It’s October, which means we’ll soon be swimming in a sea of pink—pink ribbons, pink t-shirts, and even pink football cleats—to raise awareness about breast cancer.

But this month is also dedicated to another women’s issue*, one that, in light of recent news in the NFL, is getting talked about far more than it ever has in the past: domestic violence.

The video of Baltimore Raven Ray Rice knocking his then-fiancee unconscious rocked many of us to our core. Not because we didn’t already know that domestic violence existed, but because the details of it are so unpleasant to think about. We shudder at the thought of a girlfriend covered in bruises or a wife trying to conceal a black eye.

While the video has gotten people talking openly about domestic violence in a way I haven’t seen before—which is a good thing!—it’s also brought to light many of the myths and misconceptions that continue to permeate our society’s collective understanding of this violent crime. 

So today, in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I’m going to do my part to separate fact from fiction.

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While blogging about blogging—very meta!—isn’t usually my thing, over the past few months I have been able to learn and capitalize on the power of Pinterest for bloggers, and I can’t help but spread the wealth about how to increase traffic from Pinterest and gain more followers.

Right now almost 70 percent of the traffic to this site comes from pinners, despite the fact that my Pinterest following is still (relatively) small (though it did grow 160% in a matter of weeks, as a direct result of these steps!).

What’s more, I’ve discovered that traffic from Pinterest is far more consistent than that of other social media outlets—a major draw for bloggers who are frustrated by, say, changing Facebook algorithms (ahem). 

The best part is that the steps I’ve been following aren’t complicated; they don’t require you to be a web developer or graphic designer. They just require a willingness to be smart and intentional about your pinning strategy (or to have a strategy in the first place!).

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“Don’t keep a secret because secrets will kill you.” 

That’s one of the messages my husband’s parents are trying to spread after my 19-year-old sister-in-law’s death in March from a heroin overdose.

Hannah was a smart, funny, and loving young woman—a woman with her whole life ahead of her, a world of possibilities at her fingertips. 

Except that, unbeknownst to my in-laws until years later, Hannah was robbed of her joy and innocence when she was sexually abused for four years beginning at age 7.

The abuse left her with debilitating emotional pain and a constant barrage of terrible thoughts spinning through her brain. When she discovered opiates, she discovered a way of numbing that pain and quieting those thoughts, but then the addiction took over her entire life.

After 5-6 years of struggling with addiction—which included 20 different rehabs and addiction treatment programs all over the country—she died of a heroin overdose in her bedroom at my in-law’s house. More →

“You know, I used to be a very disciplined person,” my friend mused. 

“Yep, and I used to actually get things done!” I chimed in. “Many, many things!”

We continued to chat about the way our productivity has taken a nose dive since our kids came along. So many people like us—people who used to be experts in planning, scheduling, and getting results—find that becoming a parent turns our brains and our calendars to absolute mush.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m finding I can still catch glimpses of my previously productive self when I focus on intentionally cultivating the productive habits that came naturally to me pre-baby, notably these twelve. More →

If I were to ask you what you value most in life, I’d be willing to bet your answer would revolve around your relationships—with your children, your spouse or partner, your family, and your friends.

These connections are the backbone of a life well-lived, and what’s more, research shows that deep, meaningful relationships are essential to our physical and emotional wellbeing. People with strong, supportive relationships have been shown to have lower rates of morbidity and mortality, better mental health, and a more positive outlook on life.

Today I’m teaming up with Wendy from New Moms Talk to explore the topic of meaningful relationships through a Q&A format similar to the Writing Process BlogHop from a few months ago. We’d love if you joined in and wrote your own post reflecting on these questions! More →

This is an updated version of a post that appeared on this blog in November 2013. 

Like most busy moms, I’m a list-maker. There is simply no way I could juggle the constant demands of work and family without putting pen to paper multiple times each day.

Write it down, cross it off, repeat.

Most of the time my list-making tendencies serve me well; they keep me calm by ensuring I don’t forget to schedule my son’s doctor appointment or submit that article by the deadline.

But every now and then, during particularly busy days or weeks, my lists become so impossibly long—overflowing with more tasks than any mortal could feasibly complete—that they themselves become a source of stress and anxiety.

I start tossing and turning at night over the fact that I didn’t have time to cross it all off. While that sometimes makes me more productive, other times it makes it impossible to see the forest through the trees and get to the tasks that matter most.

To prevent this from happening, I’ve started building better to-do lists. And by better, I mean prioritized. More →

This week I’m desperately trying to claw my way out of a pit of deadlines. I know it will be worth it once the work is done and my byline is published, but at this exact moment all I can hear is the clock tick-tocking way faster than I’d like.

Under stressful circumstances like this, I’m sad to say I’m the total opposite of cool as a cucumber (hot as a jalapeño, perhaps?). 

In fact, every nerve-racking situation I’m in generally includes at least one overwhelming moment of panic and hysteria. In this instance, I started listing every upcoming deadline I need to meet, followed by the alarmingly low number of hours I have to meet them—and immediately began to freak out.

My husband, whose middle name is “Composure,” calmly reminded me that panicking is entirely unnecessary, considering that I have been overwhelmed by deadlines many times in my life and somehow it always—always—works out just fine.

The last part of that is certainly true, but I take issue with the rest of it.

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