Growing Up

Christmas time is near! We are beginning to decorate our homes and preparing for Jesus’ birthday! In my house, I have a 12 year old son and 6 year old daughter so their Christmas experiences are a little different. For us, a few of years ago is when the magic of Christmas faded for our son. We began to try and think of ways to keep Christmas fun and magical for him. We are part of the crazy fad of Elf of the Shelf. I get it. It is a lot; there are times people go overboard, and let’s be honest, it is one more thing for us moms to remember to do before we go to bed. There are lots of reasons...

We have a 4 yr old, a 2 yr old, and 2 babies ... grocery shopping can get CRAZY. And don't even think about looking to Pinterest - I don't have the time or energy to do grocery bingo cards or come up with elaborate activities each week. But I love grocery shopping! Well, not really in and of itself, but grocery shopping with my girls is usually one of our favorite things to do. Here are some simple tricks I've used to make our shopping trips enjoyable.  Be Prepared. I usually look at my calendar and do a rough meal plan and create a quick grocery list from that. I include things like "3 types of fruit, 5 veggies and 2 kid...

We’ve all heard it before. “I hope you get one just like you.” It was usually said during a battle of wills or after a trip to the principal’s office and more than likely, muttered under their breath like a curse. You almost forgot about this hex placed upon your firstborn until your mom starts saying “just wait” when you find out you’re pregnant. Just wait for what? Super sweet baby snuggles? Adorable sleepy smiles? Nope. Revenge in the form of a tiny version of yourself. In one last attempt to drive my mom crazy, I vowed to see this curse as a blessing. It’s all in the interpretation, right? “I hope you get one just like you (because you were...

 HELP WANTED No formal experience required. Hours are flexible, but “on call.” Work at home in your PJs. Pay is not great and the benefits will change your life   Eight years ago, my husband and I decided that I would pull back from my interior design business to answer this “stay at home mom” ad. I envisioned the perfect 9 to 5, where my work involved kissing babies, mommy and me Pilates, girlfriend lunch dates with our quiet well-mannered mini-me’s, Netflix watching, nap taking, profession that was too good to refuse. Four and a half kids later (I’m currently pregnant with # 5 as I'm writing this), “too good to refuse” might just be “too good to be true” as I keep thinking “wait, that wasn’t...

You win some and you lose some when it comes to parenting. What your child wears, if they nap, what they eat for lunch, etc. These are all battles, per se. Battles with that feisty toddler or in my case, the forever challenging 12 or 6 year old. It changes by the day, but there are plenty of things I choose to let go of and not “win.” A few battles that are not worth fighting: I am okay with losing to what my child wants to wear. Any given day, you will see my daughter in her favorite pair of leggings with a mismatched dress. I am okay with this, I want my kids to be creative and be comfortable in...