Being Fourteen, Then and Now

Allison 10th Grade 1984

For me, being fourteen was pretty cool.  In looking back for this post, I’m surprised by how much of being fourteen I remember. One thing is for certain, my fourteen is far different than the fourteen of today. In some ways it was so much simpler and kinder, but perhaps my nostalgia is sugarcoating my memories. There wasn’t the pressure there is today, and yet I had so much more responsibility than my children. I also had more freedom, yet they have the world literally at their fingertips. Continue reading Being Fourteen, Then and Now

Big News!

 

MOTHERINGTHRUDARK (2)

So, today is the day I get to announce (SHOUT!!!) that I’m going to be a published author! As some of you know, this has been a LONG time coming. I’m so proud, grateful, and fortunate that along with some amazing writers, my work will be included in an upcoming anthology. The anthology is a collection of stories about postpartum depression and anxiety. I wrote my essay about the anxiety I experienced while on bed rest with my twins, which continued on during their time in the NICU and those scary first months at home.  The book was compiled and edited by the creators of the Her Stories Project, Jessica Smock and Stephanie Sprenger.  Mothering Through the Darkness, is going to be published by She Writes Press in November of this year.  I’m not sure of all the details yet, but not to worry, I’ll let you know as soon as I am.  I promise to try not to drive you crazy with my excitement and self-promotional antics. But I am required to help get the word out, so be prepared.

To start, you can read the announcement and learn about my fellow contributors by clicking here.

I’ll post more in the coming weeks, but I couldn’t wait another minute to share the news with my readers.  Thank you so much for sticking by me.  I really appreciate it!

Best Award Ever

2567_Trophy_Statue[1]Winning an award for something is pretty cool, especially when you’ve put in lots of hard work. Personally, I’ve always fantasized about winning an Oscar or a Golden Globe and have rehearsed my acceptance speech more times than I should publically admit.  Never mind that that I’ve not spent any time acting.  The reality is that I’ve won very few awards in my life. Compared to my children, I’m an underachiever. They get awards all the time, because that’s what we do now.  Every year, for both pre-school and elementary school, I attend end-of-year class parties where each student is given an award for something. I guarantee you, none of my children remembers any of those awards. And the metals and trophies that are handed out at the end of each season, regardless of performance, well they’re pretty forgettable, too. Am I proud of my kids?  Of course!  But if you take the suspense out of it, where’s fun? Continue reading Best Award Ever