I remember when Saturday mornings were sleep in days. Days to sit in front of the t.v. eating a bowl of cereal and watching cartoons. Not just any cartoon. Tom and Jerry was the best. Admittedly though, I never really knew who was who. I mean, who was the cat and who was the mouse? (I sure hope this is a judgment free zone! 😅) It didn't really matter. I still laughed throughout the whole thing and looked forward to my morning routine. On most Saturdays, my cartoons were followed by a series of dance classes. Ballet. Tap. Jazz. I had a routine and carried it out for many years. As time passed, my routine changed. Many years later, I found myself creating a Saturday morning routine for my daughter. I needed to guard her time. I needed to control her environment. I needed to protect her developing a spirit of laziness. She needed a routine. Having relocated from Philadelphia to Tallahassee and transitioning from a two-income household to a single-income household, the options fo

Life was beginning to wear us down! Our days were draining the life out of us, so 9:00pm was mommy and daddy t.v. time. He would lie on a blanket on the floor and I would lie on the couch. Occasionally, we have our cell phones in hand. On this particular evening, the periscope symbol popped up on my screen. When I saw who was broadcasting, I immediately clicked the button to view the scope. I listened to this couple have a fun and frank conversation about relationships. It was early February and I began to feel myself sinking into a pool of emptiness. My heart was broken. My joy was gone. My church affiliation had turned upside down in the blink of an eye. I felt completely disconnected from God. I felt like I was talking, asking, and crying out to him but receiving the silent treatment in return. I felt like I was running around in a circle and not getting anywhere. My husband and I were on the brink of celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. I was clear that this milest

“Mom, would you let me wear eyeliner and mascara?” This was the question of the day from my oldest daughter when she was in middle school, somewhere around 12-years old. Without thinking and with no hesitation, I responded “Sure, when you turn 16!” Where did that age come from? I still ask myself that same question every day. I know I spit it out so quickly because I used to hear my mother tell me that. If you’re in your thirties and beyond you know we didn’t question momma back then. Whatever she said went. So I assumed there was some rhyme or reason.   But nope! It’s an arbitrary number…at least it was in my home. Arbitrary is the only word I could use to describe it. The magic number was definitely set ‘based on a random choice or personal whim.’ The last couple of months have reinforced the idea that I need to be more careful with setting arbitrary boundaries. Here are the specific lessons learned:  1.       Mindless decisions made on a whim may hinde