Greeting the Day
I recently had a discussion with another mom about how hectic mornings can be trying to get everyone successfully out the door. I told her that on some level, I know that it is my attitude and energy...
View ArticleIndependent Streak
In the area we live in, school is back in session. It is amazing to me the speed at which summer zips by. I admit, the first week or two of summer are a ‘shock and awe’ kind of adjustment. I go...
View ArticleMorning Dust-Up
I had gone upstairs when the rumblings of ‘the incident’ began. I heard a lot of screaming and door slamming. I quickly reviewed the morning in my head. I had implemented all my coping strategies to...
View ArticleYour Kids Will Praise Your Honesty
We all do it. We praise our kids for their smarts, their athleticism or any other various achievement that they conquer. How much praising is too much? Is there such a thing as over-praising? Do...
View ArticleParent/Teacher Relationships
You did it! You successfully have your children back in the school routine. I want to take a moment to applaud all you have done to make this possible. You made sure they had the right supplies, new...
View ArticleTurning Negative into Positive
Bullying is a part of any school environment. The best we can do as parents is teach our children how to handle themselves when inevitable bullying situations arise. I remember the first time my...
View ArticleIf at First You Don’t Succeed…
When my oldest started school, I delighted in micromanaging his homework. While I still found it hard to believe that kindergarteners required homework, I was happy to sit at the table with him to...
View ArticleSocks Can’t Save You
Remember those first few moments of terror when your newborn baby came home for the very first time? Then there was that excruciating car ride with the car seat strapped in tight as the vehicle zoomed...
View ArticleYou Time
I recently ran into a mom while out shopping. She looked remarkably put together, especially since I usually only see her at the gym, and seemed to be enjoying her recent Starbucks purchase. As we...
View ArticleThe Do-it-Yourself Project
Sometimes I wonder if my kids wish I had never learned to read. I am constantly reading books about parenting and ways to improve our family life. I then go into lengthy lectures about how best to...
View ArticleTis the Season
It’s that time of year again. We are all crazed with endless holiday obligations. There’s so much to remember in addition to our regular commitments, that it is surprising our brain synapses haven’t...
View ArticleThe Magic of Family Time
After spending several days in close proximity to my family, I noticed something. While being the lone female member of my household, I was all about ‘family time’. My male counterparts were not....
View ArticleCare-Fully
Over the weekend my husband noted, and accurately so, that I was on edge. To him this edginess seemed inexplicable and from his perspective, it was. We were having a discussion about our plans and I...
View ArticleTake a Moment
As a stay-at-home parent I have steered clear of the so-called ‘Mommy Wars’. Parenting is hard enough without expending energy into judging the choices of others or opening myself up to other people’s...
View ArticleHugging It Out
There is a tipping point. It is the place we arrive when we can no longer tolerate a behavior from our children. Your tipping point looks much different from mine. In fact, it is highly likely that...
View ArticleTalking it Out
My husband and I were seated side by side. It was late in the evening and I still hadn’t had the opportunity to talk with him. He had been traveling recently and I had a whole back-log of events...
View ArticleNo Way
The word NO: How does something that looks and sound so simple have such weighted implications? In general, for women especially, saying no is not something we are taught. We learn quickly to put...
View ArticleFuel to the Fire
A few weeks ago I had a positive phone call with my oldest son’s teacher. He had decided not to try out for his school’s math team and I had reached out to his teacher to discuss this. His heart...
View ArticlePractice What You Preach
As the mom of two boys, I am in the thick of parenting. Whatever I am writing about is usually directly related to some of the challenges I face with my own kids. It’s as if I am using this forum to...
View ArticleAlien Bait
My oldest son and I were sitting at our kitchen table having some dinner. I had fed my younger son earlier and sent him on his way to a friend’s house. I was enjoying my one-on-one conversation with...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....