City Mom Collective
writing samples
In June 2019 I began writing for citymomcollective.com. I’ve been a reader of this blog for years and love that through my writing I can connect with a large community of like-minded local moms within the Twin Cities. The following are excerpts from my posts and links to the full articles.
Teamwork
“Our young children understand the simple concept of working together as a means to create something amazing. In this way, they all shared in their success of the creation…If we grownups can learn to work together as a team, perhaps our momentum will be contagious and we can create something magnificent. Something that will have us beaming with pride too, and perhaps our kids will praise us with a “well done” one day.”
New Growth
“I have always taken time to stop and smell the flowers, but this is the first time I have ever slowed down enough to watch them grow.”
Blessings in Disguise
“Sometimes blessings come in disguise or at least this time, a face mask. However, we are making memories during this historical moment. We will all emerge from this having learned something from the experience.”
Be Patient, Life’s in the Details
“It’s said that life is lived in the details. These are the details I want my kids to reflect on as they grow up, not memories of their foot tapping, hissing mother. I used to take pride in running a tight ship, but in becoming more patient, it’s nice to say that tight ship has sailed.”
Cultivating Confidence
“We all know our children have their own unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, our expectations for our children should align with these…Lastly, it’s important to mention that our children will inevitably fail. These failures needn’t be a blow to their budding egos, instead they present a wonderful opportunity to grow.”
Your Resolutions Roadmap
“Every January we each embark on our unique journeys of personal improvement. However once the buzz of the new year wears off, motivation inevitably begins to wane…The following is a roadmap to help you stay on the path of your resolution journey.”
“Whether old or new, the reason we practice these rituals remains the same: To bring our family together, to remember the past and create memories we will cherish for years to come.”
“Children crave the comfort and security that traditions and predictability provide. In my own family, I want to ensure we are cultivating that stability.”
Love Thyself
“My answer surprised him almost as much as it surprised me, ‘Yes, I love myself very much!’ His eyes widened as these words hung in the air and I continued, ‘And it’s important that you love yourself too.’
“My new definition of ‘self-care’ includes any positive action that leads to self-improvement and self love. I want my boys to love themselves, and the best way to teach our children to love themselves is to show them that we love ourselves.”
My marathon medal
Every Mile was Worth the While
“As I set out on this endeavor, I knew I would learn a lot, but I also knew it would hold countless teaching opportunities…My boys were there for every step until I crossed the finish line. I knew it would be an opportunity to show them that I am the super hero they already think I am and to teach them how to be super heroes of their own.”
“I propose a 4th ‘R, respect’ to the reduce, reuse, recycle slogan to encompass all of our ‘other’ conservation efforts we make day in and day out. It’s the reason we don’t litter and why we pick up misplaced trash at parks and beaches. It’s why I drive a fuel economical car…why we love hand me down toys + clothes from our family…”
“Thank goodness we’re the last of the throw away generations and our choices to reduce, reuse, recycle and respect can be passed onto our children along with a healthier planet and happier mother nature. As the saying goes, if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but once we started our family and had to be more mindful of our spending, I began my practice of gratitude…This practice is a heathy habit I would like to pass on to my children. Each night after bedtime stories, we have our boys “give thanks.” As we tuck them into bed, we discuss the highlights of their day and what they are most thankful for…”
Summer Simplified
“This is another example of less is more and why I vow to simplify our summer…I vow to sign up for less and to say no, a lot. I vow to give myself permission to work less. I vow to be present…With these vows, I hope to prolong our summer. With sun-kissed skin and scraped knees, we will stop to smell the flowers. They are finally blooming after all.”
“With the holidays right around the corner, we are bracing ourselves for the barrage of toys that will descend on our home…Although I am overwhelmed by their generosity, to make room for their gifts, we clear out the excess, broken and lackluster toys. Historically this process took place under the cover of night while the children were nestled all snug in their beds”
“In the end, my boys seemed to embrace the process of decluttering. I can only hope it began laying the groundwork for the notion that more possessions doesn’t equal more happiness and that joy can often be found in giving to others. After all, ’tis the season.”