Featured
Oftentimes it seems like I go days – even weeks – in-between posts. But that doesn’t always mean I’m sitting idle. I’m usually writing, and I’ve even been checking out the freelance scene for a few months now, shopping a few pieces around to other sites and even some print publications.
And I’m excited to have been published on a couple of amazing essay-driven platforms …
Featured Work
Perspective printed April 30, 2012 on Mamalode
“Two things occurred to me today on an early spring walk with my children. One, my boys walk very, very slowly. And, two, this is a really, really good thing.”
Embracing Imperfection a book review of “Bloom” by Kelle Hampton printed April 30, 2012 on Meagan Francis’s Babble Voices Blog
“Motherhood, like life, is about perspective. And no one captures that – NO, no one celebrates that – like photographer and blogger-turned-author Kelle Hampton in her debut memoir Bloom: Finding the Beauty in the Unexpected.
Touching, emotionally gripping and oftentimes downright funny, Hampton’s prose and charm will have you evaluating your own outlook through the telling of her personal story.
Even though most of her book is centered around the Down syndrome diagnosis of her second daughter and ensuing process – sometimes struggle – to learn to live within – and outside of – the parameters of that diagnosis, so much of what she writes can be applied to aspects of each of our lives.”
Girls printed May 8, 2012 on Mamalode
“That sting helps remind me of the power words can carry, that they can echo decades into the future and provide us with the perspective to teach the value of compassion and kindness. And, perhaps even more valuable, the importance of self-worth. Because that’s really what it’s all about, at 2 or 13 or 34. When you have a strong enough sense of self, there’s really no reason to make others feel ashamed of who they are.”
Beauty in the Offbeat printed as a Father’s Day present for my husband on June 5, 2012 on Mamalode
“Parenting seems to come easily to him. From the middle-of-the-night interruptions, the dinner rush whirlwind, bath time, bedtime, to every time in-between. It’s like he went from the awkward two-wheel balancing stage of “how do I hold these things” to cruising down the cobblestone in the Tour de France of parenting without ever needing the training-wheel assistance I rely on so frequently.
I do feel a momentary twinge of resentment from time to time, that pinch of jealousy that burns through me when he comes home and heroically changes the tone of our afternoon by simply setting foot in the house. I suppose I can’t blame the kids: I parent behind schedules, calendars and to-do lists; he fathers with piggy-back rides, marathon puzzle sessions and surprise build-your-own ice cream sundae bars.
But there is beauty in the offbeat.”
We Grow, Together printed on August 22, 2012 on Mamalode
“Joey drank out of the toilet today. She’s two. And a human child.
Just wanted to make that clear in case anyone assumed she was my cat. Or dog. Or lizard or something.
Nope, she’s my daughter. And I was busy applying my eyeliner when, in-between strokes, I glanced at her reflection in the mirror to see her scooping the toilet water in her hands, lifting it up to her mouth and slurping it in.
Gulp.
That was me gulping, not her.
She laughed.”
Making the Right Choices printed August 29, 2012 on Mamalode
“For some reason, this is much harder on me than it was with my first two. So much so I just ran to the pantry and shoved a heaping spoonful of Nutella into my mouth. And when Joey caught me, I told her it was mud so I wouldn’t have to share. So, if we’re to compare a bad-decisions-to-time-elapsed ratio, I have thoughtlessly consumed I don’t even know how many calories, and my daughter thinks I eat mud – all in the matter of 15 seconds.
And worst of all, it didn’t work: My children are still growing up.”
St. Maries, Idaho ~ Compiled, constructed and wrote content for St. Maries, Idaho’s official web site. Published 2012.
Regular Gigs
I’m thrilled to have landed a couple of regular columns. Meagan Francis, of The Happiest Mom, is one of the funniest, most down-to-earth writers on the web, and I get to work with her each month when I submit a book review for her readers.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out her site yet, you really should. I promise you’ll identify with some portion of her most-recent musings, you’ll laugh and probably be nodding your head in agreement with at least one point she makes about motherhood.
We’ve had an opportunity to collaborate for a series of monthly book reviews at The Happiest Mom.
Hard copy more your style? I do that too!
I write an every-couple-of-weeks type of column for the St. Maries Gazette Record.
The Gazette is an award-winning, family-owned community newspaper published in St. Maries, Idaho. I write mostly about a lot of the same things you find here on “Joey,” motherhood, naked children, screaming children, hungry children, fighting children, sometimes well-behaved children. You get the idea. It’s fun, and it’s a different sort of outlet.
They have a web presence too, but you’ll want to grab a print subscription because there’s something about the feel of a newspaper in your hand. It’s more romantic that way, I think. I’m sure there’s a way to subscribe online (I just can’t figure it out right now), but since we’re romanticizing, you should do it the old-fashioned way. Give ‘em a call at 208.245.4538 and sign up.
