time that all said essentially the same thing about helping your child deal with tough stuff. And all at a time when I was feeling less sure about how best to help my 7 year old cope with increasing complex emotional and relational issues. And the lesson can be boiled d...

My daily intention: Stay Loose; and some other touchpoints (in this case, bracelets) to remind me of what's important I've been working on mindfulness for a while now. It used to be that I spent a lot of my time lost in thoughts of the past or the future. Nowadays I'm more likely to get lost in thoughts of all the things I should be getting done or plotting how I will manage to get them all done (and doing laps in the pool of guilt and shame for not getting more accomplished each day). But I'm trying not to do that. I'm also trying to focus on what's important rather than what seems urgent. One of the ways I do this is by setting a daily intention--an over-riding idea, theme, objective for my day, each day. I try to do this right when I wake up, but sometimes it's more like 9am before I give it the thought it needs. Sometimes it's a phrase, sometimes it's just one word. Today's intention is Cherish . I often write my daily intention on...

For those of you wondering what I'm up to in my writing world, here's a little glimpse...  Soooooo...I'm currently working on three different books at three different stages of the writing process. For me, writing like this is exhilarating and fun and tedious and confusing and infuriating and impassioned and depressing and joyful...all, pretty much, at the same time. Yeah, writing is weird. Plus I'm currently reading a bunch of books, which kind of makes it even weirder. I just finished Amy Poehler's Yes, Please! and Cheryl Strayed's Wild , and am in the middle of my bookclub book, Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff, and a parenting book called Peaceful Parents, Happy Kids by Dr. Laura Markham. I also started Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (then tabled it because I had to start the book club read) and Inkheart (which I tabled because I discovered a plot line too close to something I'm writing and I didn't want it to influence...

On the to-do list: Change ink cartridges in printer So. I just came back, let's see, 4 days ago, from a culture-sanctioned life-break commonly referred to as: Spring Break. At some point in our culture, everyone got together and agreed that we would celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring with a little time off. The schools let my kids off of the hook. Nobody questions it when my husband takes time off work. We load everything into the car and head out on a family vacation. Which means that I just had a "break." So can someone explain to me why I so badly want another one? Is it Spring Fever? Is it longing for summer? Is it rebellion against the routine? Boredom with the monotony? Overwhelm with all of the activities? I don't know what it is, but I just want a break in the middle of it all. Not a regularly scheduled holiday. Not a culturally-sanctioned vacation. A Break. In the middle. Of it all. In the middle of the school commute. In th...