Do I want my kids to be happy? Absolutely. I want them to be able to relax after a day of school and from being ‘on’ all day. I want them to follow their passions whether that’s singing, reading, writing, or something else. Do I wish they played sports though and that’s what made them...
It’s only been 7 years since I’ve had a baby in the house, but just like every other industry, the baby industry has developed new technology and advanced considerably in the last decade. Some of my friends had their babies more recently and I am super jealous of these 10 things and wish they were...
I was in the check-out line at Target the other day and there was a mom with her kids next to me. She had a baby in a car seat in a cart, a toddler, and a young child. She was trying to keep the baby from crying because new moms are always so conscious...
Special needs mamas are chosen. Deep down I always knew I would have a child with special needs. When we got Peyton’s diagnosis, and even before that, when we knew there was something but that something didn’t yet have a name, I was never shocked or angry. In my life, before I was a mom,...
Dear Special Needs Mama as they go back to school, Your kids might be going back to school, or maybe they never left. Most kids get summer breaks but there are some who don’t. The kids who need the structure a school day offers. The kids who need extra time to learn social skills as...
We’re going to talk about managing our family vacation expectations. We recently returned from a 10-day vacation with our three children. Admittedly it was about 3 days too long. It sounded a lot better in the planning stages. So did all the switching of airplanes and other transportation. 2 flights and then a tram to...
Don’t get me wrong, we’re pretty heavy-handed with screen time. After too much though, my kids start fighting and they get crabby, so I have to break up our day with other activities. It can be hard to think of entertaining ideas for them to do so let me help you with this dollar store...
Summer is here next week and like every parent, I am a mixture of pumped and nervous. Hell yeah to no more rushing out the door and arguing over homework, but worried about how we’re going to fill all these hours and arguing over snacks. We definitely have fun in the summer and we don’t...
My family’s time at Edgewood is coming to an end and I have very big feelings about it. Not only because this means that my children are growing up, that fact alone pushes me to new fun panic attacks. Also because I’m leaving the most loving, committed, and generous community I’ve ever known. With my...
So you have to have some kind of surgery or medical procedure that will make you unable to go about your daily activities. And you’re freaking out because there’s baseball practice and lunches to be made and a million other things that you feel will collapse without you. You have no idea how you’re going...
MTV’s The Challenge: All-Stars Episode 8 Recap “Mo Money Mo Problems” The episode starts off with the cast celebrating making it to the finals. Mark reflects on how he’s able to compete at this level at 50 years old. It blows my mind every time someone mentions he’s 50. Only he and Jennifer Lopez can...
I am not the fun Mom. My kids do not think I’m fun. When it is time for bedtime or deciding who is going to take them to an activity, there are audible groans if I’m the designated parent for the job. Sometimes there are more than just groans, they have all-out complaints. You see,...
MTV’s The Challenge: All-Stars Episode 6 “Free Fallin'” Recap The girls are talking about the new double elimination twist. Katie says how it would be so smart to pick the strongest male if she were to be voted in. She says, “sure you can vote me in but just know I’m taking the strongest motherfucker...
MTV’s The Challenge: All-Stars Episode 5 Recap “Nothin’ But An OG Thang” The episode starts off where they left off after Arissa quit. Beth was saying it’s not personal and she’s disappointed Arissa felt like it was. Numerous other challengers echo the statement. You can read my last recap HERE In an interview, Syrus talks...
Mom-guilt is real and heavy. I am constantly wondering if my consequences are too lenient or too excessive. If we don’t read every night are they going to be an adult who doesn’t like books? Should we be volunteering so they become active members of their community? These questions (and others!) keep me up at...
MTV’s The Challenge: All-Stars Recap Episode 4 “Semi Charmed Lifesaver” This is a perfect ‘middle of the season’ episode. Nothing too interesting happened. Just enough so that the story keeps going forward, but you could definitely still scroll Instagram while you’re watching. It starts out, as always, with everyone hanging out at the house. Beth...
I read this article in the Huffington Post a while ago and it’s made a renaissance lately on my Facebook feed. and It was a woman who said her new rule was to never say “Hurry up” to her child. She wanted to let her child soak in the world. Or something, I don’t know....
The Challenge: All-Stars Episode 3 “I’ve Got The Power” Recap So they’re just hanging out at their chateau, doing yoga, journaling, and there’s a shocking amount of tea drinking going on. I love it because it’s so relatable. They partied hard the first night and it’s taking them a week to recover, which is very...
MTV’s The Challenge: All-Stars Episode 2 “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” The title of this episode is 1. nonsensical. I want to leave it behind but I can’t? Why can’t I? And 2. Dramatic for no reason. I thought this episode might dig a little deeper into some background issues, but nope. It didn’t....
So you’re thinking about starting a blog and wondering if it’s for you. There are hundreds of other blog posts that will walk you through the technical part of it. If you want to know step-by-step how to set up your email list, just type that into Pinterest, and people much more qualified than me...
Episode 1: Legends Never Die I got Paramount + solely for this because I’m so excited for this season. I think we can all agree though that “All-Stars” might be a stretch. They should have continued with “OG’s” like it was pitched to them because that is much more appropriate. Sure, Big E is a...
Have you ever had a time when you see kids acting like complete maniacs and you think, “Who is raising these fucking kids?” but they’re YOUR kids, and YOU are raising them? Solidarity, because me too. Here are some of the reasons WHY I LOVE MY KIDS BUT DON’T ALWAYS LIKE THEM. Here’s the day...
It’s getting to be spring break time! Summer isn’t even that far away! Airlines are still recovering from COVID so you can find tickets for the lowest in years. Suddenly a vacation for 5 or 6 seems actually doable, when not too long ago it was financially out of reach. I’ve flown with my kids...
One of my biggest passions in life is encouraging others to find theirs. You might be in the season of life where your kids are growing up and gaining more independence and you’re finding yourself with more time on your hands. You might be a happy stay-at-home mom, but you just want more for yourself....
Moms can be tricky to buy for. We scold you if it’s too expensive, but we don’t want it to be total crap either. We want to feel special but also need to be practical. Those leather leggings I saw? Ah-Ma-Zing. But where would I wear them? I am either going to a playdate or...
Ok, so these aren’t funny parenting TWEETS. I attempt Twitter every 6 months or so because I want to understand it and like it. I see myself creating this massive following with my wit and charm, but I just can’t. The Facebook community, especially the demographic of women who are slightly older than middle-aged: that’s...
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO. As a mom to a severe speech delayed kiddo, I have witnessed some interactions that range from amazing to downright offensive. I want to be clear that I feel like (mostly) people are well-meaning and are not TRYING to be dismissive or...
If you search “parenting books” on Amazon, more than 50,000 results come up. That’s a whole lot of us who have no idea what we’re doing! When my kids were babies I was constantly researching sleep training, constipation, and how high their fever can be before one starts panicking. Then I had a good run...
Although fortunately, the stigma around mental illness is lessening, it isn’t completely gone yet and it can be one more thing to feel guilty about as a mom. Parents that live with depression, anxiety, or both, have some struggles ahead of them for sure, but it can also be a great blessing. Our kids have...
I’m a big believer in “What we think about, we bring about” so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I’m really into vision boards and saving different quotes. I have quotations and book excerpts written in notebooks, scrawled on post-it’s, and in screenshots on my phone. These are all quotes that I have personally saved...
This is not the post I was going to write this week. I wanted this week’s post to be an ESCAPE from the dumpster fire that the world is right now, not me walking you right through it, asking you to take a look around. But the world feels heavy and I want to share...
Well-meaning people have started asking me what I’m going to do now that all my kids were all in school. Um, what? Being a stay at home mom WAS my plan, I didn’t know I was expected to have TWO PLANS. I need another plan now?! If you’re feeling like this too: a little lost...
I sent my first 2 kids to kindergarten at the “normal” time. They were 5. Having winter birthdays and being on track with their peers, made the decision easy for us. I never had to ponder and weigh the pros and cons of sending them to kindergarten or delaying it. I never thought I’d be...
Modern motherhood favors extroverts. Motherhood is filled with a staggering amount of social landmines. There are playgroups to navigate and playdates to coordinate. There are birthday parties to attend and organize, PTA meetings to volunteer for, and so much more. Even in gymnastics, a sport where I just have to drop off, the parents sit...
Are you looking for shows to binge-watch? You’re up in the middle of the night with a baby who wants to party, or you finally have some time to yourself during the day and want to start a new show. You scroll through Netflix or Prime, but there are so many choices! By the time...
You see them everywhere. Groups of moms at the park having a picnic, a cluster of women chatting at soccer practice, even the moms that just ran into each other at Target and are taking up the whole aisle catching up. How did they meet? How are they all friends? Don’t worry! You can find...
First, can I just say I hate the term ‘screen time?’ It’s horribly outdated. We use screens now to order our food at restaurants and to meet with teachers, it’s not all just for fun and games anymore. Because of that, and some other points I’ll get into, Parents: for the love of God, RELAX...
Parenting fails are my favorite thing. I love reading and hearing about other people’s, and I like telling people about mine. Every so often on the blog I’ll share a story from my (very extensive) Parenting Fail Vault. A huge part of my mission is to make mom’s feel less alone. We’re all in this...
It can be incredibly discouraging to feel so accomplished one minute that the kitchen is sparkling, but then walk into the living room and it’s like a bomb went off. You left these kids in here for 45 minutes, how did this happen?! Or, my personal favorite, have you ever cleaned the kitchen, and then...
I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest How can you let go of your parenting expectations? I became a mom in 2011 when Pinterest was just becoming a thing. I was obsessed. I cursed it for not being around during my wedding because I truly had no idea the potential of burlap until Pinterest showed...
Do you go to a gym that has group fitness classes? Recently I took a cycle class at my local gym and I had some thoughts. I SO want to be one of those moms at the gym-that drop their toddlers off in the daycare (wearing BOTH socks) happy to be there. I’m so jealous...
Modern self-care is bullshit, and here’s why. We all read the articles about self-care. It’s like the new buzz word, especially during Covid. “Make sure you’re practicing self-care!” “Self-care is vital during the pandemic!” But what does that look like? I recently read an article where they outlined some self-care tips and here’s what was...
I always knew Peyton was different. From the moment he was born he just acted differently and we reciprocated appropriately. Of course, then we just thought it was because he was the youngest, we knew we were done having children; so that’s why we held him a little longer, gave in a little easier, and...