I’m one of those obnoxious people that LIVES for fall. I’m not talking about PSLs, or boots and flannels. I crave the change of season, cold air and the quiet stillness of winter. Despite my love of swimming and BBQs, I struggle through the summer months. Between the intense humidity and clouds of mosquitoes I find little enjoyment in being outdoors while others frolic in the summer sun. Give me overcast, cold, rain and snow. This is the time I connect with the earth, time to thrive. Bundle up and you can ground yourself when it’s cold outside.

grounded by winter


It’s bedtime on a weeknight.
You climb into bed.
You plug in your phone.
You adjust your pillow and settle in.
And…then you pick your phone back up and start scrolling.

surrender to sleep

The truth is: Black mothers face life-threatening experiences while pregnant 

 while giving birth. Many of them die in delivery rooms because of gross negligence by healthcare providers that they should be able to trust. The National Institute of Health says “national severe maternal morbidity rates have nearly doubled over the past decade, and have increased to 166% higher for black women than white women from 2012 to 2015.” 

black maternal health & why it matters

When i was very young and into my teenage years I had a certain perception of my parents that they were very dysfunctional. My childhood did not offer me the societal norms (at that time less than 30% of couples were divorced) of two parents who were not only role models but there to guide you and direct you. I often joke it was like being raised by wolves, kind of wild and dangerous even though we had a den mother. My parents were both hippies and my father was a professional artist before he became a contractor, but since I was very young I felt an enormous pressure to direct myself without a lot of guidance. This made it hard for me to have an adult role model, until my mother passed away.

give them someone

I, like most people - was always under the impression that for a caterpillar to transform into a butterfly they simply encase themselves in a cocoon, sprout wings and poof! They are now a butterfly. The reality is much more gruesome…caterpillars completely liquify in that cocoon. Their cells melt, then reassemble…and build a butterfly from scratch. It is a complete physical metamorphosis, though they retain memory of their former caterpillar self.

metamorphosis of motherhood

Historically, birth wasn’t really a big deal. It was a fact of life, a very common event that took place in almost every home, in every family. Attended by mothers, sisters, friends and the midwife. You labored with the support of all the women in your life. Women witnessed birth before they had their own children, therefore there was no mystery and very little distress or fear. Yes, mothers and babies died in childbirth, but that too had almost an air of mundane, another fact of life.

the weight of birth

 the process or practice of learning a subject without a teacher or formal education; self-education. The biggest barriers people find when it comes to self-education is procrastination, commitment, self-doubt, memory and focus. If that sounds familiar, then you’re in good company. There are ways, however, to break through those barriers.

ways to practice autodidactcism 

When people hear the word commitment, they generally think of an ‘other’: a partner, a child, a job, an education, finishing a book, starting an exercise or skincare routine, getting up earlier, sleeping better, accomplishing a goal, big or small… the list is endless.

commitment

If no one has beaten me to the punch, allow me to be the first to coin the phrase “Covid Parenting Syndrome” (CPS). It’s an honest-to-goodness psychological phenomenon that, I believe, the clinical world will be treating for generations. Since homeschooling launched in March, I’ve been informally gathering data from parents (male and female alike) and found that CPS is characterized by, but by no means limited to, high anxiety, discharge of anger, impatience, guilt, shame, grief, isolation, despondency, marital strife, weight gain, and alcohol abuse. Did I mention weight gain? And in many cases CPS has been triggered by homeschooling.

diary of a homerschooler

If anyone out there has miscarried, then you understand. Even if you haven’t, I’m sure you can imagine the heartbreak. For my partner and I, it wasn’t so much the loss of the pregnancy as the loss of the idea - the excitement. It seemed like we had just come to terms with the notion of being parents and bringing a life into this world when it was snatched aways from us. I’m not gonna lie, I cried in the bath… a lot. It was messy. I couldn't believe it was happening; I had built a vision in my mind of this baby and then it was gone. Gone.

just an empty uterus

Heres’ what I’ve come to know: There cannot be peace, be it with another person or with ourselves, until we take an honest examination of our motives. (Motive is defined as a reason for doing something, especially one that is hidden or not obvious.) And this is especially true when it comes to our relationships.

motive is everything

Can you remember the last time you took a break from your tech? If you’re a daily detox bather, then you’re at least getting a good 30 minutes of device-free time each day, not including your sleeping hours, of course. But a digital detox is about more than just switching off your phone. When it comes to your health and mind-body balance, taking time away from technology can give you some much needed rest. When you make space for screen-free time, you can focus more deeply on what matters to you most. Reading books to your child, meditating, napping, bathing, and devoting time to a favorite hobby can help refresh your outlook during times of stress.

Beyond the Body

grounded by winter

surrender to sleep

black maternal health & why it matters

give them someone

metamorphosis of motherhood

the weight of birth

ways to practice autodidactcism

commitment

diary of a homerschooler

just an empty uterus

motive is everything

how to do a digital detox

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