Real Talk

I surround myself with some pretty cool chicks. We try to meet regularly, check in on each other, celebrate our victories (parenting and otherwise) and support each other when we have those days we fail spectacularly.  Because we do. We all do.  No one likes to fail, BUT when I fail, I don't want your encouragement (not right away). I want your participation. I want you to jump right in with me - and make me laugh at myself or cry with me because we both totally suck. I want to go down in a blaze of glory - when I set the kitchen on fire (accidentally), when bath time deteriorated into a battle of wet, frustrated wills, when bed time...

Almost anytime we as adults {myself included at times} encounter a child whether male or female, it seems like we feel the need to compliment their physical appearance in some way. Which I would argue is really more about paying a compliment to the parents, rather than the kid himself ... but I assure you they are listening even if we are not speaking directly to them. Why do we do this? My daughter has beautiful hair. Golden curls that cascade down like liquid gold, there is no questioning its loveliness. And at three years of age, she is keenly aware of this physical trait of hers because 99.9% of the time she encounters a stranger or an acquaintance who is an...

Today I'm going to break some rules. I loved my fellow contributor's post, "I Don't Want to Talk About my Body with You" because it's so true. Regardless of our shape or size, there are so many more interesting, productive and healthy things to talk about other than our bodies. I don't want to talk about my body with anyone, but because of what happened to me recently at the doctor's office, I'm going to make an exception.  You see, even though I don't want to talk about my body with people, I do have to talk about it with my doctors. After all, it's kind of their job to evaluate my body and its health. But during an appointment with my...

 A few years ago when I was assisting managing a retail store, I did what all career driven millennial women did: I read Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. It absolutely changed my life. Entrepreneurship is something that I've dreamed of for as long as I can remember. Reading Lean In really gave me the confidence and push to take the next step. I had the opportunity to purchase an existing business, and I settled on a childcare facility. I loved children, did extensive research on state regulations, and was already familiar with business operations. I found one locally and SURPRISE! It was the exact center that my son was attending for the previous two years. In my mind it...

I just made it to the second trimester with my second child, so I'm in preparation (and saving) mode for what will come in five short months. And while the planning becomes more real every day, I can say with most certainty that I am beyond ecstatic to be out of the first trimester. See with my first pregnancy I was nauseated, got sick once or twice, and then figured out how to keep it from happening. I never felt great, but it was manageable. Thinking I had it all figured out from the first time around, I assumed this one would be a breeze. WRONG. This kid has already thrown me for a loop. Morning, afternoon and night sickness....