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Wide Awake with Gratitude
It’s late. The kind of late where the world feels quiet, where even the hum of the fridge sounds louder than usual. I can hear the dog snoring under the bed – his favourite place to sleep. Sleep just isn’t coming tonight, and instead of tossing and turning, I find myself sitting with gratitude. My kids are sleeping peacefully, each one such a miracle in their own unique way. They push me, stretch me, challenge me, and teach me more about love than I ever thought I could hold. Sometimes, in these quiet moments, I just feel overwhelmed with how lucky I am to be their mom. Then there’s my…
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Becoming Me Again: A Memoir of Motherhood, Healing, and Holding On
There’s a moment I come back to often. I’m standing in the middle of my kitchen – unshowered, in pajamas, a baby on my hip, a toddler pulling at my leg, and another wailing somewhere nearby. Crumbs are everywhere. The laundry pile is overflowing. The noise is loud, but somehow, inside me, it’s quiet. Almost numb. In that moment, I feel like I’m unraveling. But underneath the exhaustion, something else is happening too. A remembering. A reckoning. A kind of becoming. Becoming a mother cracked me open in ways I never expected – and in ways that forced me to face the things I thought I had long buried. I…
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When Flamingos Lose Their Pink: Motherhood, Gentle Parenting, and Finding Our Way Back
Flamingos are known for their vibrant pink feathers. But here’s something most people don’t realize: when flamingos become mothers, they lose that pink. The pigments that give them their colour get redirected into producing “crop milk” – the rich nourishment their babies need to survive. Over time, their feathers fade to pale, even white. But it doesn’t stay that way forever. Once their babies are thriving, the mother flamingo slowly regains her colour, feather by feather, as she rebuilds her own strength. When I learned this, it felt like someone had put words to my own experience of motherhood. After having three little ones so close together, I know what…
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Finding Strength in the Middle of the Mess
Some days, I don’t wake up feeling like a warrior. I wake up already tired, already doubting myself, already wishing I could crawl back under the covers and hit pause on life. I start the day wondering if I’ll ever feel “caught up” or if this is just what it means to be human – constantly balancing between what I want for myself and what the world needs from me. Life doesn’t separate struggle from strength. It hands us both at once, tangled together, and we’re left to sort through the mess. For a long time, I believed that strength meant being unshakable, never doubting, never faltering. But what I’ve…
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Losing Myself, Finding Myself: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression
I never expected to lose myself in motherhood. When I imagined having a baby, I pictured the soft newborn snuggles, the sweet scent of baby skin, and the overwhelming love that everyone talks about. And while those moments did come, they were often drowned out by something heavier – something I wasn’t prepared for. Postpartum depression crept in quietly at first. A wave of exhaustion, a deep sadness I couldn’t explain, and a feeling that I was somehow failing at a job I had barely started. I thought I was just tired. I thought it would pass. But soon, the exhaustion turned into numbness. The sadness became an anchor pulling…
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Finding My Way Back: Motherhood, Isolation, and Relearning Friendship
Motherhood has a way of pulling you inward. At first, it feels natural – necessary, even. The early days are a blur of feedings, diaper changes, endless cuddles, and the constant, overwhelming work of keeping a tiny human alive. You blink, and somehow the world outside your home feels farther and farther away. I didn’t set out to isolate myself. It just…happened. Texts were read but not responded to. Group chats became overwhelming. Even when I wanted to say yes, the logistics of finding childcare, figuring out nap schedules, or even just scraping together the energy to shower and get dressed felt impossible. And so, little by little, my world…
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“That Shouldn’t Bother Me” – But It Does: Valid Triggers in Motherhood
There are days when a whine from the other room sends my whole body into fight-or-flight. When the crying won’t stop and I feel like I might shatter. When a simple comment – “You should enjoy this time” – feels like a slap in the face. And what follows next? Guilt. Why am I so reactive? Shouldn’t I be able to handle this by now? If this sounds familiar, I want you to know something: You’re not broken. You’re not overreacting. You’re just human. And your triggers in motherhood? They’re valid. Let’s Be Honest About What Triggers Us Before I became a mom, I thought love would be enough. That…
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Why Trauma-Informed Parenting Matters More Than Ever
I used to think my son was just being “difficult.” The tantrums, the meltdowns, the refusal to do even the smallest things—it felt like defiance. And honestly? It pushed every button I had. But then one day, something shifted. It hit me – he wasn’t trying to be bad. He was overwhelmed. Dysregulated. His tiny nervous system was asking for help the only way it knew how. That moment cracked something open in me. Since then, my whole approach to parenting has changed. I’m learning to see behavior as communication – not just from my kids, but from myself too. And as a mom currently studying social work, I’ve been…
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Life Lately: When You’re Tired in Your Bones But Still Showing Up
Some days, I’m not just tired – I’m tired in my bones. The kind of tired that doesn’t go away with sleep. The kind that’s wrapped up in mental load and overstimulation and wondering if I’m doing enough, being enough, loving well enough. Life lately has been…full. Beautiful, for the most part, yes. But also heavy. Loud. Messy. Three kids. Social work school. Trying to grow GentlyJenn again. Dishes. Diapers. Papers to write. Snacks to cut into very specific shapes or risk a meltdown. There are moments I look around and think – How am I still standing? And the answer is: I’m not always. Sometimes I’m slumped on the…
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Celebrate Your Wins: You’re Doing More Than Just Surviving
Life has a funny way of piling it all on at once, doesn’t it? Between juggling responsibilities, healing from old wounds, showing up for the people we love, and just trying to keep our heads above water, it’s easy to lose sight of something really important: how far we’ve come. Recently, a friend suggested I write this post. They reminded me that I’ve been through a lot this past year – not just the hard stuff, but the growth, the accomplishments, the moments of quiet strength. Sometimes, we need someone on the outside to point out what we’re too busy or too humble to notice ourselves. So here I am,…