By: Jen Wainwright Can we be real for a minute? I mean … Real? You see, my grandma used to say that she had no use for, “a person who can’t say ‘shit’ when they have a mouthful.” You know these people? We all know these people. They run around acting like they’ve got sunshine […]
By: Jen Wainwright Many moons ago, I worked in a restaurant with a manager who … noticed. If you were stocking salads, or prepping silverware or doing some little, behind-the-scenes job, he’d yell out across the back of the restaurant, “I see your work! I’m seein’ what your doin’! I see your work!” These days, […]
By: Jen Wainwright It was like a scene from a movie. A horror movie happening in real life … She was so awkward, so painfully awkward. She epitomized all that can and does go wrong with limbs, and social awareness, and braces. In the thick of eighth grade, I’m not sure if she had any […]
By: Jen Wainwright I actually have it all together. I have it all figured out. My life is perfect. My relationship, my job, my income – perfect. My children and stepchildren, my family, my partner’s family – all absolutely perfect people and perfect relationships. I write a blog titled JEN’S ZEN because I have it […]
By: Jen Wainwright Sitting on our bathroom counter, staring into the mirror, my five-year-old ran her fingers along the scar on her forehead. “Will my scar ever go away, Mama?” “No, baby girl. It will keep fading, but it will not.” She ran her fingers along the pink, tender area, smiled a few times, […]
By: Jen Wainwright Driving to school the other morning, we passed a new shop opening in Old Town Saginaw. The owner is a youngin’ of about 22, good friends with my little brother, venturing into business in a unique, and somewhat lost trade – he is a cobbler (by definition: one who mends or makes […]
By: Jen Wainwright How the hell did I get here? Every parent already knows the answer. How did I get here, barely able to walk, limping from my bed to the medicine cabinet – hoping and praying that I had remembered to buy pain reliever on one of those trips to the store even though […]
By: Jen Wainwright Our New Year is here! How’s 2015 going for you so far, Parent? Resolutions? Goals? Are you thinking about what you want out of your year? More importantly, though, have you asked yourself this invaluable question: What do you want your year to feel like? It’s this most important answer that we […]
By: Jen Wainwright What can I possibly gift you, my friends and fellow parents? Aside from a hearty and heartfelt THANK YOU for reading, sharing, commenting and just being present and part of my accidental blog that, in many ways, has catapulted me out of my comfort zone of journalism…and become a wonderful experience for […]
By: Jen Wainwright My kids and I were snuggled on the couch, talking about our upcoming holiday plans. It’s all so exciting to me, really! We’ll make cookies with close family friends, a tradition my best friend and I began the year our oldest daughters were born. And we’ll get into our van and […]