Laura

So we slow down. We all do it, right? The long bike rides and leisurely strolls are set aside for when warmer temps return – our outdoor aerobic activities limited to scraping windshields and shivering. If it weren’t for leftover Halloween candy, pumpkin pie and Christmas cookies, this might not be such a bad thing. However, staying active in winter not only makes it easier to eventually get back into a swimsuit, it also helps keep away any seasonal depression symptoms.

Some moms surreptitiously sneak handfuls of candy into the trash can – or into their own mouths – until the stash is gone. I let my girls keep a few weeks’ worth of their favorite treats. This is how I sort out the rest:

My girls know this is serious business. They’ve long abandoned any dreams of taking over the remote when “Mom is watching her house shows.” It’s gotten out of hand. So, too, have dreams and designs for my own home. It still has the same layout and many of the original features from when it was built in the late 1990s. Many days, instead of vacuuming or gardening, I waste time obsessing about updating the flooring in our living room, adding a French door to the master bedroom or pouring a concrete patio in the back yard. It sounds ridiculous when put into that perspective.

Our reasons might be varied, but the sentiment is the same – back-to-school isn’t all fun times and freedom for emotional mothers. But take heart! There are steps you can take to beat the back-to-school blues.

I’ve been struggling with how to write this letter, because I know I cannot possibly understand what you go through every day. I can’t understand all the things you have to think about and worry about – things that, for me, aren’t “things” at all. Like going to a friend’s birthday party, heading out to a baseball game or eating lunch at school. For me, I only worry about the broad, sweeping safety issues and social implications. You have to worry about whether your child might accidentally ingest something that could make them very – even deathly – sick.

The iconic family road trip. The video store shelves are flooded with comedies written about these all-important rites of summertime passage. Why? Because nine times out of 10, they quickly devolve into unmitigated catastrophes.

By now, you’re probably feeling the heat of summer. I’m not talking about the temperature. I’m talking about all the time with your kids.

For several months, I’ve been updating you awesome readers on my resolution to have more FUN this year. So far, we’ve read silly books, laughed out loud, embraced odd-ball holidays and checked out Wisconsin’s outrageous food celebrations. What’s next? Time for you moms to go out on a limb and try something new.

There’s an article making the Facebook rounds called “Your Kids Should Not Be the Most Important in the Family.” Published by family psychologist John Rosemond, it’s a simple reminder to parents not to ignore their spouses in the race to raise exceptional kids. And it’s been shared more than 1.1 million times.

Everyone knows Wisconsin is the Dairy State, but our food selections go far beyond the dairy aisle. In fact, coming to Wisconsin and only tasting our cheese is like ordering a hot fudge sundae and eating only the cherry on top.