Being a mama is one of the toughest jobs in the world. Few would disagree. It requires resourcefulness, creativity, organization, time management, people skills, effective communication, conflict resolution, adaptability, leadership, and the ability to work under pressure. Quite a diverse and impressive skill set, to be sure. Continue reading
Author Archives: the happily anchored nomad
The Gift of Solitude
As a gift for joining The Forty-Something Club, my generous-to-a-fault husband said he was going to send me and my two sister-friends to Toronto for an all-expenses-paid girls’ weekend. He wanted us to do it up right – spa time, shopping, dinner, dancing. It was the kind of weekend that the me before kids was all about.
As my girls and I tried to find a weekend that would work – extremely difficult when there are 8 kids and many hundreds of kilometers between us – I was coming to realize that there was something I needed more than ‘let loose’ time in the city: I needed time alone. Continue reading
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Let go of the oars
I like me a good mantra.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that anxiety has plagued me since becoming a mama. My anxiety hasn’t been the debilitating variety – the kind that makes a person afraid to leave their child unattended while napping lest they stop breathing, or terrified to drive with their kids in the car. Continue reading
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How The Beatles Got By with a Little Help from a Mama
My husband is really great about giving me time to do things on my own on the weekend, recognizing that I recharge best when I am by myself. (Hello my name is Kelly and I am an introvert.)
Usually when the weekend rolls around and my husband asks what I would like some time for, I respond with one of two answers: Continue reading
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How YOU are going to help me stop talking and start doing
I love a good project. This is partly because it gives me an excuse to buy a pretty notebook and new pens. But it is mainly because I love the rush that a new challenge brings. There is so much to be organized! So many lists to write! And then there is all the learning that comes from a project. Now that I’m adulting on the regular, I don’t have a lot of formal opportunities to learn, where I’m held accountable by deadlines and professors or employers. So when I get an idea for a personal project, the part of my brain that craves new learning challenges gets really pumped. Continue reading
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Why does it matter?
It’s been awhile since I devoted time to my blog. Because life. Because kids. Because it’s always easier to not do than it is to do.
But on this rainy morning, I found myself missing it. Missing the connection it provides me with when I do invest the time and energy to put myself and my words out into the world. And missing the resulting comfort of knowing I am not alone in my messiness. My ‘spinny-ness’ (new word, y’all). Continue reading
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Not forty. Thirty-ten.
I’ve been a member of a club for almost a decade now. There have been some drawbacks to membership, but all things considered, I’ve really enjoyed being part of it; there have been a lot of really good times. In fact, some of the best times of my life so far have been spent as a member.
In a couple of days, however, I will be permanently removed from the club’s membership list. Deleted. Forever. This has been difficult for me to accept. I’ve protested and pleaded. I’ve ugly-cried. But there was no reasoning with the club’s administration. My time as a member? Over. Continue reading
