In my bedroom, I have an old wooden stool. The paint is chipped, and the legs are marred with scratches and dents, probably from being dropped over the years. You can see where glue…
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The chair rocked back and forth, my baby’s sniffles the only sound in the quiet room. In the dark, I looked down, and she lifted her head off my chest and smiled at me.…
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Allie, my five-year-old, watches me from the kitchen table. “How can you carry both things?” she asks. Her big brown eyes are wide. “Moms can carry lots of things,” I say, holding a box…
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“I was a high school counselor before I got married.” “I have a master’s degree.” Years ago, I sometimes found myself trying to drop these sentences into conversations. I wasn’t necessarily trying to brag.…
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This is my first summer as a mom of three, and I feel like I’m failing. The smell of burnt hamburger fills the room, intensified by my baby’s sobs from the playmat on the…
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I’m tired. And I know the crew is too. I hate how easily I snap at the kids at this point of harvest. In the brief moments when Rich is home, all three kids…
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The school supply list has been printed off and sitting on my desk for the last month. I’ve been a little excited about getting to shop for two kids this fall for back-to-school. Partly…
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“Mom, when’s she gonna be bigger?” Allie asked, looking at Nora. “What do you mean? She is big! And getting bigger every day!” I said, already defensive with Nora’s birthday only a few days…
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When I married a farmer, I didn’t realize one of my biggest roles would be feeding people. Years ago, Rich occasionally showed up at the house before noon, asking, “Could you make the guys…
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I unload the last box from my car and close the door to the apartment behind me. Turning back, I remember to lock the deadbolt, then collapse on the floor between the boxes. My…