This is the first of the posts from Shadow Mom. Shadow Mom is all of us. A woman who is not perfect, and has a dark side that is attached to her. No matter how much light we shine, all of us has a shadow that never goes away. To nurture ourselves, we have to acknowledge that shadow, and learn from it. If you would like to contribute a blog entry but are not ready to share your identity, you can share with us under Shadow Mom.--Denise
Read MoreI discovered the love a parent has for their children. We only want what’s best for them. Anything that hurts them hurts us more. This was when I began to understand Pop; for better or for worse, he was trying to do the best he could for us in the only way he knew how.
Read MoreSo for me, I thought it would be fitting to start this journey by fighting one of my demons, LAZINESS! If I could, I would sleep all damn day. I can lie in bed and not budge. It’s because of this enemy that I “slack off” a lot on my housework and other things. I understand why I feel lazy. It is the sheer amount of fatigue caused by my life every day. I work, I have four children, and I have my entrepreneurial projects. So what do I do? How do I find the energy to get started? How can I reach my goal without finding excuses to quit? Lucky for me, my first attempt actually landed on my lap.
Read MoreBy Elise Ruiz de Porras
So here I am. Working mother of 4 children. Closing in on my 40’s. Overweight. Tired. I know I’m not healthy. I don’t want to feel like this. I want to change. I know that the only way this situation will change is if I’m willing to change. Speaking with other women has taught me that I’m not alone and that this journey is not as easy as it sounds.
Read MoreI can remember a time in my life when things were much simpler. A curly haired, wild, spontaneous little creature who imagined her way through life, creating stories and vivid realities for herself explored a world she was unfamiliar with. She lived, breathed, and searched for joy. What else could this world be offering but fun? It was all around. Fun games, fun people, fun food. There was a time in my life when I ate to eat. I ate because I was hungry, or because it was mealtime. Eating food didn’t drive me crazy, it fueled me. I enjoyed it during celebrations, and I savored my favorites. Each bite was guiltless and carefree. That little girl that enjoyed a biological necessity without added emotional baggage. But somehow, that child was told she was wrong and was forced into a deep, dark area of my heart.
Read MoreI had all the tools I thought I needed to overcome my fears, my doubts, and my worries about my first child. I researched everything I could about natural birth. I enrolled in an expensive birth education class, and, obsessively, I read everything I could get my hands on. I was determined to make my birth different from what my mother experienced. I would be the natural-birthing, breastfeeding, attachment-parenting warrior I often criticized my mother of not being.
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