About

Real Motherhood. Ordinary Life.

I started this blog 13 years ago when I was in my late twenties and a mother of three children eight and below. I was in many ways, a different woman.

I was ambitious and idealistic and possibly a little too driven. Driven by perspective of the mother I wanted to be and thought I needed to be.

But a lot happens in 13 years. Disappointments and setbacks. Shake-ups and shakedowns. My children have faced challenges I would not have imagined 13 years ago. I also have faced difficulties I didn’t picture having to deal with, ever.

But there have also been successes and accomplishments, joys and triumphs I would not have foreseen 13 years ago. And also, there has been grace. Not just in the difficult times but possibly because of them.

My daughter, after nearly two years away at college (only returning home for short Christmas visits), is home for the summer, and she made this observation:

“Mom, you’re so much more lenient than you were when I was younger.”

And in some ways, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. You have to let go of the reins a bit as your children grow up. You have to let them move on to making more decisions on their own.

But it’s more than that.

As an idealistic mom who didn’t let video games inside the house, for instance, I would hardly have imagined video games would actually help one of my children when they were struggling with severe anxiety.

I would not have imagined bonding time with my kids would center on lengthy discussions about Minecraft, World War II weaponry, or that it would involve binging on a TV series some would consider horror.

But, surprise, surprise. This is the mother I am now.

I am raising three children-turned-teenagers who are turning out to be very different from me, who have different interests and skills, resonate with different things, and are taking different paths.

Who would have thought, right?

I expected that by now I’d have a few more things down as a mother. That I would have a regular meal plan and shop only according to that plan. That I’d have a consistent chore schedule and my children would be skilled and taken over completely with things like dishwashing vacuuming and pet care.

But this is the mother I am now

Not the mother who consistently exercises but one who manages to take the dog for a walk every once in a while.

Not the mother who consistently eats all the right foods—high in protein and iron and fiber content, but who occasionally makes a kale smoothie or considers the benefits of trying out avocado toast even if I’m not in the right age group.

I’m a little bit more lax and a little bit more relaxed.

I know that doesn’t mean I have the perfect balance. It doesn’t mean that I’m not still striving to reach goals and desires, brimming with ideas and ideals, for myself and for my children.

My family in June of 2023, the graduation of my middle child.

And our family at the graduation of my oldest in June 2021

So here we are …

A reboot of sorts for the Positive Parenting Blog.

And I hope that it resonates with the mother or parent that you are now.

Maybe you’re figuring out life as an empty nester or a foster parent.

Maybe you’re just launching into having children in school, or you’re in the middle of parenting teens, like me.

My goal is that, together, we learn to have a little more grace with ourselves and learn to embrace the person, the parents, we are now (even if it’s not the one we thought we would be once upon a time).

So, welcome to real motherhood and ordinary life.

By the way, you’ll find affiliate links in posts from time to time. If you purchase anything with the affiliate links, I receive a small commission (like, around 8%) at no extra cost to you. I’ve honestly never figured out how to make it work as an affiliate writer. (Apparently, it works for some people) … But I am trying to focus more on writing which means doing less on other things, so every little bit helps.