Tell me if this is a familiar scene … It’s 5pm. There is homework to be done but no one besides you seems to care about it. After three clenched-teeth reminders you see your child staring off into space, shuffling around in his chair and thinking of a million other things he “needs to do first.” Your phone starts pinging you with reminders to respond to a couple of important emails you didn’t have a chance to get to earlier …
If kids came with instructions, these would be the 3 most important chapters…
Q: What do a Wubble Ball, a coffee pot and anything that requires batteries have in common? A: A user’s guide You know, that little number-and-picture-filled pamphlet that comes with everything we own. It seems the only thing lacking that handy-dandy-how-to-guide is our children! Wouldn’t it be amazing if a wise, half-magical individual gently escorted us out of the maternity unit (while we are awkwardly holding our tightly-swaddled baby wearing that pink and blue striped beanie) … and this genie-like-person …
Why does everyone else’s family look so much more together than mine?
It’s almost as if we are programmed to compare. Whether we blame it on the Jones’s, or on the highlight reels we are bombarded with on social media, it’s a daunting task to separate “us” from “them” and not pay attention to how and if we are measuring up. Believe me, this is a battle I fight as well. These almost-automatic comparisons I make when, for instance, I can’t help but notice the family sitting at a table across from …
Are You Screwing Up Your Kids?
This is a question I ask myself all the time. Yep – as recently as last night. (Well, not about you and your kids, but about me and mine). And I know I’m not alone. If we’re brave enough to shed our superhero capes and admit it, we all question our decisions surrounding parenting – whether it’s the big, blatant ones, or the hundreds of teeny, tiny ones throughout the day – which is going to be the thing that …
Welcome to My Mess
We have a puppy. A very big puppy. She’s 4 months old and already over 60 pounds. It looks like PetSmart vomited all over our house. I have two sons and a husband. Somehow papers, bouncy balls, lone socks and half empty water glasses are covering the areas that are not already occupied by said puppy explosion. And then there’s me. By no means super organized, tidy or clutter-free by any means, but craving order and sparkly clean no less. …
Man Hairs, Magnifying Mirrors and Parenting
I thought I had done a great job. I was attentive, thorough, present and thoughtful — and had all the most important bases covered. I was confident. I felt proud. I may even be so bold to say that I had a little “mom swagger” in my step. Yes, I got all of those little wiry, unsuspecting suckers. Success! I put the tweezers away and left on our much anticipated vacation. However, unbeknownst to me I had been the fool. …
Your Answer To A Stress-Free Holiday Season
As parents, many of us struggle with “the management” of all that we have to do on a daily basis (myself included). Scrambling to all of the kids’ activities, managing a myriad of household responsibilities and juggling multiple roles – all while attempting to maintain some semblance of sanity! This is especially true during the holiday season! Know that you are certainly not alone and that the whirlwind of modern day family life is completely normal. According to recent studies …
Get a Handle on Screen Time with this Simple Technique
I hope you had a wonderful (and perfectly messy) Thanksgiving! We certainly did, and here’s a picture of our family’s gratitude sheets! So … I have to admit this is actually a topic that my family needs to get a handle on right now. I decided to write about it because I know this is an issue that comes up for lots of families throughout the year — especially moving into the holiday season when there’s more free time! We …
Make This Thanksgiving A Messy One
It’s that time again. Thanksgiving is not only a momentous event in itself, but it signifies that the Holidays are quickly approaching … and along with the familiar festivities, cheerful music, colorful decorations and the gift-giving spirit also comes the scramble to get everything ready! (Not to mention the gift shopping some of us may be starting come Black Friday …) Stress and overwhelm threaten to creep into our lives during this cozy and celebratory season as we head into …
Kids Won’t Stop Bickering? Here’s A Dose Of Sibling Sanity!
Ahhh the wonders of sibling relationships… Wonderful and complex. To have someone by your side as you grow and shift into the person you want to become. Sounds like a dream, right? If you’re like me, and you have more than one child, then you know that this is not always the case. In fact, it is often less about the appreciation and more about the arguments and battles between them. With two boys, I know how the near-constant bickering …
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