Kate Wicker

Storyteller & Speaker

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Stinky Mom

I’m a stinky mom. Literally.

Madeline: Why can’t you stay with me for quiet time?

Me: Because I didn’t take a shower this morning.

Madeline: You don’t need a shower.

Me: Yes, I do.

Madeline: Why?

Me: Because I’m stinky. (Of course, I’m only jesting with her. I don’t really stink.)

Madeline: No, you’re not.

Me: Yeah, I am.

Madeline, as she sniffs my face: Ugh. You are stinky.

Me, slightly taken aback: Does my breath smell? (Maybe the morning coffee breath is lingering…)

Madeline: No, it’s your skin. It stinks.

I took a whiff of the skin on my arm and it smelled faintly like fruity lotion, but I can’t smell my own face. (I tried.) I can only hope she was just trying to get rid of me. Now for that shower I apparently really need…

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· June 19, 2008 · · Filed Under: Tales from the Trenches

Hi, I’m Kate

I’m a wife, mom of five kids, writer, speaker, storyteller, bibliophile, runner, eating disorder survivor, and perfectionist in recovery. I'm the author of Getting Past Perfect: Finding Joy & Grace in the Messiness of Motherhood  and Weightless: Making Peace With Your Body.

I’ve tried a lot of things in my life – anorexia, bulimia, law school, teaching aerobics, extended breastfeeding, vegetarianism, trying to be perfect and failing miserably at it – and through it all I’ve been writing. And learning to embrace the messiness of life instead of covering it up, making excuses for it, or being ashamed of my brokenness or my home’s sticky counters.

Nowadays I’m striving every single, imperfect day to strike a balance between keeping it real and keeping it joyful.

 

“She could never be a saint, but she thought she could be a martyr if they killed her quick.”

―Flannery O'Connor

Copyright © 2025 Kate Wicker · A Little Leaf Design

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