Family and Parenting – Page 11 – Choosing This Moment

A Soft and Impressionable Heart

Posted: October 02, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn No Comments

We were, all three of us, on the bed in the master bedroom in the early morning hours. It’s routine, this: after she wakes, we bring her back to our room for nursing and cuddling and reading and playing, a sweet time of family togetherness before we start the day. She’s been drooling without reserve … Continue reading "A Soft and Impressionable Heart"

Just the Right Place, Just the Right Time

Posted: September 19, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 2 Comments

It was a chance sighting, a moment of brilliance I’d never noticed before today. I suppose you could say I was in just the right place at just the right time, there on the floor of our sunken living room, stacking foam blocks to make a tower as the late afternoon sun slanted in through … Continue reading "Just the Right Place, Just the Right Time"

A Hint of Fall

Posted: September 18, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn No Comments

Things have been somewhat quiet around here lately. I blame this on several things: the transition from two naps to one (which is more difficult on me than it is on her), distracting novels, time devoted to other projects, and a quirk in me that prefers long-form (and therefore time-consuming) writing over shorter snippets. At … Continue reading "A Hint of Fall"

Afraid of Falling

Posted: September 02, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn No Comments

She sits on the floor, her legs bent in front of her, the soles of her feet just touching. She talks to herself, a constant stream of babble, as she flips through her board book, pausing on each page just long enough to rest her tiny fingers before moving to the next. I smile; my … Continue reading "Afraid of Falling"

On Swimming, and Mothering, and Writing

Posted: August 27, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 2 Comments

The thermostat climbs, here in our house built facing the summer sun. Unwilling to turn up the air conditioning but desperate for relief, I put on my swimsuit, gather my towel and my flip-flops and my daughter. She laughs as I rub sunscreen into her round cheeks, squirms in excitement as I tug the swim diaper … Continue reading "On Swimming, and Mothering, and Writing"

The Stories We Tell

Posted: August 20, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 3 Comments

I tell a story about a failed adoption, a story that is true, at least so far as I know. I lived it, endured it, fought hard to change it. My story involves a teenage boy and a teenage girl, kids really, confused and broken and young, who conceived a child. It involves deceit and … Continue reading "The Stories We Tell"

Blackberries, Part II

Posted: August 13, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 4 Comments

The blackberries ripen again, luscious and tempting, begging me to venture out into the hot summer sun and to pick them while the picking is good. I was, perhaps, a bit territorial this week; Jonathan told me the neighbor kids down the road, the ones who don’t really live here but whose parents come two or … Continue reading "Blackberries, Part II"

We Make a Good Team: Thoughts on Eight Years of Marriage

Posted: July 13, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 7 Comments

I am blessed with a wonderful, happy, easy marriage. I want to be sensitive to the fact that this is not the case for everyone and so I don’t often write about how smooth it has been for us, but today, it seems appropriate and good to reflect a bit on this amazing partnership we’ve … Continue reading "We Make a Good Team: Thoughts on Eight Years of Marriage"

Parenting a Baby Today

Posted: May 07, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn No Comments

My daughter was born one fine spring morning in 2014. By that evening, several family members and friends had met her in real life. But many more had “met” her online. Cradling her to my chest with one hand, I used the other to update my Facebook status, announcing her arrival, and the response—dozens of … Continue reading "Parenting a Baby Today"

My Heart Knows a Difference

Posted: April 27, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 1 Comment

How does one measure love? It isn’t as though you can put it on a scale, ladle it into a measuring cup, stack it against a ruler. I do not know how to quantify love, how to compare one love to another, but if one possible measure is what you’d be willing to endure on … Continue reading "My Heart Knows a Difference"

Choosing This Moment

Finding the beauty in the everyday

Category: Family and Parenting

A Soft and Impressionable Heart

Just the Right Place, Just the Right Time

A Hint of Fall

Afraid of Falling

On Swimming, and Mothering, and Writing

The Stories We Tell

Blackberries, Part II

We Make a Good Team: Thoughts on Eight Years of Marriage

Parenting a Baby Today

My Heart Knows a Difference