The Power of Story

I am a really, really big NPR geek. It started when I was a stay-at-home Momma after the birth of my first baby. My girl never slept during the day through that whole 4th Trimester – unless I was holding her. (This was sixteen a LONG time ago! Long before the ubiquitous smartphones and Netflix […]
How Pregnancy & Birth Transformed Me
It’s not a new idea: Pregnancy and birth are powerful, transformative experiences. But I believe this power to transform happens every single time you’re preparing to become a parent, whether it’s your first time or your fifth! Each of my pregnancies and births taught me and transformed me anew. The focus is usually on how […]
Sea Turtles Laying Their Eggs

One of the most incredible experiences ever – witnessing endangered sea turtles laying their eggs on the beaches of Tortuguero, Costa Rica!
What About The Book, Barb???

“How’s the book coming?” Why does such an easy question inevitably lead to such a complicated answer? Yesterday morning, I told my visiting mother-in-law that I was going downstairs to try and write for “just a little bit.” Which prompted her to ask me about “the book” and “how it was going.” I felt compelled […]
Empty Nest
It takes a torrential rain or windstorm to blow the last remaining leaves off the trees revealing what was so well-hidden in the uppermost branches throughout Spring and Summer: one, two, sometimes up to three bird’s nests. They vary in size and shape, and I have no idea if these nests were constructed just last […]
Letting Go
I just got back from taking my “baby” to get her driver’s permit. She passed! And now I have to decide what emotion I’m feeling after paying the $32.50 that was required for her to smile for a photo that allows her to legally get behind the wheel of an automobile. Is it pride? Fear? […]
Boys (And Some Girls?) Don’t Cry
My six-year old son stood in front of me with tears streaming down his face and his lips in a full downward pout – so different from his usual dimpled, teeth-just-coming-in, goofy grin. He was crying because he’s feeling anxious about starting up swim lessons again. In January. I knelt down to make eye contact […]
Have a Little Patience
As a Senior in High School, I had this amazing AP English teacher, Ms. Lausch, who encouraged us to keep a notebook at all times. We could doodle in it, write stories, song lyrics or poems, it didn’t matter as long as we did something. She would collect the notebooks every Friday and “grade” them. […]