Mom Hacks, Tips & Tricks

For as long as I can remember, I have been a reader. I remember my mom reading to my sister and I growing up - even long past the point that we could read for ourselves, she would have a chapter book and would read a chapter aloud to us each night. We also did not have television growing up, so my main form of entertainment was from books. We would ask for books for Christmas, and within a week's time, would have stayed up late greedily reading the entire stack. It's no surprise then, that I became an English teacher. That love of literature could not be quenched, and I wanted to instill that love of reading in someone...

I started a book club last summer. I had wanted to be in a book club since college, but finally decided it was a good time to take the plunge. The only problem was, I didn’t know anyone in a book club at the time. Our club started with only 3 members and has since grown to 7. Our young book club may not make me an expert, but here are a few tips to help you start your own book club. 1. Find your purpose! Being the busy mom I am, I wasn’t looking for a really strict book club. I knew I wasn’t going to read a book and take a test afterward, I wasn’t going to be writing...

So, a few months ago, my husband and I were enjoying a little one on one time. The kids were all in bed asleep and we decided to take advantage of the night. No sooner had things ended and I opened my eyes to see our seven year old standing beside the bed, tears in her eyes, “What’s happening??” I panicked, covering my breasts as I yelled, “Oh my gosh! Get out! Get out!” I’m pretty sure we looked like two beached whales as we flailed around for coverings. She ran from the room, crying. My husband and I freaked out for a few minutes. Our kid had just seen us having sex! OUR KID SAW US HAVING SEX!! What...

Feeling overwhelmed keeping up with your day to day activities? Do you or your significant other work weird inconsistent hours? Do your children have so many extracurricular events that you cannot possibly manage to remember every detail? I feel you. We all have a lot going on day to day. We work part-time, full time, have pets, multiple kids, a partner in crime, homes to clean, and mouths to feed ... so how can we manage it all without becoming overwhelmed adult terrors? Adult beverages. The answer is always adult beverages. Just kidding (not really) - a calendar. Getchu a family calendar and kiss one piece of your overwhelming puzzle goodbye. I have a family dry erase calendar on our...

With the recent news, there may be parents out there who want to stay home with their kiddos. Here are some fun things to do with your kids while social distancing. Go outside – It's what we did growing up every day after school. Have a picnic, run around or just relax. There has been some pretty weather the last few days, take advantage! Stream movies and TV shows – I may get flack for this but let your kids watch some Disney classics or old shows, for example the old show Out of the Box (my daughter's oldie but goodie show she has learned to love) Make a kid vision board – Create some goals with your kids...