Mom Hacks, Tips & Tricks

I am a mom to an almost 2 year old child who is too smart for his own good. He is my greatest blessing, but he also exhausts me. I'm married to an engineer who, at times, has an unpredictable work schedule due to emergencies. By day, you'll find me in the classroom teaching middle school English and by night/weekend, you'll find me spending time with said 2 year old, as well as working on a personal blog and a small business my husband and I started together. To say that I am spread thin is an understatement. I think, as moms, we are all guilty of giving it all to everyone or trying to do it all until we...

The second I feel like I’ve got a category of motherhood down, I get thrown through a loop. Either our schedule changes or my daughter hits a new phase. Motherhood is an ever-changing journey. However, I do feel like I’ve consistently had the cleanup category just short of mastered. I realized early on that how my house looks has a huge impact on my mood and patience. I care about my home feeling like a refuge, not a place where I see a huge to-do list the second I walk in the door. On the same note, I want to spend more time being home, not cleaning my home. We've gotten pretty good with efficiency around here. Here’s how: Toy Rotation I...

It shouldn’t have surprised me when we slowly started facing more bedtime battles with my now 3-year-old. For literally years after sleep training, we had zero sleep struggles. When we transitioned to her big girl bed, she even refused to get out of it on her own for a while. She would wake and call for us to come get her. I guess you could say we were pretty spoiled in the sleep department. 12-hour nights, 2-hour naps (minimum)…yes, we were spoiled. The fact that I’m a baby and toddler sleep consultant is almost irrelevant here. I know what needs to be done and what is to be expected at every stage from 0 to 4 years old, but it’s...

Everyone knows that having friends is important and that it makes us happier. It is kind of commonplace and it stands for every period of life. But there are stages when it is more important to make friends and belong to certain circles, and one of the first that comes to our mind is teenagehood. In this period, friendships are more important than ever, as they are giving young people the sensation of acceptance and belonging. Additionally, the ability to connect with peers encourages the development of empathy, compassion, etc., in adolescents. Besides, through these friendships, young people form an identity that is not, in any way, related to their families. However, not all teens manage to make friends easily....

I remember when my youngest child came home from the hospital and my mother was trying to convince me that I only needed a couple of sets of clothes and a couple of sleepers for her.  Her reasoning was that she was a newborn and that she would quickly grow out of everything.  Besides, I already had a toddler at home and I SHOULD be doing laundry at least twice a week anyway.  Also, I only need three or four bottles because I'm washing them daily. *insert eye roll* Now, my baby girl is my second child but nowhere near only the second child that I have had a hand in raising. As I look back, I can honestly say...