February 11, 2022
by Maralee
Comments Off on Stop Beating Yourself Up About Movie Nights
I was smoothing down my seven-year-old’s hair the other night while we sat next to each other on the couch. He was snuggled up next to me and it occurred to me how rare these moments feel as he’s getting … Continue reading
December 16, 2021
by Maralee
Comments Off on I Think I Did Nothing Today
Sometimes I lay in bed at the end of the day and ask myself the inevitable Question of The Night: What did you do today? What did you accomplish? Sometimes it makes me want to cry. I don’t have a … Continue reading
September 10, 2021
by Maralee
2 Comments
Today marks fourteen years that I’ve been a mother (plus the four before that where I was a house mom in a group home, but I digress). 7 kids: 5 adopted, 2 biological. Ages 14 to 1. I’ve learned a … Continue reading
August 25, 2021
by Maralee
Comments Off on I Want My Body Back
It took me about ten minutes to walk a few feet today. I’m not exaggerating. There was a toy in the baby’s room that belonged in the bathtub. I put the baby down so I could pick up the toy … Continue reading
May 11, 2021
by Maralee
Comments Off on A Rebuttal to the Mom Who Said it’s Okay to Prioritize Your Bio Kids Over Your Adopted Kids
Yesterday I listened to a podcast I typically enjoy. It’s about the Enneagram and the host (who is adopted) was interviewing a woman who aged out of foster care and is now a foster parent. I am not putting her … Continue reading
May 7, 2021
by Maralee
1 Comment
Dear 2040 Maralee, Today was hard. And it’s not even noon yet. You awoke to the sound of a crying baby who had a diaper malfunction in the night, so by 7 a.m. you were already running a load of … Continue reading
November 9, 2020
by Maralee
3 Comments
My daughter has a birthday coming up. As I was shopping for gifts for her, I thought about how stressful her birthday used to be for me. I wanted things to be perfect for her, but I felt like I … Continue reading
May 28, 2020
by Maralee
2 Comments
I’ve been reading the story of a family that just breaks my heart. They very publicly crowdsourced funds for the international adoption of a child. They very publicly brought him home and talked in detail about his history. They very … Continue reading
May 27, 2020
by Maralee
1 Comment
Dear Parents of Foster Parents, I remember when I called my mom and told her I was now raising seven boys– most of them teenagers. My husband and I were working at a group home. We started with four boys … Continue reading
April 28, 2020
by Maralee
Comments Off on Infertility– Suffering, Marriage, Friendship and Faith Radio Interview
It was a weird moment the other day when I verbalized to my husband that we are now experiencing secondary infertility. About fifteen years ago we were diagnosed with infertility, adopted four kids, experienced two miracle pregnancies that ended with … Continue reading