My daughter, son, and I were watching home movies recently. At 8 and 5, they love watching scenes from when they were babies and toddlers and laughing at all their cute idiosyncrasies. We watched Meghan, as an uninhibited 5 year old, stand on the hearth of our fireplace, dancing and singing her ...
Parenting
How Not to Lose Yourself In Motherhood
September 21, 2008 around 9 o'clock in the evening my whole world changed. That first moment when my daughter, brand new to the world, grabbed my hospital gown with her tiny hand I knew I was done. Motherhood took hold of my heart and it was never letting go. But what does that mean? When I gave ...
How to Plan for Eating a Bigger Variety of Foods
I'm as guilty as the next person of eating my favorite foods over and over. Hardly a week goes by that sweet potatoes don't pass my lips. Nearly every day I eat a banana. Even though I do eat my favorite foods a lot, I also am cognizant of eating a wide variety of foods and helping my family do ...
Are Healthy Family Dinners Really Important?
Life is busy and there are so many important things to juggle as a mom, it's hard to know what's really critical to focus on. We all want the best for our kids; there's no doubt about that. I'm sure there isn't a parent reading this who wouldn't agree that she'd do whatever it takes to help her ...
On My Baby Boy Turning 5
My baby boy turned five years old yesterday! With every passing year, I get a better understanding of what my mom was feeling when I was growing up. She'd look at me on each birthday and say, "You'll always be my baby." Luke Dawson, YOU will always be my baby. Even if you're a big five-year-0ld ...
And Then She Was Eight
Yesterday, the girl who first made me a mama turned eight years old. Eight. There's something different about this age, isn't there? A feeling like something is ending. An edging towards something. Or is it away from something? It's like she's holding hands with me, but just my pinky, not ready to ...
Stop Doing This When My Kid is Crying
When my four-year-old son Luke wants something, he wants it. He wants it and he wants it now. “No” is a hard word for him to hear. Anyone who’s ever witnessed Luke’s response to my answer no when he really wants something understands that he ranks up there with the best of the preschoolers. The boy ...
2 Weeks of Healthy School Lunch Ideas
When it comes to school lunches, my biggest concern is that my kids have nourishing food to eat while they are at school. I want them to have healthy school lunches, but I don't care if they are cute or packed in a clever way, and you better believe I'm not going to spend time turning their food ...
Take a Break, Mama
Let's face it. There's nothing easy about this job. This motherhood gig isn't always what we imagined, is it? There's nothing easy about getting up multiple times in the night with a scared child, dealing with tantrums, cleaning up vomit, or making sure your children are well fed every single day. ...
Kitchen Chores Chart for Kids by Age
Get your kids helping out in the kitchen with this Kitchen Chores Chart for Kids by Age!I think one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is enabling them to care for themselves. Teaching them the life skills they will carry with them after they leave our care will take them farther than ...
Is Your Child Ready to Stop Napping?
I really didn't think this would be happening already, but my son Luke, who just turned 4 in December, is dropping his nap. My 7 year old daughter, Meghan, who was never as big of a napper as Luke and dropped down to 2 and 1 nap earlier than him, didn't stop napping until 4 1/2. I thought for sure ...
Luke turns 4
Why does 4 sound so much older than 3? My baby boy turned 4 and I can feel a distinct shift in our lives as a result. We're being propelled out of the baby and toddler stage, even if I'm dragging my feet a bit, not quite ready. I love having these updates to read as my children grow. It's a ...