The Birth of a Son

Joe and I were together for nearly a year and a half before we had a separation. He had cold feet. He insisted he was to go to California and become a monk. It was traumatizing to me. It was a cold exchange of words from an otherwise warm man. My bipolar disorder/borderline was in full swing when he dropped me off to my apartment to say goodbye. I was alone, in a city, with nothing. I was frightened. I had no job, no money and had never been on my own before. I hated him.

Welcome! Our New Contributor Becca!

My husband and I always wanted a big family, so three years ago when we found out we were expecting

baby number seven, we were ecstatic. As the months went on, things began to change and I wasn’t as

excited about the pregnancy as I had been before. I was homeschooling our other children and life

began to feel like one big obstacle to overcome. Four months later I found myself in our local Emergency

Room beginning to speak to a social worker because I was feeling suicidal.

Chinese Food, Mustaches and Empty Toilet Paper Rolls

We live in a really small town in northern Michigan so grocery shopping is truly a full day event. The nearest supermarket is 30 minutes away, so we only shop every 1 ½ weeks or so. So yesterday, we decided to have lunch with the kids before we went on our long and tedious shopping trip.

Going off my Meds: Recipe for Disaster

I have always had my doubts. Is something really wrong with me? Maybe I am just a bitch? Maybe I over exaggerate? Maybe I am just lazy? Maybe I am just hyper? Most people with mental illness feel this way at one point in their lives. This type of denial is the dangerous and potentially deadly kind. A few months ago, I began binging and purging in a halfhearted attempt to lose weight. In hindsight I realize I was going through a pretty traumatic manic phase.