Recent Blog Articles
I am my father's daughter. My mother tells me this all the time. She tells me I inherited his calm, quiet demeanor and rare stubborn temper (when warranted, of course, like the time he got mad because I kept bugging him for a hamster, and I got mad because he kept...
It's the week before school gets out. End of year concerts and parties at school, making sure you didn't forget to sign your kid up for camp blah blah blah, and hoping like hell your babysitter doesn't find a better gig in the next two weeks. As if this isn't enough...
Or, An Agenda for Date Night. Wait. What? The whole purpose of "forced couple fun" is to connect. Like many of you, Jason and I live busy lives. Yet connecting through the good, the bad and the ugly ignites the chemistry and reminds us why we're together. Life...
I’ve had this blog idea floating around in my head for quite some time, and it seems fitting that I’m finally writing it with Mother’s Day just around the corner. My life is not dissimilar from other women I know who have small children. With three kids in school and...
A few weeks ago, my son's elementary school held its annual "Muffins with Mom" event in the school cafeteria. It was my fifth, I think—not including that one year I missed because of a business trip. (How could I forget that guilt?) On my ride to work afterward, I...
"I am one of the two percent." That is a statement you wouldn't have heard me say a few years ago—mostly out of fear and shame. You're probably wondering, "Two percent of what?" Well, I'm part of the approximately two percent of the population born intersex. If this...
I'm a Zeeland native—and while it may not be Holland, I was still raised on the tulips, elephant ears and wooden shoes of Tulip Time. Not to boast, but I even got half days of school because half of the student body was performing in the festivities anyway. (That's...
Cannonsburg, Michigan. Have you heard of it? It's OK if you haven't. It's a small community northeast of Grand Rapids. Some may say, "If you blink, you'll miss it." It really is that small. Sure, you can drive through it quickly, but what you see out your window will...
If you're outside the business world, you may never have pondered entrepreneurship. If you're inside the business world, you may never have considered it as a philosophy of value to daily living. It is! In my work with Michigan Women's Foundation to eliminate barriers...
Many traditions are associated with "tying the knot." But did you know that one of the latest nuptial trends has to do with nature? Weddings have evolved from the original family-centered small event at home to elaborate productions with a hefty price tag. The average...