STICKY NOTES

Motherhood is messy and overfull all by itself. Often, this season pulls families in many competing directions. It is easy to lose our balance as the days grow shorter and the weather is chilly and wet. Much of our work during this time of year focuses on simplifying our daily routines and creating seasonal rituals…

There are so many times in our motherhood journeys when the world feels like it’s upside down, and our bodies and rhythms feel untethered. As we move from pre-conception through the stages of pregnancy, labor, delivery, and all of the phases of postpartum, our bodies adjust to changes in weight, fluids, hormones, and sleep. These…

Schlep, Schmutz, Shluf, Schmuck, and Kvell… As a young child, my world was infused with Yiddish – a blend of German and Hebrew that my grandparents and others brought over from Europe when they emigrated to the US. The magic of Yiddish is that it has an edge of humor and often captures the essence…

Playing at sunset on an island off the south coast of Florida, as my daughter dove for the frisbee, her hand landed beside a tiny sea turtle hatchling emerging from an unmarked nest in the sand. We gathered in awe around the creature, no larger than a newborn’s hand, and watched it scale the tiny…

For years, I was that parent who disembarked the airplane, three kids in tow, Sharpie scribbles on my cheek and yogurt (or some other sticky food item) glommed onto my clothes. With my husband away for extended periods, I routinely traveled solo with the kiddos, coast to coast, to see family. Upon arrival at our…

Just yesterday, I was reminded how long, arduous, and unpredictable the birth journey can be through a friend’s experiences. Regardless of hearing the (sometimes complex) birth stories of others, we often expect a direct route to a predictable outcome: conception → pregnancy → labor → birth → postpartum period… When there are unexpected events –…

Like so many of our clients, the dance of managing diapers, dinners, dollars and keeping the house in some sort of organized manner, oftentimes feels impossible and unsustainable. Sometimes, we need to make radical changes to reconnect as a family and reassess our goals. This was the case in 2013, when the pressures of three…

In preparation for my daughter’s ballet recital a few weeks ago, I was pinning up the last strands of her hair into a bun when I noticed another mom dropping off her tutu-wearing 4 year old. “Be perfect,” I overheard the mother say to her daughter, as she scurried off with her ballet class. I…

A common theme that runs through many conversations with clients is the sheer busyness of life throughout the season of pregnancy, newborn stage, and into the far reaches of motherhood. Add to that work outside the home, managing the details of family, and minimal – if any – space to attend to one’s most basic…

Walking along the icy trail among towering, snow-covered cedars, I notice the drifting flakes and wonder at the stillness. I breath in the beauty of the weather and am reminded of the rhythmic nature of the seasons, with it’s variation in temperature, precipitation, stillness, and storms. I am struck by how this rings true for both…