Love and Toothpaste Tubes
Our three stairstep girls were in the back of the minivan as we drove to a friends’ house for supper. Collectively, I had labored thirty-eight hours to bring them into the world. I said, “Tomorrow’s Mother’s Day.” My husband groaned. “I knew you forgot.” He
Life Between Hurricanes
When we arrived on Monday, Orange Beach had just reopened after the intense cleanup following Hurricane Sally. On Tuesday, the Alabama governor declared a mandatory tourist evacuation due to Hurricane Delta churning toward the coast. I was too busy digging for
The Love Languages of Stomach Flu
Last Tuesday, I awoke at 11 p.m. and thought I might be sick. Swinging my legs over the bed was all the movement I needed to confirm the truth. I clamped a hand over my mouth and tried to run
I’m Going to Cherish Every Moment (Even If It Kills Me)
I became one of those moms last night, with the toddler throwing herself down across the entryway to the store, causing patrons to pause as they looked from her to me and then back down at her, unsure if they
What Happens One Hour Before Putting Kids To Bed
Last night was a doozie. The kind of night where my husband and I came downstairs and just looked at each other with wide eyes and then grinned, as if shocked that we'd somehow made it through the Apocalypse (otherwise known
Don’t Judge…Lest You Have The Same Kind of Child
He was a painter with a lazy smile; she was a weaver who wore sweaters that would shrink to child-sized if caught out in the rain. They came into our grocery store at random times of day to buy our
Confessions of a Coffee Addict
After my husband and I became engaged, I knew he had a habit that I would have to break. It was not a really bad habit, as far as bad habits go. But I was unsure of its side-effects. It was rumored to
Better Late Than Never
At 8:45 on Saturday morning, my husband’s Jeep lurched to a halt in our driveway. He came inside. I was seated at the counter in my terry-cloth bathrobe, feeding our nine-month-old her daily cereal and prunes. “Aren’t you supposed to—a go?” he said,