BARREN TO BLESSED

a little bit of hope, joy, love, grace, life and all things in between infertility

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I See You

To the kid who pushed through immeasurable grief this school year, I see you. To the kid who struggled with anxiety but still showed up, I see you. To the kid who didn’t participate in sports or anything extra but cheered others on, I see you. To the kid who did your best to stay […]

Dear Infertility (part 8)

Dear Infertility, I think about you. Every damn day. Sometimes you’re just a whisper. Other times, you seem to have a megaphone. I’ve been fooled into thinking that you’ll go away and just when I get a reprieve from you, boom. There you are. I don’t know why I can’t shake you; why the trauma […]

His Eye is on Them

My kiddo experienced some bullying at school last week. (Before I go any further with this, it’s fair to say that I KNOW my kids do and say things all the time that make us cringe. We’re not naive and fully get that even our precious angels can be antagonistic to others.) We spent time […]

Ukraine On My Mind

Like many others, I woke up this morning with Ukraine on my mind. As I listened to my snoring husband next to me, I searched my phone for any new updates. Stomach in knots as I read about the 13 soldiers on Snake Island who took a defiant last stand, the woman who confronted a […]

Win At Parenting When You Work From Home

Parents who are working remotely while caring for young children and babies are charged with both managing their time and juggling work and home responsibilities. While this 24/7 dual role can take a toll on your mental and emotional health, implementing a few basic survival tips can help improve the situation and allow you to […]

self-care tips for kids

5 Simple Self-Care Tips for Kids Self-care isn’t just for adults – children need time for self-care, too! In some ways, age-appropriate self-care for kids is actually quite similar to self-care for adults. It’s all about winding down, practicing healthy habits, and finding relaxing hobbies they enjoy. You can find fantastic ideas for kid-friendly self-care […]

wanted and loved

“Well, your mom didn’t even want you so that’s why you had to get adopted!” I heard this coming from one of my kid’s bedroom. The next sound heard was that of my crying child. I ran to comfort my child. My husband following to hug our child, while I stood in the bedroom of […]

Autism-friendly home environments

Many children on the autism spectrum have sensitivities to their surroundings. As such, there are a number of home design and layout features that should be taken into consideration based on your child’s unique needs so that you can create Autism-friendly home environments. This article will provide you with valuable information as you navigate parenting […]

When Adoption Is Misrepresented

My youngest child likes to watch motivational videos on YouTube. Sometimes, the videos are fictional stories based on current life issues. One particular video caught my eye, so I sat down to watch it with him. Adoption is the main theme of this video and in my opinion, they got so many things wrong. When […]

loss is often overlooked in adoption

I’ve known for years that loss is often overlooked in adoption. I’ve seen it in my own family and the lives of others. This week, loss hit our home. Legs shaking as I walked down the stairs to my child. “Hey, I need to talk to you about something,” I said. My child looked up. […]

Dear infertility (part 7)

Author’s note: I wrote my first letter to infertility in 2012. It was one of the firsts posts on my blog. This is a continuation of that letter series: Dear Infertility (Part 7) Dear Infertility, That girl in the picture? You knew her well. Maybe even better than others around her. She did a good […]

2020 Heartache

I’ve sat down to write this post several times. It’s hard to sum up 2020 and then turn to 2021 when a lot of what occurred last year is still at the forefront of my mind and heart. But then I remembered this. Back in October, I wrote a poem expressing my observations and angst […]

actions speak louder than words

Our kids are really good at saying, “I’m sorry” and I’m happy about that but often, their apologies are followed with the same behavior. The pattern is: behavior, “I’m sorry”, behavior – repeat. Regardless of how many times I’ve said, “An apology is the first step. Changing your behavior (or at least trying to) is […]

In That Building

That building right there is where my life changed in 1983. It’s where worried parents and frantic doctors scrambled to save my life; the hallways imprinted with the pacing back and forth steps of a team wondering what was wreaking havoc on my body. Broken hearts. Spilled-out tears. I ended up spending my senior year […]

Armor of God

Last year, I started “Tuesday Night Teachings” with my children. My plan was to keep this up on a weekly basis. Goodness. That plan fell through! This week, I finally got back to doing a lesson. This one is called, “Armor of God”. I gathered the kids around and asked them to name what was […]

Two Podcast interviews

Hey, friends! I had the privilege of chatting with not one, but two incredible women who serve the foster care community. The links to my two podcast interviews are below. I sure hope you’ll take some time to listen to them! Jamie Finn of Foster the Family is a foster and adoptive parent whose heart […]

“Shouldn’t have been a mother”

“What would you say to an adoptive mother who still feels like God made her infertile because she shouldn’t have been a mother?” I received this message via one of my social media pages. Upon reading it, my heart dropped to my stomach with immediate empathy for the woman asking. The struggle she has with […]

Turning Over

When I was a little girl, I often went to the lake with my dad. Dad, a professional fisherman, spent countless hours on the lake with me right in tow. There was one time per year that we didn’t get in the water or didn’t even go there very often. “The lake is turning over, […]

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