News — intentional

How to Shut Up Your Inner Critic so Your Daughter Will Know How

How to Shut Up Your Inner Critic so Your Daughter Will Know How

"I'm not good at that." It started with small, little snippets of self-doubt.  I should have noticed.  I should have stopped it sooner.  I'm her mother, after all….unfortunately, I'm also really gifted in the art of negative self-talk.  Maybe I missed it because what should have been a red flag has been given a space on my shelf, a narrative I frequently read and accept as normal.    It took flares of anger, where self-hate spewed out of my sweet girl like a volcano I assumed was dormant.  I was shocked.  I argued back--NOTHING you are saying about yourself is...

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Rethinking Worry: What if it's a Spiritual Gift?

I'm not one to worry or overthink things. Can I be honest? Is it safe to share raw truth? I can be kind of critical of people who are. If you are in my days and minutes, and you are a worrier, you probably aren't shocked at this confession. I've rolled my eyes at you, and I've made jokes. They aren't mean; they are trying to be funny, but also... I don't have a lot of patience with worry. A couple of years ago, we adopted the world's perfect dog. He is so sweet and gentle. His one problem is...

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Out With the Old, In With the New

Out With the Old, In With the New

  This weekend, the plan was to rearrange our bedroom.  Friday, I accidentally went to Home Depot, bought some paint, and repainted the kitchen--surprising Brad when he came home from work.  Like..surprise!  you married an idiot!  For the next several days, our house was a complete disaster.  No room--honestly not many spaces were unaffected.  He married a creative, he knew what he was getting-ish. I literally didn't have a plan.  I just had a whim, and went for it.  As we lived around my great ideas for several days, we hashed out different ways we could shake things up and...

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