Amanda Hauser
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...
The Strange Case of Dr. Dynamical and Mrs. Run-and-Hide
Good old Robert Louis Stevenson was on to something… there is a duality in us; well, there’s one in me, anyhow. My motivation is strangely complex these days, and I’m wrestling with it. I...
Tooth Fairy Follies: First Aid For Forgetful Mothers…Like Me!
It’s 6:00 AM, and I haven’t even hit my first coffee reheat when tiny sniffles precede footsteps tip-tapping down the stairs. “Hmmm… She’s up early today. Maybe a bad dream?” I set my coffee...
So, You’re Redshirting Your Kindergartener?
The school year is just around the corner and I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce our family. Meet Us: Mr. and Mrs. Unpopluar, Mr. and Mrs. Unconventional, Mr. and Mrs....
A Mother’s Day… Off: Five Steps For Getting What You Really Need
Ok, I admit it; I’m the Clark Griswold of just about every holiday. Yes, Ellen, I set standards that no family activity can live up to. And… Mother’s Day is no exception, but probably...
Darn You, MaryLou: The Disenchantment of a Gymnastics Mom
In 1984, there was nothing I wanted more than that iconic American flag leotard of Mary Lou Retton… that and a dose of accompanying talent. I yearned to float through the air in powerful...
Six No-Recipe Ways to Show Your Love
I have to admit, I’m a sucker for all holidays. Not that I need permission to geek out on a cleverly-thematic gift basket, but there’s something about a designated day that gives me the...
The F Word: Embracing Failure as a Parent
There are few things that make a mother cringe more than the dreaded “F-word.” We pray we never hear it, and God-willing we never witness it. But, contrary to popular parenting belief, your child...