Our oldest son lost his first tooth the day he turned six. Four years later, I still remember so clearly how that little tooth, so white and tiny, caused such a whirlwind of excitement and emotion. Our son was a mixed bag of thrilled and surprised, flashing his gap-toothed smile around and then asking a little worriedly, “Do other things fall out like this?” His little sister was in absolute awe, tugging his arm and peering into his mouth and sighing about how she couldn’t wait until her … [Read more...]
5 Steps to Taking Your Kids to Do Fun Stuff (Without Losing Your Mind)
You always knew you’d be the parents to take the kids on adventures, explore the world with them, and discover new and wonderful things together. But then life happened, and sometimes just getting out the door with kids can seem like an insurmountable task. Fear not, parents. Your kids can enjoy concerts, sporting events, and festivals with you—and it can even be fun. The only thing standing between you and a day of learning and memory-making is some creativity and a little planning. Let … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Adventures with the Big Girl Bed
We’ve always taken the easy way out when it comes to sleeping. And by easy, I mean whatever involved the most sleep and the least hassle. That’s how we became co-sleepers – it was pretty much born of default, an exhausted mix of laziness and a death grip on the idea that a good night’s sleep was possible with tiny babies. But with our youngest knocking on three, it was time for a change. E had started referring to the spare room, used as a playroom, as “my woom.” When they got in … [Read more...]
Nighttime Solutions for Your Recently Potty Trained Kiddo
Potty training is no joke. Whether you’re on kid number one or kid number three, like me, it’s always an adventure! With my oldest we started just a little too soon. So I pressed pause, talked to some veteran mamas, and made a new plan. “Let him take the lead,” they said. “Give him the tools he needs but don’t push it, let him know they are there when he’s ready. Take the power struggle out of potty training,” they advised. “You won’t regret it!” Every child is different and every parent … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: The Kid Who Doesn’t Eat
The other night at dinner – and I don’t need to tell you about all the work that goes into planning, preparing and serving dinner for six, let alone the legwork involved in actually getting all six people to sit down in one spot at the same time – our two-year-old took one look at her bowl of some shredded-chicken-and-quinoa dish and slapped the entire thing onto the bench, where it fell to the floor. Cue… absolute silence. The three older kids were wide-eyed, forks halfway to … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Taking a 2-Year-Old on a 9 Hour Road Trip to Disneyland
Fun fact – our two oldest kids have the same April birthday. Our son was two weeks early, and two years later, his new little sister was a week early. So far, the dual birthday party thing has worked out, but now they’re ten and eight, and I think that window is coming to a close. So this year, we decided to surprise them with a trip to Disneyland instead of a party. My husband and I were extra secretive about our internet research, ferreting out bargains on three-day hopper passes … [Read more...]
“Mommy, You Had a Gold Star Morning”
"Mom, you had a gold star morning." Those words from my 6-year-old daughter almost brought me to tears yesterday. After what seemed like months of sick kids, snow days, school vacations, and a very busy workload, our routine had gone down the drain. More and more I was finding myself hurried, frazzled and irritated when trying to get the kids out the door, to do their homework, to get to bed, or to do pretty much anything else. I realized when my daughter spoke up, as much as it was … [Read more...]
I’m Doing Something I’ve Never Done Before…
Big news today guys! It's that one time of year when my favorite parenting resource, The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle, miraculously appears again for 6 days only - until Midnight, May 1st! Always valued at thousands of dollars and priced at 97% off (this year the value is over $2000), the library of resources changes every year but they are always incredibly helpful. Despite the unheard of value of the bundle each year, I inevitably hear from some of you that you're just not sure what you'd … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: When Your Child Just Isn’t Ready for Childcare
Image Credit: © Presidio of Monterey | Month of Military Child Parade | CC by 1.0 After spring break ended – sob – and three kiddos went off to school today, I tried taking our youngest, three in July, to the playcare thing at our gym. It did not go well. She’s been going on weekends for months now, with all three siblings, and it’s been great. She comes out proudly bearing scribbles and curls of tissue paper haphazardly glued to more tissue paper. She excitedly tells me about … [Read more...]