Real Life

We are a Hawkeyes through and through. My husband, James, and I met freshmen year in the only class an engineering major and music major would have in common: Rhetoric. Our first dates were strolls through campus followed by...

Fall has officially arrived! Do you know how I know? It’s because my favorite local coffee shop is now serving pumpkin spice lattes and oh boy, are they yummy! There are so many pumpkin recipes out there that are great...

Maternity leave is glorious.  Not glamorous by any means, but glorious for sure.  I think all working moms agree that maternity leave is never long enough, am I right?  It’s no secret that the U.S. is on a very...

Hoover was dreamy. We first set eyes on each other just two months before our wedding day. He was big, tall, and stronger than the others.  He stood out from the crowd. He looked at me from across the...

As a contributor for Iowa City Moms Blog, I've written about some pretty tough topics. This post is no exception. I'm sharing one of the greatest challenges I've faced during my 14 years of parenting. Socks. I know socks might seem...

For three months I faked it. I smiled, went to work, played with the kids, visited with friends, went to football games and spent quiet nights binge-watching House of Cards with my hubby. My life was blessed, I had everything I ever...

I am not a mom. Nor do I play one on TV. I did, however, write a book about one. Her name was Shelly Bridgewater, and I know you’d like her. Everyone did. She was only technically a mom...

Back in June, my husband and I, sat on the patio at our new house and talked about our wishes for the backyard. We finally have our own yard after living in a townhouse for 5 years and apartments...

As I've mentioned a time or two in previous posts, I'm a pediatric speech-language pathologist. While I am no expert in speech and language, I make judgement calls each day/week on whether or not kiddos could use some extra...

Dear Other Mothers, There’s something I want you to know. There have been a lot of these “open letters” to moms lately. Whether the letters are meant to encourage, judge, or inform, it seems everyone has something to say to...