Real Talk

“Don’t worry – no one goes to college in diapers,” my mom kept reassuring me as I moaned to her for the millionth time about the fact that my kid seemed totally uninterested in being potty-trained. Every parent knows this, but sometimes it can feel like it’s never going to happen. Whenever the subject comes up with another mom, either one who currently has little children or a seasoned mom of older kids who has seen it all, I almost always hear the same thing: “That was one of the hardest things we had to do as parents.” I’m currently potty-training my second child, so you’d think I’d know what I was doing, since I’ve done this before. But it’s hard,...

I recently sat down to watch some not-so-kid-friendly TV. My boys were playing in their room, and I was pleasantly surprised at their contentment for about 30 minutes until I heard a scuffle going down. Wanting to see how or if they would handle it themselves, I awaited the inevitable. Sure enough, as one ran into the living room with the classic "MO-om!," the other followed hot on his heels with a quick "Sorrysorrysorry! I said sorry!" After giving each of my boys (ages 9 and 7) a chance to tell his side of the story, here's what I discovered: one wanted the hot wheels positioned on the castle this way, while the other wanted it that way; they took turns jerking it back...

I am not a boy mom by the pure definition that the reliable source of Urban Dictionary gives me, “mother to only boys,” but when used in their example sentence, “Boy mom is an experience, not a description,” I think I am living the boy mom life. My toddler, on any given day, prefers princess dresses and will fight 'til death (unless it's tumble tots day) to wear one. Birdie is my little girl and definitely has her girly streak, but I think I am living the boy mom life. Come with me for a moment to defend my theory and present the evidence. Flatulence Obsession God Bless America, my child carries her toots as a badge of honor. I hear about...

Most women can relate that a shower is much more than getting the Goldifsh crumbs and spit up out of their hair. It’s 5 minutes of alone time. Yes, there might be a kid with their fingertips under the door screaming "mommy," but at least the sound of the running water is soothing. And while the hot water might be relaxing, our brains are usually going a mile a minute. A mom’s 5 minutes of alone time becomes their mental to-do list. As an experiment, I attempted to record my train of thoughts from my shower this morning. So here we go, welcome to inside the brain of a mom. May you enjoy my 5-minute shower thoughts. Ugh, this shower needs to be...

Two kids ago, I was faced with quite a conundrum. My husband had confessed to me his lifelong dream of joining the Navy, and after months of discussions and planning, he left for boot camp. Including school in California, he was gone for about six months when our boys were 3 and 2 years old. During that time, I dealt with the most trying situations our family had faced until that point without his assistance: my first trip to the emergency room as a mom, our house getting hit by lightning, and setting up a pack-and-play.  That last one almost broke me.  My mom was babysitting so I could go to my high school reunion. Before I left, she asked me...