You’d think that after 10 years and four children, I’d take Mother’s Day off.

But I can’t.

I haven’t been able to take ownership of Mother’s Day since my own mother passed away. This year marks the 10th anniversary of her death, and this year, instead of just being sad, I am surprisingly confused.

I’m bewildered because so much has happened in 10 years and so little has actually changed. While both her daughters have moved, changed jobs, experienced life’s joys and tragedies and she now has six grandchildren; it’s as though emotionally I’ve never left that cold dark day when we lost her. I still can’t help but miss her terribly. It's a childlike kind of grief that doesn’t mature with reason or time. I would have thought that the 10-year mark would earn me a plaque or at least a better grasp of my sorrow.

Losing my Mom has changed my motherhood experience, so naturally it has changed my perception of Mother’s Day. I think for those of us who have lost their own mothers, Mother’s Day isn’t a day off -- it’s just a day on for our second job: mourning. ... Read more

Every family has its particular set of challenges. Being blessed with multiples is so much fun (it's hard, but nice work if you can get it). Having a child with special medical needs is, oddly enough, also a blessing. But for us this week, the two blessings have collided.

What was a minor stomach bug for the Little Monkey and for me has landed our little Koala Bear in the hospital.

We knew this could happen, but she's been so healthy for the last 10 months, we sort of forgot. We were actually walking around acting like a normal family, and boy did it feel great! Then -- a sudden dip back into reality.

Because of her condition -- a severe, complex heart defect -- she is more prone to illness and takes a little longer to recover. Or so we were told. In fact, this is the first time she has ever been sick. And here we are, back in the Cardio-Vascular Intensive Care Unit at All Children's Hospital. She is, at last, snuggled and asleep in her big-girl bed, and I am perched in the recliner beside her.

I feel good knowing I'll be here all night. If she wakes, she won't be in a strange place with only strangers -- her momma's here.

Which means I'm not with the Little Monkey. ... Read more

In the waning weeks before our move, I’m knocking things off my Florida Bucket List. I’m taking inventory of those uniquely-Sunshine State places where our family loves to go to or at least wants to see before losing our Florida resident status. So here it goes: ... Read more

A couple of years ago, we received this letter from a stay-at-home dad, James Orr, who wanted his daughter Tiffany, born on July 2, to know how much he loves her. Now, as she turns 4, he realizes like so many of us Mommas already know that she is growing up and moving on to more school, more playdates and a little less time with him. -- The eds.

As my little girl turns 4 years old today she is starting the most frightful time in any stay-at-home parents’ life -- trusting someone else to look after her! She’s attending summer school, and is starting to go on field trips complete with bus drivers, trips to the movies and spraygrounds. Call me over-protective but no one prepared me for the gut-wrenching feeling that something can happen to my little one. We all get scared thinking that our kids could trip while running around or slip and slide near water and bang their heads (or worse). I want to let my daughter loose on the world, and truly value her exploring. I guess it’s time to let go and trust the teachers. But it’s really hard … ... Read more