Let’s talk about parenting: philosophies, belief systems, and ways to be better at turning children into capable adults.
They are the words most likely to strike fear into my heart. Beach. Toddler. Without my husband. I know. I must be losing it, right? But when my BFF (love you, girlie!) got a hotel in Daytona for a week and invited us to spend a day hanging out at the beach, I said yes. Because I love my best friend. Not because I love the beach. The night before the Big Day, I actually found myself kinda dreading it….
I started this blog as a place where I could be “real” as a mom. A place where I could let other moms know that they weren’t alone. I need to apologize to you all. Because I realized that I haven’t been real at all. I’ve been sanitizing my words and trying to create a perfect life so I could share my “secrets.” (As if I really have everything figured out! And with only one child at home, no less!)…
Summer is coming to a close and, even though Baby Bear is only 16 months old, that big pencil display in Target has me thinking about school. One friend of mine is going to put her 15-month-old daughter in preschool next month. My niece will be starting kindergarten this year (where has the time gone?!). And a close friend of mine has a 4-year-old that she plans on homeschooling. Knowing that I was homeschooled myself, she asked if I was…
Moms are complete paradoxes. On the one hand, we are confident that we’re doing a great job and have everything figured out. On the other hand, we often find ourselves staring in bewilderment at the child with a crayon in her mouth and wonder how we’re going to transform that into a well-adjusted, capable adult. And yet, despite the fact that none of us really knows what she’s doing, we still feel compelled to give our unsolicited opinion: “Have you…
After 15 months, I’m tempted to say that I’ve got this parenting thing under control. I’ve struggled through two bad baby colds, successfully sleep trained, planned a kick-butt birthday party for 50 guests, and cured the diaper rash from hell. Most days, I feel like Super Mom. (Talk to me again when we’re potty training and I’ll have a different perspective.) But there are a few mom questions I still don’t know the answer to. Because adulting is hard. What…
The other night, I had an eye-opening revelation. My husband and baby were both in bed, so I took a moment in the silence to do my Bible study. While reading through Mark, I came across a verse that made me stop in my tracks. “Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, ‘Look, why do they…
Dear Stranger, Please don’t touch my kid. I’m sure you mean well. I can see that you’re a parent yourself. I also hear that my daughter was laughing when you tickled her. And no, I didn’t even say anything to you because I’m non-confrontational to a fault. But I’m asking you now: please don’t touch my kid. It has nothing to do with germs. Your hands are probably cleaner than my living room rug. And it’s not even about “stranger…
Because the hardest job in the world calls for some motivation. When You’re Feeling Unappreciated “The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only…to support the ultimate career.” – C.S. Lewis It’s easy to feel useless and unappreciated as a SAHM. Your husband and working friends are talking about promotions and mergers and big projects while your only accomplishment for the week was finally finding that lost Lego head. But the workforce does all…
Every May, the airwaves are bombarded with commercials telling us to “buy this for mom” or “do this for mom.” And the suggestions are flat-out ridiculous. Flowers? They die (plus, Mom is always responsible for getting out a vase and cutting the stems down). Breakfast in bed? Um, I like to eat at a table, like a civilized person, thank you. Jewelry? Are you kidding? One more thing for the baby to grab. So I’ve come up with a list…