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Sometimes self acceptance means a Charlie Brown stamp on a condolence card

    This morning at yoga an acquaintance asked me “How did you get so good at yoga?” I listened to myself respond about how I’m actually not good at yoga–and very inflexible–and that yoga teaches me to stay with hard things. During class a different answer appeared; self acceptance. When I started yoga in my twenties I often found myself frustrated, comparing myself to my classmates. Instead of working at my ability and from the inside out, I contorted myself from the outside, striving to attain the “look” of a pose (tight hamstrings be damned). People… Read More »Sometimes self acceptance means a Charlie Brown stamp on a condolence card

    I got to play Fun Spontaneous Yes Mom and we all got to #EscapeCabinFever!

      Radisson Blu MOA invited my kids and me to #EscapeCabinFever as their guests for two days/nights of food, lodging, and activities.  Last week I got to play a role even more unfamiliar to my kids than to myself- the role of fun spontaneous YES mom. I picked the kids up from school last Thursday and we headed north to the Radisson Blu Mall of America. Listen, two nights in a gorgeous hotel with a salt-water swimming pool and OH MY GOSH MOM THEY GIVE YOU FREE ROBES AND SLIPPERS alone would’ve thrilled them, but none of… Read More »I got to play Fun Spontaneous Yes Mom and we all got to #EscapeCabinFever!

      Mornings like this never happen

        This morning fresh snow made our trees doilies, covering up ashy past-the-expiration January. This morning I did not hurry my son. Neither of us blamed the other for probably ending up late. No one got irritated because he played Legos instead of emptying the dishwasher, or because I forgot the five more minutes of playing Legos warning and THANKS A LOT MOM now we’re going to be late again. We never end up late. I didn’t ask over and over if he brushed his teeth, and he didn’t yell I ALREADY SAID YES THREE TIMES… Read More »Mornings like this never happen

        This is Ann’s brain. This is Ann’s brain on New Year Resolutions. Any questions?

          New year resolutions twist me up, and not only because here in the first week of January my yoga classes are annoyingly overcrowded. I tried to draw my feelings for you, but I couldn’t convey exactly the feeling. The results remind me of something you leave in your emo artist feelings journal, and definitely don’t share with the internet. Maybe that should have been my first resolution for 2016. For every resolution, the counter resolution seems as important and worthy. For every 365-day happiness challenge, please find a 365-day detachment because pain is the normal… Read More »This is Ann’s brain. This is Ann’s brain on New Year Resolutions. Any questions?

          Step-family? I’ve got an entire staircase.

            My step-family story is sponsored by the movie “Daddy’s Home” starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, opening in theaters nationwide on Christmas Day. *** Step-people–step-parents, step-grandparents, step-siblings, and step-kin–define my family. If assembled together for the world’s most awkward family photo, my step-family members would require a sprawling staircase. Not even counting the step-pets. Perhaps one of those inverted diagonal staircases that appear to lead upstairs and down, over and under simultaneously ala M.C. Escher would do the trick. Suffice it to say, my family tree required a forest of its own even before I… Read More »Step-family? I’ve got an entire staircase.

            “Have Yourself a Busy Little Breakdown” and More New Holiday Greetings

              I’m feeling worn-out from the annual Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays salutation debacle. Typically, when greeted with Merry Christmas, I respond in kind, although it feels as natural to me as Elsa’s Frozen ponytail strapped to my head. Which is to say, it feels blond. However, responding Happy Holidays or Happy New Year or Happy Hanukkah’s Over when greeted with Merry Christmas seems a little passive aggressive. Therefore, and with great gaiety,  I give you the gift of new holiday greetings: Buoyant exhaustion to you and yours!   Blithe and non-travel-interfering winter scene upon you!… Read More »“Have Yourself a Busy Little Breakdown” and More New Holiday Greetings

              Momojis, at last. Because parents need laughs and have no energy for texting lots of words.

                My son got the dreaded stomach virus before Thanksgiving. When your kid is puking nonstop for 48 hours, you really don’t have the energy for communication beyond a few words. So when my friend Robin texted me that morning to see what was new, this is what I texted her in return: Enter Luvs’ new Momojis, and RIGHT on time. As a part of their Motherboard team of funny moms, I test-drove their new app (Live today! Free download on Apple appstore or Google Play) built specifically for busy moms and dads; giving us a… Read More »Momojis, at last. Because parents need laughs and have no energy for texting lots of words.

                New wand needed.

                  This morning we finished the last Harry Potter book. I choked back tears while attempting to read the epilogue. I wept for the end of a brilliant saga, for the flawed lovable characters and their triumphs and losses. My shoulders shuddered over the all-too-relevant metaphors of Voldemort-supremacy, victimized populations, dark magic and for acts of compassion and valor in the face of terrifying realities. I cried–while the kids watched my contorting face with puzzled curiosity, and listened as my voice became Kermit The Frog-ified– for the hubris and vulnerability of  elf, goblin, muggle, and wizard… Read More »New wand needed.

                  Surprise! My kids do not want to be my pen pals!

                    I planned on telling you about this great parenting idea I read about on the internet– to write 40 pages with each of my kids. I planned on adding my own genius in the form of this makes a perfect use of all those swag journals that you get at conferences! I planned on a new season of deepening relationships with my children that not only fostered our communication, but also their love of writing, while continuing a similar tradition that began with my dad and me. Below please find what happens when you’re busy… Read More »Surprise! My kids do not want to be my pen pals!

                    Some good news life hacks for your day!!

                      I don’t know if it’s too many damp rainy days in a row recently, my perfectionist brain going in too many directions, or the energy consumed by trying not to beg/steal my children’s Halloween candy that’s sapping my blogging. Regardless, my drafts file contains several one-paragraph posts I refuse to finish and share. Meanwhile, the sun returned from her Netflix binge this week. I penned some good news life hacks to help us next time she decides to pull the dingy down comforter over her head, and eat all of the planets’ SweeTarts chews while… Read More »Some good news life hacks for your day!!