As parents, we mark milestones. We record our children’s transitions from crawling to walking, from elementary to middle to high school, to getting a driver's license, and onward into adulthood. 

When I tell you I’m a total rookie, I mean I’m a total rookie (my use of the word “rookie” is a good indication of that). 

Time moves so fast. It’s like the rush of wind when you’re driving with the windows down. It speeds by, and in the blink of an eye, life has skipped forward. 

Whether we realize it or not, our children take their cues from us, their parents. If we are curious, our children will be interested in the world around them. If we have fun trying new things, so will they.

While sex is a natural part of life and sex education is important, most parents don't know how to raise the topic, nor do they want to. They feel awkward and anxious about when and how to discuss sex with their kids.  

Like many parents in the midst of a global pandemic, I've struggled  with burnout.

Being grateful, being happy, and being positive are probably my three best traits as a parent and as a person. 

No matter how the day is celebrated, most of us simply want to be appreciated for what we do for our families.  

I sent a text on the night of July 11th, 2020 that changed my life forever. It read: “Hey, I think I have a problem and I need help.” 

From my observations, there is a vicious cycle: fewer people are volunteering, then the people who do volunteer end up with too much on their plates, they get burned out and step away, and then even more volunteers are needed. Rinse, repeat.  

I once took a quiz about being a workaholic. The answers pointed to probably “yes.”

I am acutely aware that the children around me are growing up, and honestly, the awareness is tinged with joy and a little sadness.

I am a mother, a sister, a friend, and a daughter. I have my own business and look successful from the outside. I seem to have it all together.  

For years, I would joke every St. Patrick’s Day that I was “everything but” Irish.

We’ve entered it. The toddler zone.