Amanda Hauser
Alternative Education: The Choice Is Yours
Today is exactly the kind of day that reminds me why our family has periodically sought alternatives to public education. It’s a spring Tuesday, a school day, and at 11:00 AM, our daughter is...
Mona and Me: A Lesson in Relationships
Motherhood can be lonely. It’s ironic when you think about it because our days are jam-packed with our people and our schedules. Even though most mothers pine for a little “me time,” a respite...
Growing Your Family’s Financial Literacy In The New Year
Many of us reflect on goals and opportunities in the new year. Lose a little weight, read a few more books, find the perfect job. And, after the arrival of December’s too-expensive VISA bill...
No Participation Trophies Here
I stand in the playground parking lot with my inconsolable four-year-old. My shirt sleeve is a web of snot and drool, a gift from the blubbering daughter perched on my hip and draped over...
Tragedy, I See You
I sat down to write about something else this morning. Something that now seems embarrassingly trivial and petty and ultimately inconsequential. But, like tragedy always does, ambushing the unsuspecting between sips of coffee or...
A Forever First Time Parent
I came to a rather obvious conclusion this week. Never, will I ever, NOT be a first-time parent. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure it out. I guess I...
Chaos Coordination: Tips for Managing the Family Hub
Head Domestic Engineer. Executive Household Coordination Expert. Magician. Take your pick. No matter the title, mothers are scrambling to meet the demands of their unofficial jobs. But the start of school marks new beginnings,...
Death By A Thousand Details
There’s tired, then exhausted, fatigued, dead, and finally, if you take a left turn at the seventh circle of hell and go down three flights of stairs - you’ll find me. That. That is...
Don’t Put Me in a Box… Why Can’t I Do It All?
I’m angry about my options. This week I made a decision, and I wish it weren’t a lose-lose. Usually, mindset is everything, yet real circumstances and generations of cultural norms are working my natural...
A New Pandemic Love Language
Leave it to a global pandemic to alter what we consider fundamental and comprehensive truth. In his book The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman explains all of us show and receive love in one...
My Goals for the Year 2022: 22 Ways to Be a Better Me
2022 is a pretty big deal for a lot of reasons. Many of us are welcoming the new year as a metaphor for hope and promise, but I’m prepping for a year of seismic...
A Military Mom’s Conversation With Her Son on Veterans Day
“It takes a lot longer to pass out than you think,” he said, far too casually for my comfort. Just a few hours before, his 4:00 AM text, “I made it back,” jolted me...
June 9th: That Was Supposed To Be Her Birthday
It was football season, and a decaf pumpkin spice, oversized hoodie, and ripped blue jeans were perfect complements to my newfound pregnancy glow. A familiar, yet welcomed, queasiness turned my stomach. I loved being...
I Brought the Chips: The Surrender of a Back-to-Work Mom
I’m not going to lie, l spent years unfairly judging mothers who filled their grocery carts with store-made cupcakes and cookies. What slackers! After all, I, the far superior mother, crafted my children’s homemade...