Things I Didn’t Know About Motherhood

Motherhood is an experience that is both challenging and rewarding. Despite having many friends who became mothers before me, and despite listening to them tell me about their experiences, there was absolutely nothing that could have prepared me for the reality of motherhood. There were parts that were way more difficult than I anticipated, but there are also parts that are so much better than I could ever have imagined.

On Weight Gain and Body Acceptance

Over the past few years, I’ve put on a lot of weight. It actually started with a medication that I had to take for bipolar disorder. One of the side effects was that I put on a few pounds. But it wasn’t until recently, when I got pregnant with my first child, that the weight really started to pile on. During my pregnancy, I was a bit overwhelmed at the rate at which I was gaining weight, and it was hard to prevent it from happening. I was constantly hungry, and as my pregnancy progressed, I replaced going to the gym with more leisurely walks because I was constantly winded and tired from my workouts.

Reflections: My Difficult Yet Beautiful Journey Over the Past Few Years

It’s been a long time since I’ve written a blog post. Lately, I haven’t had as strong of an urge to write. I used to constantly write blog posts and journal entries — it was how I processed my feelings as well as how I expressed myself to the world. Lately, my writing has just been the occasional journal entry after a major life event, to make sure that I remember important things and when they happened to me.

Finding Purpose in the Ordinary

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you. Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering.” Romans 12:1 The Message

The Importance of Forgiveness: Finding Freedom from the Pain of the Past

When someone has hurt you, it’s so easy to let your heart become hardened toward them. If you see them in public, you avoid them. You don’t like thinking about them or the way that they treated you. When the pain is deep, it’s so much easier to just avoid seeing or thinking about the person who caused that pain for you.

Experiencing the Abundance of God in Times of Pain

Today I felt a strong and urgent desire to write. As I sat down at my keyboard, I allowed God to take over, and I just wrote exactly what I felt he was saying to me in this moment. It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, and even longer since I’ve written something like this. Rather than speaking from my own voice, I decided to write this from God’s perspective. If this is something you need to be reminded of, I pray that he opens your heart and allows you to receive what he’s speaking to you today.

6 Simple Ways to Elevate Your Style

Have you ever seen a girl wearing an outfit that just has a certain special something to it? You can’t always pinpoint why it looks so great on her, but her style has an undeniable appeal. It might seem like magic, but there is always a science behind the art of wearing clothes well.

Mango Lime Sangria

This past 4th of July weekend, I concocted a beverage that may be the best sangria I’ve ever made. That’s saying a lot, especially since this is made with white wine and I typically prefer to drink a flavorful red.

Simple Zucchini & Naan Mini Pizza

I absolutely love naan, which is an Indian style flat bread that I often purchase from Wegmans. Typically, I heat it in the oven and serve it with hummus. Recently, I tried something a little different — and I absolutely love how it came out!