About Tsh

Tsh is the creator of this blog and a recent convert to kombucha. She's mom to three kids, likes her coffee black, and thinks a library card, a Netflix subscription, and a passport are some of the greatest parenting tools in the universe. She's written a few books, and her next is due for release with Thomas Nelson in early 2014. She and her family will travel around the world soon after—hopefully everyone will be potty-trained by then.

by Tsh on May 23, 2013 • 23 Comments Announcement

Summer podcastin’, and the living’s easy…

It’s almost summer here in the northern hemisphere (though it certainly doesn’t feel like it here in Oregon to this native Texan—it snowed yesterday!), and when this season dawns, I like to slow things down a bit. The to-do list never ends when you work for yourself, but it does mean that you can take off a random Tuesday and spend it floating down a river. I like that.

My kids will be home, we’ll be traveling, and there are plenty of pool and lake days with my name on them, library book in tow. The same goes for my friends I podcast with, and so we’re gonna slow them down a bit. Just for a few months.

We record The Simple Mom Podcast (almost) weekly, and though I know several of you have said you wished they were daily, there’s actually quite a bit of work that goes in to producing them—not to mention juggling two mamas’ schedules to get in a good recording. I absolutely LOVE making them; they’re one of my favorite parts of this weird gig I do. I mean, who wouldn’t love a fabulous excuse to talk to six wonderful women on a regular basis?

But for the summer, we’re going to be producing them every other week, so that we can make the most of our summer with our families. I know, you can throw tomatoes at me. I think you’ll manage. (That was sarcastic, if you couldn’t tell. It’s not always obvious on the Internet.)

Here’s the recent podcasts from the past few months, if you’ve missed out on some:

• The Wayback, with cohost Megan Tietz

• Gauntlet Month, with cohost Kat Lee

• Father Hen, with cohost Hayley Morgan

• Compliment Sandwich, with cohost Lisa Leonard

• Be a Good You, with cohost Emily Freeman (a special episode dedicated entirely to the 5% collective wisdom we share on book publishing)

• Talk About Magic, with cohost Megan Tietz

• The Plate Whisperer, with cohost Myquillyn Smith (aka The Nester)

I’m so grateful that so many of you listen! They really are a joy to create.

And in the meantime, I’d love to hear what you’d like to hear us discuss on the podcasts! Any topics that pique your interest? You can always email me questions using the contact form, or feel free to toss out ideas here in the comments.

by Tsh on May 21, 2013 • 153 Comments Travel Your Family

Around the world

So I’ve alluded some here on the blog, a bit on Instagram, and hinted around a bit on Facebook, but I haven’t been too specific about our plans yet, simply because they’re still etched in lightweight pencil with an eraser nearby. But enough of you have asked, and it’s not a secret, so I figured I’d go ahead and tell you:

Next year, my family and I will be traveling around the world.

We’ve wanted to do this for a very, very long time, so this isn’t a rash decision. Ever since we moved back from Turkey three years ago (has it really been three years already?), we knew we wanted to get back “out there” and explore. So the concrete is still very mushy on our plans (in fact, you could say we’re still mixing it), but we’re planning on traveling for the 2014-15 school year. So, a bit over a year from now.

I’ll be writing about our plans a bit more this next year, as we learn about places, glean advice from friends doing the same thing, and make global connections, but today, I thought I’d address one of the bigger questions I get. It’s this one:

Why?

(There’s also How? and Where?, but those are separate posts for another day.)

So, here’s why.

[Read more...]

by Tsh on May 20, 2013 • 39 Comments Personal Growth You

Be the boss of you

As you start this week, may you be courageous and bold enough to do the things that are good and healthy for you, the things you know make you a better grownup and more in to who you’re made to be.

I distinctly remember this one evening after visiting some family friends late into the night, when I was soundly sleeping in the backseat, my head propped on the side of the car and my body rolled up in a self-made cocoon. I’m guessing I was about 8 or 9, and we had just pulled up into our driveway; my dad turned off the ignition and my mom gathered my younger brother, also sleeping, in her arms.

“Tsh. Tsh. Time to wake up. We’re home,” my mom said, and then she turned toward the house with her arms full. I wondered—if I sat still long enough, would one of my parents return to the car to carry me, too? Maybe they’ll think I’m sound asleep and didn’t hear them. Or maybe they’ll have pity on my too-big body and schlep my dead weight over their shoulder.

A few seconds passed of stillness and silence, and no one came back for me. This is when I realized: I was too big to be carried in any more. I was growing up, and part of that meant not getting to be a baby. Most of the time, that was cool. But at 11 p.m., when I wanted someone else to do the getting out, the walking up the driveway, the clothes changing, and the teeth brushing, I was bummed that I didn’t get an official memo when that part of my life ended. Somehow, I blinked and missed that phase between being small enough to be babied and big enough to now do some big things myself.

[Read more...]

by Tsh on May 18, 2013 • 3 Comments Links

Weekend links

100 People: A World Portrait
Why I can’t #FitchTheHomeless :: Life Rearranged
I’m still here: Back online after a year without the Internet :: The Verge
12 things your daughter needs you to say :: Chatting at the Sky
Not just a girl… :: Jamie C. Moore

The readers who’ve won a copy of Freefall to Fly are: Kristi, Kelli, Catherine, Christina, Kristi, Dawn, Kristin, Laura, Christie, and Katie. Congrats to the ten of you! Look for an email and get back to us as soon as you can.

“We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” -Bill Watterson

by Tsh on May 16, 2013 • Books You

Freefall to Fly

If it were possible to feel an emotion when I went through depression several years ago, that emotion would have been surprised. I never pegged myself as someone prone to depression, and besides, I always thought depression meant crying, walking around feeling sad all the time, and triggered by something traumatic or heartbreaking.

But since my typical depressive state was feeling…. nothing, I wasn’t surprised, because “surprise” is a feeling, isn’t it? And so I went through about two years, off and on, feeling nothing more than something, waiting for something or someone to pull me out of my cloud and make to my usual self.

It’s now been about three years since I was in the thick throes of depression, though I remember the odd, in between-like state as though it were yesterday, and I’m fully aware that those who’ve been depressed before have a higher chance of becoming depressed again—meaning, it’s fully part of my life in some way. And because those dealing with depression are dear to my heart, I love reading words from someone who “gets” what it feels like. If she packages it in a beautiful book that’s perfect for giving to those who need a dose of encouragement? Even better.

Rebekah Lyons’ first book, Freefall to Fly, isn’t only about depression, but it’s a very real part of her story. And because this book is about her story, her words are a gift of comfort to those who’ve had that freefall feeling, not knowing what’s up.

rebekah

Rebekah tells her tale of moving from the suburban south to the heart of New York City, and what it feels like to be yanked out of everything normal and comfortable and into constant newness and culture shock.

It forced her to answer big questions about her life, like Why was I put on earth?, How do I turn suffering into something beautiful and useful?, and Is this really the way God intended life to be? And in finding answers to her questions, she found healing.

The book is about finding meaning by taking risks, whatever those risks may look like for you.

The end of the book provides space and open-ended questions for the reader to think through her own life as well, making Rebekah’s personal story an application for anybody. Why are you on earth?

freefall

Giveaway

Rebekah is giving TEN Simple Mom readers a copy of Freefall to Fly: A Breathtaking Journey Toward a Life of Meaning. To enter, simply leave any comment on this post! (If you’re reading this via email, hop over to the site to leave a comment there.)

Something Fun

art-print-pop If you buy Rebekah’s book, you can enter your information here (scroll down), and you’ll receive three additional gifts: an original chalk art print by artist Dana Tanamachi, a TOMS $5 gift card, and a Freefall to Fly digital soundtrack. Pretty cool!