Tag Archives: mom

As I write, outside these office walls four loads of unfolded laundry, unmade beds, a sink full of dishes that never wash themselves, and a yard looking like something straight out of a horror film beckon me. Let’s not even discuss the garage. A friend stopped by the other day and happened upon my garage; she nearly furnished her entire cabin with the contents of our overstuff ed garage. I’ll just call my current situation controlled chaos.” Throughout the years I have often heard, “Jen, I don’t know how you do it all.” Well, ladies, I’m not doing it all. …

May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam. May peace and plenty bless your world with Joy that long endures May all life’s passing seasons bring the best to you and yours. ~Irish Blessing Sitting down to write this month’s letter from the editor, fresh cup of coffee in hand, just as the writing juices began to flow I got a much-welcomed interruption. My beautiful daughter Grace phoned, talking a mile a minute, sharing every detail of her day. “Mom, I need a car. …

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~Martin Luther King Ladies, once again we close in on another year’s end. I ask myself once more, where did the year go? The quote, “The days are long, but the years are short” is beyond fitting. This issue is dedicated to forgiveness and fulfillment. In a year in which our country has faced such challenging times, I know you will find reprieve in the beautiful articles in this issue. The other day, I stopped at a local gas station. …

Ladies, spring is in the air! As I prepare for the spring edition of 5ive for Women, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge our own “Rays of Grace” upcoming graduation. Will you please indulge me as I use this forum as an open letter to my very own amazing Grace? Dear Grace, I am on two committees helping to get ready for your all-night graduation party. With every meeting  and every discussion, your fast-approaching graduation becomes more of a reality. Your official status as a young adult has me simply blown away. I thought I was going …

Christy Brickner has a full plate, with several roles: wife, mother of four, student, activity leader, volunteer, to name a few. Like countless Chippewa Valley women, Christy strives to cultivate equilibrium among her obligations and passions. No matter what, she knows that a balanced diet of the five Fs—faith, family, friends, fitness, and finance—leads to a more enriched life. Click the magazine below to read what Christy has to say about faith, family, friends, fitness, and finance on PAGE 10:

Sports are popular in our house. My brothers never stop playing or watching or talking about sports. My mom is a great runner. My dad runs almost every day. Running has become my “thing,” too. As a sophomore, I made the cross country second team All-Conference. Everyone was proud of me, but I wanted more. So last summer, I attended running camp, worked with a personal coach, and put in extra miles. My goal was first team All-Conference and state qualification. When this season began, I was in the best shape of my life. Then something didn’t feel right. I …

I have a lot of brothers—plenty of brothers—and no sisters. I have a good group of girlfriends, my girl cousins, and my mom. Together these wonderful people make up for my lack of sisters. They form my sisterhood (even though they are not biologically my sisters) … Click the magazine below for the rest of Grace Theisen’s column on PAGE 43:

WRITTEN BY GRACE THEISEN Since Mother’s Day is right around the corner, I have been thinking about how much I appreciate my mom. I want to take the time to thank her and do some bragging about her. I come from a large family; I have four brothers and two dogs. Admittedly, we can be a lot to handle. Let me just say that things get a little crazy around our house. There is always a kid who is supposed to be somewhere, or a school project to work on, or a dog running away, and somebody under the mistaken …

As I sit at my kitchen counter collecting my thoughts, I try to focus on positive things to distract myself from worries. But the heaviness in my chest and the hollowness in my gut overwhelm me. I want my son home—in Milwaukee with his wife and dog. This is his last deployment (at least this is what we are led to believe). I tire of self-challenges, immersing myself in new exercise routines or keeping busy to prevent myself from getting too anxious about my son’s deployments. Most days I do really well, but today is different; today I feel like …