“That’s SO nice.”
People tend to amaze me with their good ideas, acts of love and free hugs. Annie Dillard said it first, but I’ll say it again: How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. How are you spending your days?
Do you feel jealous? Irritated? One annoying person away from [...]

You Are Awesome Part II: Mothers
A lot of my friends became mothers this year, many for the first time, a few for the second.
Going from being one of the only ones in the group with kids to being one of the only ones without a tiny little baby was hard. My friends became sleepdeprived strangers.
The [...]

Full is uncomfortable.
A full stomach. A full auditorium. Full schedule.
It leaves little breathing room. You know the feeling.
It’s when all the little things you do everyday add up until you feel like a zero.
You don’t feel that good at anything – writing, motherhood, career, marriage, school. Even though you know that’s not entirely true, it [...]

Be Tracy. Be Lynn. Be Amy.
There’s something you should know about me: I’m not very fun.
I don’t mean in a bad way … its not like I’m the opposite of fun.
But fun isn’t my style. I’m more about action, getting stuff done and all in a quick, simple way.
So I’m just letting you know, if [...]

It’s easy to think: Life will be so much better once this happens.
Once I get a raise.
Once the kids are older.
Once I have a baby.
Once I retire.
But that isn’t exactly how it goes. Because there will still be things you don’t like about life when you’re richer. Things you don’t love about having kids. [...]

1. Eating three cupcakes in one day.
2. Hitting the snooze button. Hitting the snooze. Hitting the snooze. Sigh.
3. Bringing a 75-pound dog to Wisconsin Dells.
4. Drinking the whole bottle.
5. Letting the kids stay up 5 hours past their regular bedtime.
6. Curling and teasing your bangs. A lot.
7. Drinking cold coffee.
8. Wedding favors.
9. Eating the free [...]

How To Get What You Want
We all want something from someone.
And if you want to get it, the buzz is pretty simple: just ask. Say it outloud, with confidence. And I agree with that to a point.
But I also see a quieter solution. Because sometimes, saying what you want is an act of bravery. People [...]

Moods are like a game of chance. You never know what you’re gonna get.
Sometimes in a haze of reason, I feel down. I get a little irritated. And this feeling affects my whole life – work, fitness motivation, family time, writing.
When you can’t put a finger on your mood, then follow this advice.
Come to your senses.
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15 Fun Things To Do This Winter
1. Start a blog club. Get your friends together to talk about your favorite bloggers. Invite all to print a favorite post and pass it around. Next week, support a new blogger by leaving a comment on their site.
2. Have a tea party and serve these incredibly easy lemon [...]

Really. Its true.
You decided to lose weight this year. Joined a gym, went to Zumba, ran 6 miles.
You made the best of it.
You sliced and diced a healthy meal, even though the kids complained about the onions.
You did something amazing after a defeating day at the office. You took criticism with a grain of salt. [...]