I remember, about 6 years ago, the twins started crawling. They had a whole world literally at their fingertips and the entertainment possibilities were endless. For small moments of their day, as they fearlessly roamed our apartment, Mommy was off the hook. I felt all those things that moms feel whenever their kids reach new stages in development: Overwhelming joy at this new tiny bit of ...
Parenting
Raising Daughters with Positive Body Image
When I was young, we didn't talk about our bodies. Maybe it was a cultural thing or maybe it was just my family. As a mom of girls, I'm coming to realize how important it is to talk to my kids about their bodies. Because of some recent- and honestly quite jarring- conversations with my girls, I'm being more intentional about raising daughters with positive body image.Girls' Body Image ...
30 Things to do in Spring
Warmer weather is on its way, and spring is in the air! The freshness of spring and cool, sunny days go by all too quickly. There’s still time to enjoy this sweet season before the long hot days of summer arrive. If you need some inspiration, try some of these things to do in the spring.30 Things to do in SpringMake a bouquet of wildflowersSit quietly in a nature preserve and observe ...
Creating Christmas Magic at Home
This post was sponsored by Amazon as part of an Ambassador Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. For me, it’s not so much about the shopping and gift giving as it is the opportunities to make lasting memories. The holiday season in our house is synonymous with love, kindness, and fun. This year my 3 youngest are ...
Breakfast with Santa 2018 and the Christmas Parade
We had a busy Saturday. To start it off, the kids got up much earlier than they usually do. This ended up being fine because we had big plans for the morning: Our Breakfast with Santa! This is an event that our church puts on every year. There are crafts for the kids, carols, silly games, a fantastic hot cocoa bar, a hot pancake breakfast, all topped off by a visit from the big guy himself. It's ...
Sanity-Saving Tips for Busy Moms
When I first started blogging, I had newborn twins, a full-time job, and a 9-year-old with a packed extracurricular schedule. To say I was busy is an understatement! Since then, we added another bundle of joy to our family. I've learned a lot over the years about managing a growing family while working full time. With a little planning and these sanity-saving tips for busy moms, you’ll be more ...
How We’re Raising Literate Children
Now that the girls are in school, I have a lot more time with my 3-year-old, Johnny. He’s not in preschool yet, and I want him to be on track for kindergarten in a few years. Kindergarten is not at all the finger painting and nap-taking class that it was when I was little! These days, kids leave kindergarten already reading. My teacher training gave me some starting points for teaching little ...
The Key to Helping your Child Stay in Bed at Night
I never learn my lesson. We’ve had this issue with 4 children so far, and I make the same mistake with all of them. In the middle of the night, the youngest one stumbles out of his room and into my bed. Part of me is too sleepy to bother with getting up and tucking him back into his own little bed. But the other part of me, the part that regrets letting him sleep in my bed every single time, ...
Mercury Insurance Drive Safe Challenge
This post is sponsored by Mercury Insurance and Socialtyze. However, the opinions expressed are my own.As kids grow older, it’s so exciting to watch them turn into young men and women. Then they turn into teenagers and start talking about driving, and suddenly growing up is downright terrifying to mom and dad. I wish I could just wrap my teenager in a bubble, but that’s not reality. He can’t ...
We Only Behave for Santa
This was a big day for us. The twins have been looking forward to meeting the big red-coated guy from the North Pole for days, and today he was coming to our town! My kids are usually a little bonkers, but thank goodness they had it in them to smile pretty and behave for Santa when the cameras were on them. Every year our church puts on a big "Breakfast with Santa" event. 2 staff members dress ...