Real Talk

Parenting changes as the years go on ... the newest toy, dance moves and fashion trends keep us all on our toes when we are raising pre-teens and teenagers. Currently the biggest discussion in our house with my pre-teen is technology -- when, where, how he can have his iPhone so he can snap, tweet, and Instagram all day log. My son is almost 12, and he has had an iPhone since he entered middle school this past August. We have a few technology rules that has made this transition a little easier.   1. No Electronics on School Nights There are a few reasons for this rule - first it gives time for homework, bath time, and chores. Second, we can eat dinner...

Yesterday I shared my story about how I was bullied as a child. This was the first time I've ever shared about this in a public setting, and you can read it here. Bullied Part 2 :: How You Can Help a Victimized Child Thirty years later, here I am. Time and self-care have healed my wounds, but it's an experience that will forever be a part of me. I don't want any child to experience what I did. So today I am sharing some lessons I've taken from my life experience so that you as parents and caregivers can in turn share them with your children who are involved in bullying in any capacity. Let's put a stop to this...

If you've ever been bullied, I'm sure some well-meaning adult taught you to repeat, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." But they are wrong. They are so very wrong. Don't believe me? Did your parent or grandparent ever say something to you that to this day still has some sting to it? Childhood bullies can have that same effect, and it can stay with you for a lifetime. All words matter, and they are long-lasting scars that never truly heal. We carry the baggage for the rest of our lives. The load certainly feels lighter with time, but it never goes away.  To My Childhood Bullies :: Your Words Do Hurt I'm sharing my story...

This blog post is the first installment of a collaborative 5-part series entitled The Mother Within.  "What is my purpose?" I must ask myself this countless times a day. I know I must be good at something. Everyone has something they are good at, I’ve heard. I once listed out the things I felt I excelled out and came up with: Googling, reading, finding indie bands, dressing my kids, putting on makeup (on myself only), looking up various things on Google Earth and decorating my home. That’s it. SURELY there are real things that I have talent in. I just can’t for the life of me find what they are. I have always felt that I was meant for great things. Even as a small...

Between blogging and trying to grow two small businesses, I spend a significant amount of time on social media. As a function of that, I participate in a few online communities where participants discuss social media as it relates to business. In our discussions there, as well as in conversations in general, I have sometimes run into a recurring sentiment that I believe it is high time to challenge. That sentiment sounds something like this: “If I see someone advertising their business on social media, I just immediately delete them. I don’t want to be sold to on Instagram.” “I wish people wouldn’t talk politics on Facebook and we could get back to what Facebook was intended to do: connect family and friends." “I...