Being super takes a lot of practice

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 14 February 2012 16:05

As a mom, I always imagined I would be at the top of my game when it comes to protecting my girls.

With the medical history of our oldest, including lab-work, hospital stays and surgery, my husband and I have become adept at overprotectiveness regarding her health. We’ve had practice holding her through her pain and tears. And we’ve hidden our own tears to lessen her fears.

Sometimes I feel like we’ve morphed into a kind of super-parent zone when it comes to not crashing under the pressure of a 107 degree temperature, or three straight days of visiting the hospital laboratory to draw blood or not jumping down the throat of a nurse who has immense trouble inserting an IV into my little girl’s arm.

We’ve learned to be at the...

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Select a word for the year ahead

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 17 January 2012 15:42

The New Year is no longer new. And the transition to 2012 was probably pretty uneventful for most.

Remnants of any celebrations have long-since been cleared. In fact, trash from one of the world’s largest New Year’s parties—Times Square in New York City—is cleared well before dawn, leaving one to wonder if up to 1 million people ever really rang in the New Year together.

Even if you vowed to somehow make 2012 different, for the majority, life continued in the manner of 2011. There’s work, school, family responsibilities and daily duties. Most of 2011 rolled right in to 2012 without much notice—even this pesky head cold of mine…good riddance!

By now, the freshness of New Year’s resolutions has probably worn off. Perhaps...

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Introspection a gift for this season

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:38

During a time where the world around me races at a frantic pace—shopping, baking, partying, wrapping, unwrapping—I find myself quietly reflective.

It’s not that I haven’t been participating in outward Christmas tidings; quite the opposite. Our family has been thoroughly involved in decking the halls and spreading goodwill toward men.

In fact, by the time you read this, I will have completed my debut as director of our church’s Christmas program. (I’ve had a lot of fun, by the way.)

Our Christmas tree is in place, decorated by a jubilant 3-year-old who put all the ornaments on the bottom 2 feet of the tree. (She wasn’t too happy when I began evenly dispersing the Frosty Friends.)

The stockings are hung.

My husband and I...

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A child is what it is...right?

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 15 November 2011 15:44

As I sit to write this, it is late Monday afternoon. And for those of you halfway familiar with the Free Press schedule, you know what Mondays are.

Press day. Deadline day. Have- your-stuff-turned-in day.

Monday afternoon is not the time to be sitting down to write my column.

And yet, here I am.

In my defense, I didn’t forget about my column, per se. I was just a week off.

I generally use life-happenstance to be my inspiration. So I guess I will go with it.

Mommy-brain is not a myth.

It is a full-fledged, headache-worthy, always-have-a-calendar truth.

But sometimes, not even the strongest Tylenol or the biggest calendar helps.

It’s in those times something fellow columnist Shelly Plett wrote about a few weeks ago, sticks out...

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