Hey there! I’m Mikala—a family doctor, wife, mother of 5, well-being advocate, and author of the books Ordinary on Purpose and Everything I Wish I Could Tell You About Midlife. Each month my writing reaches millions of women, but I am thrilled to be connecting with YOU. I’m truly grateful to have you here!
All tagged #lifehappensintheordinary
Me. Family. Good friends. Connection. Real food. Nature. Pets. Comfortable footwear. Fresh baked bread. My tattered bible while soaking in a warm tub before bed.
The Christmas Story isn’t about twinkly lights or making merry. And it’s not about making Christmas “simple” either. Not really.
Every year, my kids come home for break with excitement shining in their eyes as they put clumsily wrapped packages under the tree labeled TO: Mom.
Moms, we don’t have to do it all every year. We can pick one or two things, then just be present and soak it in. Turns out, Christmas adds up over time!
If you find yourself thinking, Why can’t we all just get along? Why can’t anyone seem to do the right thing? What the hell is wrong with the world??? Me too. Here’s what we can do.
If you are the mother of a teenage boy, you need to hear this one.
This is a book for any woman who has reached midlife and wondered, Is this . . . it? I thought it would get easier. I thought I would have more figured out by now. I always thought life would be more beautiful than this.
She carries her children’s joy and sorrow. She carries their goodness and pain. And every night she casts ALL the things she’s carrying off to Jesus as she prays over her children’s souls.
It turns out, no one’s talking about the hardest stuff. The REAL stuff.
I wish I could say I’m the perfect mother. But…I’m not. Not even close. Day after day I mess up in a million ways, and I'm still the right mom for the job.
In tiny glimpses, it ALL feels like enough. My life. This hard, broken world. My family. Me, even.
Our main job as parents is to help our children navigate life. REAL LIFE. And that means talking to them about the hard stuff.
First, I’d recommend a deep breath. And...maybe another. Then simply repeat a phrase like this one, “Oh, I know honey. Ugh. There’s always something to do, right? I sure do appreciate your help around here.”
As I’ve grown older and my deepest relationships remain, I realize what the girl next door brings to a friendship, especially during these transitional years of midlife.
Somewhere along the way…we stopped trying to change one another. We stopped keeping track and stopped keeping score and decided to be on the same team.
It might look a little different now, but your boy will always need you in so many ways!
Motherhood is exhausting and scary and filled to the brim with beautiful, heart-stopping, tear-jerking, breathtaking moments. And you get to feel every single emotion!
