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...
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...
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,...
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....
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...