I'm a suburban Kansas City native, meaning I grew up in Tornado Alley. I've never been in a tornado myself, but I have been blocks away a few times - don't believe the old wives' tale that it won't hit a city! Many towns close by, though, have been greatly damaged, such as Lawrence and North KC, or even experienced complete destruction like Greensburg and Joplin.

Tornadoes are a powerful enigma to me. A flood, an earthquake, a tsunami, a blizzard, a volcanic eruption, a…

Advice for Others, Prompt 5:

What activities, practices, features or events have helped you most in terms of blog or social media growth?

I feel a little silly doing a prompt under this category; I'm no expert. But I will just share my tale, which is kind of the point of this blog, and you can take it as advice or simply as a story.

So many things have helped Midwest "Mom"ments grow. It started as an online journal. Then I slowly…

Bright pink chalk handprint on the hip of my black dress pants

Photos and artwork blanket my office

Crying on the way to work after spending a long weekend together

Rushing home over lunch to have a few extra moments with the girls

Constantly recalculating the cost of living and the cost of loving

S says she wishes she was sick so I could stay home with her

At drop-off, she cries and says…