Bearing down on me, grumbling and rattling my entire bike.

I felt my body go cold as I glanced over my left shoulder and saw the dump truck growing closer to me as I approached the top of the hill.

In complete panic, I quickly turned of my handlebars and my front tire hit a patch of loose gravel and my seven-year old body was thrown through the air and into a massive, immovable tree trunk.

On a street where I wasn’t supposed to ride my bike in the first place.

And then everything went dark.

When I woke, my mother’s face was the first thing I saw.

The sharp pain in my left wrist and the raw skin on my face contrasted sharply by the soft look of concern in her eyes.

She wrapped me up, whispered loving words, packed me into the car and took me off to the hospital, where my broken wrist was placed in a cast and the cuts and scratches on my face were treated.

And we went home, where my mother, confident that I was safe and would heal, punished me for breaking the rules by riding my bike on an unsafe street.

That she took time to comfort me when I needed it and then held firm to her rules helped shape the mother I am today.

There are times when I see in myself that same ability to be both firm and soft…strict and kind.

And as I look at my children, I am so grateful to my mother for being my everything as a child.

For loving me unconditionally, but also teaching me right from wrong.

This parenting thing isn’t easy, but she handled my childhood with a grace that I can only hope I’m showing to my children.

And this year for Mother’s Day, I can’t think of a better way to thank my mom for all that she has done for me than to show her how much she’s influenced me as a mother.

In addition to a traditional card, I’m sending her an Animoto video that can express my gratitude in a lasting, visual way.

Thank you, Mom! I love you!

Visit Animoto to create your own video slideshow as easily as I did! I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, and all opinions expressed here are my own.

When you visit Animoto, use use coupon code CleverFL to create one free full-length personalized video of your own.

Then, once you’ve seen how easy it is to make a video with Animoto, leave a comment here telling me who you’d make a video for because one commenter will receive a coupon code for a one-year subscription to Animoto Plus. Just think of all the love you can spread in a year!

You may enter to win until May 6th at midnight PST. Good luck and happy Mother’s Day!

No, we’re not pregnant yet. (I know, right!?)

But I do have a new baby, of sorts.

And that new baby is allParenting, a new online magazine for moms—the product of many talented women (and a few men) and many months of their hard work.

allParenting, from the publishers of SheKnows, provides provide timely, helpful information to help moms live a healthy, joyful, well-balanced family life, all delivered in an oh-so-pretty format.

So what will I be writing for allParenting? Well, for starters, I’ll have a weekly column called Small Joys, wherein I’ll share with you, well, the small things that bring me joy.

You will also find me writing in other areas across the site. To easily find my work, you can visit my author page or subscribe for my allParenting rss feed.

One of the most important reasons why I jumped at the chance to be a part of the allParenting team is the positive, upbeat, empowering nature of the site. Writing for a place that leaves women feeling strong, happy, and uplifted is a great feeling.

I am overjoyed to be working with an incredibly talented team of writers and editors who each inspire me in their own way. Within moments of visiting the site you’ll see what I mean by crazy talent!

None of this would be a reality if it wasn’t for Laura Willard, my friend and editor at SheKnows, who saw something in me that I didn’t even see. She changed my life in a very real and important way and I will spend the rest of my days thanking her for believing in me and for opening doors that I never even dreamed possible. I am ever grateful for her guidance and encouragement. (Love you, Laura!)

I’d also like to thank my friend, Yuliya, from she suggests, who took my head shots for allParenting. That woman can work some photographic magic, I tell you.

Please follow me over to allParenting to see why I am so incredibly in love with the site. Some of my favorite pieces that I’ve written there so far are:

Turn your phone into a personal assistant
Sibling bonding
5 Books for infertile couples
Ice cream sandwich recipes
Caribbean martini recipe
Customize your wine glasses

You can also find allParenting on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

And while you’re over on allParenting, marveling at just how fabulous it is, it would mean the world if you would click the follow box beside my photo so it looks like a have a few friends.

Thank you and I’ll see you over there!

Oooohhh, Mommy! Can I use these?

And, oh, how I wanted to say no.

Gifted to her nearly three years ago, I’ve let her use them once.

Because I’ve been saving them. For what, I’m not sure.

Like china that sits in the cabinet for special occasions, they languished in the closet.

But today I said yes.

Though my inner control freak wanted to tell her not to mix the inks, I held back and let her create.

And I am so happy that I did.

Because she’s a kid and her only job is to explore her world.

And it’s my job to watch her.

Those of you who have been around for a while, you know that I’ve come a long way.

And that makes me so happy.

Infertility does that to you. It robs you of the present and leaves you wishing away weeks of your life, placing all of your hope on something that might never be.

The past several months have been particularly painful. Time is slipping through our fingers and I have felt us running out of time.

But, life has a funny way of handing you something when you truly need it.

I was recently invited to create a Mother’s Day photo book with Snapfish and although I’ve made them for others, I don’t yet have one of my own, so I jumped at the opportunity.

And as I sifted through our nearly 17,000 (!) photos, I could almost feel Katie’s tiny baby hands in my own…

Those toes…oh those toes.

She smelled like sugar and somehow she felt simultaneously light and heavy in my arms.

Though I often think about her infancy, it’s more as a whole. How she nursed, drooled, and wooed me with her smile. As I looked through the photos, the small details came rushing back.

Her skin was so creamy and soft and those rosy cheeks simply required constant kissing.

When I came upon these photos of her first camping trip, I smiled at the thought that, at one year old, this was the first time I let her get dirty and she loved every single filthy second of it.

These beads were her favorite accessory for weeks, yet somehow I forgot about them until I saw this photo.

Katie’s hair now reaches all the way down her back. This picture of her teeny ponytails still melts my heart.

I had forgotten about this day in my bathroom when she came in to show me her tutu and slipper ensemble.

By this time, I was pregnant with Matthew. I remember thinking that Katie was such a big girl then, but when I look at these photos, all I see is baby.

And then, this angel entered our lives, bringing with him a joy beyond my wildest dreams…

There are a handful of photos that transport me back completely. I love this one of Katie running and squealing.

Oh…the snow. And the joy. I loved that the Snapfish layout allowed me to use so many photos from this series that we took on our weekend at the mountains.

These two children have shown me happiness that I could have never imagined.

They are everything…they are what matters.

I was, of course, thrilled at the idea of having a Snapfish photo book of my own. What I didn’t anticipate is the way simply creating my book would bring me so much joy and help me to regain my perspective.

My infertility doesn’t define me. The love that I have for these two miracles of ours does.

The process of making this book was such an incredible gift.

Every mother should have the chance to sit down and get lost in her photos for an afternoon. When you’re asked what you want for Mother’s Day this year, ask for a glass of wine and time to create your own Snapfish photo book.

With two lovely Mother’s Day themes from which to choose and super easy, creative templates, you’ll be thrilled with your final product. Go, make yourself a Snapfish photo book, a gift that you’ll hold close to your heart for always.

This post is sponsored by Snapfish as part of their support of the LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER SHOW 2012 series of Mother’s Day performances. I am reading at the San Francisco show on May 10th.