Why Do I Feel Like A Failure?

My ex husband is great at making me feel like a failure in my daughter’s eyes. When we first divorced he made sure to tell our daughter, over and over again, that I was the one who left him. If it wasn’t for me she would still have her Daddy, her house, her room, her school. This was all my fault. I was not about to share the stories of infidelity that lead to the divorce with my ten year old so when she said “This is your fault, you left Daddy, he didn’t want us to leave.” I had … Continue reading

What Is at the Center of Your Life and Why It Matters

What is at the center of your life? That which is at the center of our lives determines the shape of our lives and the direction our lives take. Whether it is work, ambition, self interest, spouse and family, or some other obsession, it is a question for all of us to answer. This idea for a blog came after reading a novel called Summertime by Liz Rigbey. One of the characters, Lucy, in talking about a policeman said, ‘he talked of men who lost their family, how that was the price you paid if you couldn’t or wouldn’t put … Continue reading

Kid-in-a-Box

(My kid-in-a-box) Why does Toys “R” Us have to run this annoying commercial 24/7? WHY? And why does my child run to the TV each time it airs? WHY? And why must I endure the torture of listening to said child end every sentence with a husky baritone: “WHY! WHY! WHY!” Guess which company I won’t be patronizing this holiday season? You know WHY? Why would I want to shop there now? WHY? Oh. Right. All those fabulous deals on toys that will hopefully keep my kid’s attention at least until New Year’s Eve… or until she sees another commercial … Continue reading

Something To Look Forward To

Being a mom isn’t easy, doing it alone is even harder. With the countless things we have to do each day, it’s a wonder any of us have survived as long as we have. Just as one thing is completed another thing is added to the list and the cycle continues on and on and on. You rarely get a break and when you do you spend it feeling guilty for all of the other things you should be doing while you are taking these few moments to breathe. As mothers we’ve all been there from time to time; some … Continue reading

Inspiration through Motivational Quotes

Are you inspired by motivational quotes? I have been known to post scripture verses or motivational words around my house. I put them in places that my family and I will see most frequently (mirror, refrigerator, my desk, dashboard in the car, etc.). By getting these encouraging words into your heart and thought processes, it can push you to move forward. It can inspire you to not give up. Sometimes we need a little kick in the pants to help us press on. So by filling your mind with motivational words, you may be able to get where you never … Continue reading

Governmental Funding

I just received a call from one of my friends who is concerned that her sister may have developed breast cancer and does not know what to do. The sister is unemployed and uninsured like so many American’s today should that be enough to worry about? Should she have to worry about affording a diagnostic mammogram? She went to a doctor who said well if you were my wife I would have you seen this week! Well we can send men into space but we cannot provide a potentially lifesaving test to everyone who needs it? Should a woman have … Continue reading

Time for a Little Pampering

As single moms we are always putting our children first, but sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves too. Everybody knows that taking on the responsibilities of a single parent can be overwhelming. It takes a toll on every aspect of your life. After a while you just get burned out. When you start feeling like you’re on the verge of breaking down take a little time out to pamper yourself. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Yeah right, I’m a single mom. I don’t have the time or the money to pamper myself!” I’ve been there, I know … Continue reading

Art With Mud

Afraid of paint? I sure am, especially when my daughter decides to go large scale with the paintbrush. Oh, the clean up. Why not take painting outside and play with mud and water instead? Get into your mucky clothes and have at it! When it’s not raining and the fences and sidewalks around you are dry, use water to paint them. Take a wide brush and paint that water up and down the fences. Over time, the water will evaporate: a good lesson in the impermanence of art, perhaps? If the kids want to do something a bit more permanent, … Continue reading

Celebrate Everything

A lady from my breast cancer support group nominated me for The Inspirational Survivor award for a local breast cancer charity and I got chosen. She had to write a letter telling me why I was an inspiration and she said some wonderful things about me; I paid her a lot to say them, just kidding. The letter mentioned how we had adopted our three kids, how my husband had battled cancer first and then I did and how we were making gift bags for cancer patients as they were completing their treatments. The bags were nothing fancy just a … Continue reading

Taking Time for Yourself

From the time my son was born I always felt guilty to take any time for myself. I had brought this little baby into the world and I had to focus all of my attention on him all day every day. Anytime I went out with my girlfriends Logan was always with me. Leaving him with a babysitter just wasn’t an option in my mind. He was my baby, I was going to take care of him. As I started school again and was forced to leave him from time to time I was overcome with guilt. I didn’t want … Continue reading