On being the magic maker

This Christmas, for whatever reason, I’ve been putting extra pressure on myself to make the season truly magical for my children. Maybe it’s because they’re getting older. Maybe it’s because we’re going on vacation right before Christmas and there will be fewer presents under the tree. Maybe it’s because I finished my clinical a month…

We got a dog!

So the other day, this happened: Last Thursday the kids and I drove about an hour to a nearby shelter and brought home this adorable ball of fur. We’ve changed his name from Collin to Biscuit (group decision—when did my family become a democracy, by the way?), given him a bath, attempted to get him…

I still have days

I was able to share about my recent depression roller coaster ride because I had gained some perspective. Three weeks into it—a month—I would have told you how awful I was feeling. How hard the whole thing was. How much effort it took for me to not only go to the umpteen appointments I suddenly needed, but…

Because you’re worth it

I have been working days for almost two weeks now and all I can think is, why didn’t we do this sooner? I guess the main reason was money—after having two kids in daycare full-time, the opportunity for me to stay home and spend ZERO DOLLARS on childcare was very appealing. I used to look…

The land of the living

Nursing is a unique profession in that it’s a 24/7 job. We work the day shift, night shift, evening shift, morning shift…the possibilities are endless, depending on the needs of the hospital unit and patient population. I have been blessed in my career to have experienced just about every shift—I paid my dues on nights…

3 more ways to be frugal this winter

As we get deeper into budgeting this year, the thrill of the new has worn off and I’m finding myself falling victim to my old spending habits. For me, much of the work of learning to spend less has been on changing my mindset. My day-to-day habits, I’m realizing, have a lot to do with…