Ages & Stages

Inside Out 2 - Why Every Tween (and Parent) Needs to See It When my now twelve-year-old son was a toddler, Inside Out came out in theaters. My "honesty island" would be firing on all cylinders by saying I probably enjoyed the original movie more than my own child. So, when it was announced that Inside Out 2 would be released the same weekend as my toddler's 3rd birthday, taking him to see the sequel for his birthday weekend was a no brainer. I arrived to the theatre expecting a fun, humorous, somewhat light plot line, but I left with a new perspective on my own preteen's complex, new emotions. The Emotions are New (and Complex) to Your Kids Early into the movie,...

The Postpartum Ride Home From The Hospital Most moms remember the ride home from the hospital as a beautiful experience. The nurse wheels you wheel you to the car, you put the baby in the car seat and climb into the backseat with your little one. You and your husband are gushing over the newborn scrunch and looking forward to the cuddles once you get home. You all may talk about sharing roles of washing bottles, changing diapers, etc. Leaving the hospital was different for me. I can laugh about it now but it was very much a reality check for me. I was scared to leave the hospital. I stayed in the hospital for almost a week. We didn’t have any complications,...

Could They Move Any Slower? Tips To Help Our Distracted Kids {And Ourselves Along The Way} It can be painful to watch your toddler put on their shoes by themselves when you’re trying to get out the door quickly. They always end up on the wrong foot somehow, too. Then there’s that certain toy they refuse fo leave the house without that you haven’t seen in months. You get the point. It can be infuriating to repeat ourselves when our kids seem to be ignoring us, especially when we need to be somewhere fast. Remembering and understanding why our kids are moving at a snails pace is important for us to be patient. When tasks are demanding for kids, their...

Quick Roadtrips & First Concerts :: How To Make Precious Memories On A Single Mom Budget You remember Middle School, it's the time when music really starts to resonate with you and you start to relate to the meaning of all those personal lyrics and you drown yourself and your newly developing hormones in solitude and become one with your favorite artist, wearing your air pods or dancing secretly in your bedroom. Nothing is better than this escape and you start to dream of seeing your favorite artist in concert. Seeing your dream concert isn't as accessible these days with the high cost of concert tickets and the rising cost of living, especially as a single mother, but when my daughter...

Raising Teens :: Not For The Weak "As much as I love raising my big kid I still long for the days that his hands were encapsulated in mine." Raising teenagers is not for the weak. When our children are younger we think those are the hardest days. Sleepless nights, temper tantrums, the works. Y’all know how it is. We’re often met with the sly comments of parents more experienced than us saying “just you wait” and we shrug it off. Caught up in the days we never think we’ll get past. The truth is though, all of those well-meaning naysayers were right. As I enter my third year of raising a teenager, I’ve indeed looked back on parents with toddlers...