Whether you’re tired of the pace of city life, need an adventure or wish to connect with yourself on a more spiritual level, the great outdoors can provide for you. Camping is one of the most common ways for people to reconnect with the great outdoors, stripping away unnecessary burdens and encouraging people to focus on what really matters to them for survival. Aside from being a fun activity for children and adults of all ages, camping is also connected with many health benefits including lowering stress, improving mood, and encouraging mindfulness. Here are just five of the benefits that you can experience when camping, Improved relationships with friends and family Although camping alone can be a rewarding experience, most people choose […]

Menopause arrived early and chronic depression became my wake-up buddy. Almost daily. I learned how to deal with the occasional blues earlier in life. Hiking or cycling always worked wonders. Creativity helped dispel the gray fog, whether planting flowers, or trying a new recipe, or knitting a gift. And of course, drafting gratitude lists and looking for ways to reach out to someone else in need—all these things helped me manage situational depression. But this was different. Instead of bouncing out of bed, I sludged awake with a definite lack of hope. Nothing energized me. There was no desire for the things that normally lit me up. I just wanted to sleep, long and deep. But that was rarely an option. Usually […]

For one whole excruciating month, I went device-free. Did the playdates even happen if I didn’t get to post about them? Did I wear a cute outfit on date night with my husband? What about that family dinner with the grandparents where there is no proof? Was I, like the tree that falls in the forest with no one to hear it, still living my best life? Yes, yes, I was. In vibrant color. While modern society deems it impossible to truly live device-free, I found a few ways to “glow up” my lifestyle, communication, and relationships by creating clear, healthy boundaries between myself and screens. I realized my coping mechanisms. During my month spent device-free, I went through a detox. A […]

Hurricanes Irma, Ian, and Helene… The outbreak of tornadoes in the Midwest… And, most recently, the wildfires consuming California… all devastating natural disasters that destroyed property and disrupted or even took the very lives of some who were in their path. The communities hit by these monsters no one can control are currently in various stages of rescue, recovery, and rebuilding. Ours is one of them. As we work through clean up, as we begin the rebuilding, we are found helping one another. In some cases, we’re meeting our neighbors for the first time. We pass their home every day on the way to work, but today is when we introduce ourselves before quickly asking how can we help. Opening Our Eyes […]

“Save him, Mama! I want to saaaaave the ant!” My 2-year-old was giving me very clear orders as she bobbed up and down in the pool, engulfed in her life vest. Her eyes, the same color as the aqua water, locked onto mine in a determined challenge. I studied that unfortunate ant caught in the swimming pool. He was large as far as ants go, and he was still moving.  I brought my two hands together, creating a cup, and lifted him out of the water, setting him onto the ledge before us. He was out but still struggling to break away from the little puddle I created while scooping him up.   He continued to move but made little progress. My […]

I was 13 years old when I was diagnosed with a muscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis. I had a year of repeated testing before the final diagnosis was made. Yet even with the naming of my illness, I was fortunate. The level of disability that came with my current symptoms was minor: limitations of physical exertion, muscle weakness, and frequent fatigue. I was a young teen and rather headstrong (little has changed in that regard), so I took the medication prescribed and determined to live my life to the fullest … rebellion and all. Seasons of Battered Faith Several years later, I was working a full-time job that I loved, living the single life in an apartment located in the art district, […]

In a world that is constantly changing, we are all tired. We may not realize it, but we are all longing for Home, for a place to lay our head and rest. What is “Home” to you? As I reflected on this question, I realized that, for me, it means many different things. Home is a physical place filled with family. It’s a sturdy, brick house, lived in for nine years in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have made it our own over the years: gutting the first floor, putting in a new kitchen and hardwood floors, painting the walls, moving furniture around. A vegetable garden grows out back, brimming with lettuce, tomatoes, and green beans, making my heart happy. Over the years, the […]

I call them “Woogies.” It’s those lost hairs that I try to collect out of the shower drain so my hubby doesn’t holler at me. I wad them up into a ball and perch them on the little shelf on my shower as a visual reminder that I’m a good wife that cares about her husband’s aversion to cleaning out the plugged drains. I’m waiting for the day he sees them on the floor of my daughters’ room… she has long, naturally curly hair so they randomly fall away, and then as she walks about on her floor they gather into a Woogie ball. What can I say, it’s a grossly hilarious part of having long-haired women living in your house? Those […]

Lately, I’ve noticed my oldest son’s permanent teeth look a bit yellow compared to my other three boys, who still have their baby teeth. Of course, my first assumption was that he wasn’t brushing correctly. Or worse yet, he’s skipping his brushing altogether. But after a few weeks of supervising and not noticing a big difference, I started to do a bit of research. Apparently, baby teeth are naturally whiter than permanent teeth. One pediatric dentist explains that “permanent teeth not only have a thicker enamel, but the layer under the enamel (dentin) is also more dense. Dentin is yellow in color. This gives the permanent teeth a color slightly more yellow than the baby teeth. And it’s perfectly normal!”(¹) There is […]

There’s an old adage that says, “Cleaning and scrubbing can wait ’til tomorrow, for babies grow up, we’ve learned to our sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep. I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.” A long-time friend of mine, who is years ahead of me in the parenting game, sent it to me one afternoon while I was in the middle of a mommy meltdown. I only had two of my four children at the time, and I was exasperated at the thought of never having a clean house again. It was during my full-time corporate days, while my husband was also running a restaurant and attending school full-time to obtain his accounting degree. Cleaning my house was […]

Life is messy … especially when baking is involved. My daughter’s birthday was quickly approaching—as it seems to do every year—and I only had a week to plan her party. Oops. (I guess in all reality I had a whole year.) After scrolling through Pinterest for ideas, I began to feel like an inadequate mother. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make an ice sculpture for a Frozen themed birthday, like Martha Stewart on crack, so I decided to at least make her that rainbow cake she had been talking about … the one she saw at her friend’s birthday party because some other mom’s got skills. I generally stick to buying cakes from the local bakery. However, this time I was feeling […]

Let’s just get this out in the open: vacationing with children is a daunting affair to think about. There’s planning and packing and food and travel and lodging and food (because they always eat). Should you plan a lot of activities? Should you keep it simple? What is on the menu (because they always eat)? The stress of the process can make even the most seasoned travel mom want to fold and plan a staycation instead. The getaway becomes more like a chore you have to do rather than an enjoyable experience for everyone. But no matter if it’s your first trip or your fiftieth, I’ve got a few tried and true tips that will leave you anticipating your next vacation, not […]

For 12 years (or more) we are taught. Being enrolled in school gives us structure and a guidebook to living. We are given this safe bubble of trial-and-error in playtime, classes, and teams. Then we graduate with no syllabus or bell to tell us our next move. Post-grad life is scary, post-wedding life is terrifying, and post-pregnancy life is foreign. We go through all of these life-changes without a compass. Years ago the word mentor meant nothing to me. I didn’t need someone telling me what to do. Nor did I have the patience to coach someone up to lead a life they loved. “You do you, and I’m going to do me,” was a mantra of mine. Until I had no […]

It appears a lot of women are waiting for their man to propose. They have been a couple for a while, and she finds herself wondering where their relationship is going. Is what they have enough? Their dating relationship, which started as an exhilarating sprint, has turned into a 100K marathon, one where the finish line never appears. Many men today are simply not getting down on that knee (or however you envision it) and asking the all-important question: “Will you marry me?” While I watch the single women around me who are dating and wondering about their future, I know this extends far outside of the world in which I reside. Further evidence comes from this very website, Grit and Grace. […]

A few years ago I drove upstate to visit my best friend from college because she just had her first baby. At the time, I couldn’t help but ponder the milestones we’ve shared: graduations, weddings, fur-babies, careers, buying and selling homes, and now…motherhood! Our friendship has felt pretty special from the start, so it got me thinking about what it is that makes our relationship so life-giving… 9 Qualities That Make a Good Friend: 1. Someone who helps carry your load, but doesn’t make you feel like a burden. 2. Someone who knows your worst, but only sees your best. 3. Someone who never makes you feel small, no matter how big they are. 4. Someone who doesn’t flaunt, especially when they […]

So your man is a pretty wonderful guy. Things are going so well. You might have even married him. What in the world could mess this up? Oh, the mother of his kids! Baby mama drama began with the start of civilization—think Abraham from the Bible. Sparks were going off between Sarah (his wife) and Hagar (baby mama). Abraham couldn’t deal with the drama and finally shipped Hagar off with their child—never to be seen again. Even if that is your fantasy, it isn’t going to happen—nor should it. The modern reality is that almost half (46%) of marriages involve a step-parent situation.1 When your relationship first started, dreams of the Brady Bunch may have been circling in your head. But reality […]

I am calling all the mamas struggling with finding themselves in a new chapter: “All aboard the struggle bus, I’m your driver and fellow struggler with change.” Life has recently been full of struggles and new chapters. A new school year gives us back our routines, but each year comes with its own stresses of grades, extracurriculars, and childhood drama. A maxed-out calendar and a stressed-out teen make for a stressed-out mama, who is struggling in this new season. Is Your Teen Ready to Launch? In the past month, my son received his license, started his junior year in high school and first classes at community college, started dating and driving himself everywhere, and graduated from his teen drag racing class where […]

“Glimmers are micro-moments of regulation that foster feelings of well-being.” —Deb Dana I’m over the whole ‘New Year, New Me’ mantra and the pressure of setting rigid goals for myself. It’s not that I don’t believe in personal growth or the power of striving for positive change—I do. Setting goals gives me a sense of direction and keeps me grounded. But here’s the thing—when I focus too much on chasing goals and pushing for self-improvement, I often miss something just as important: the small, meaningful moments scattered throughout my day. And I know I’m not alone in this. How many of us are living in a constant rush, juggling multiple roles, plowing through to-do lists, and running from one meeting to the […]

Hurricanes Irma, Ian, and Helene… The outbreak of tornadoes in the Midwest… And, most recently, the wildfires consuming California… all devastating natural disasters that destroyed property and disrupted or even took the very lives of some who were in their path. The communities hit by these monsters no one can control are currently in various stages of rescue, recovery, and rebuilding. Ours is one of them. As we work through clean up, as we begin the rebuilding, we are found helping one another. In some cases, we’re meeting our neighbors for the first time. We pass their home every day on the way to work, but today is when we introduce ourselves before quickly asking how can we help. Opening Our Eyes […]

There’s something hopeful about a new year. Who doesn’t love a fresh start? A new year often incites determination to tackle big projects, resolution to make hard changes, and lofty dreams of what our renewed motivation and hard work might bring. Maybe you plan to organize every room in the house over this next year, drop some of that holiday weight, or go after your dream job. Those are all great goals that you can achieve! But have you considered focusing on the inner you—the part of you that has nothing to do with outward appearances? Here are 4 truths about inner beauty you should know: 1. You are valuable. Not because you are beautiful, funny, smart, kind, helpful, hard-working, supermom, the […]