Parenting Wisdom

 Add some fun new books to your rotation with our favorites for the Thanksgiving season   Pete the Cat The First Thanksgiving Another favorite about the cool cat named Pete. He stars in his class play about the first Thanksgiving. This educational book...

Before kids, my husband and I did everything together.  We went out to eat, saw concerts, stayed up late watching movies, and traveled.  I would have characterized our marriage as “easy.”  Then we had kids.  With three toddlers distracting...

If you were to ask me in college, where my kids were going to go to school, homeschooling would have been my last option. I had so many preconceived notions about what homeschooling was and the families that chose to participate in it. To me the people who homeschooled were the parents of kids who got expelled from school or the parents who didn't want to interact with the community that they lived in. So what changed my mind?

I don’t have a big bathroom at all. It’s not fancy. The shower head is whatever WPS installed on their energy plan visit.  It’s not a walk-in or tile. I don’t even like the shower curtain anymore. But I LOVE my shower.  I mean LOVE.

One of my responsibilities as a mom is to not take those experiences away from my children by helping them too much. I have a laid back and fun-loving personality. Conflict is my worst enemy. I love my children and don't want them to think of me as a mean mom. And, I definitely don't want to feel like a mean mom. But sometimes being perceived as a “mean mom” when I am teaching a lesson is necessary. My primary goal as a parent isn't to raise happy children. It is teach them what skills they will need as adults.

My daughter transitioned to the 3 year old room at daycare all by herself. It just worked out that way with her birthday. The group of kids that were already in the room had been together for 4 months. At three, kids start to make friends and play together instead of next to each other. It’s a fun age to parent for this reason. Unless your child becomes the victim of mean girls.

What is the first thing you need to Chair a school event? Your hands,of course. Just raise them and say, “I can do it”.  Stepping up to the plate isn’t always easy when it comes to volunteering your time for anything. Most moms are busier than ever now a day and are professional jugglers. The fear of dropping the ball or taking a misstep at any time can be worrisome to most moms. Have no fear, you can do it.

Can I get an Amen?  I mean as moms we do it all! Right?!  When we get ready to go on a vacation the standing joke at our house is that my husband just has to show up with his clothes. All other details are thought of.  And this doesn’t just apply to special events like trips, but day-to-day life too. Moms’ brains are constantly thinking, worrying, planning and so are our bodies. Our job is never done, many times thankless, and therefore, I can say, “I do it all.” And I’m lying.

"Eat your broccoli... eat your peppers... eat your banana..."  The struggle to get kids to eat their fruits and vegetables (F & V) is constant.  We recently asked our pediatrician to get in the battle, asking him to very clearly point out how important fruits and vegetables are to eat.  While his recommendation helped, ultimately it is still up to me and my husband to get our four year old, Elsie, to eat well.  So, I have enlisted some of my favorite kitchen gadgets to make F & V more appealing.

My relationship with my in-laws has been and continues to be a positive experience. They are my second set of parents that I never expected. I call them Mom & Dad. Like many relationships, we don’t agree on everything and that’s ok. I respect that they may have different ideas or opinions on things than I do. Life would be boring if we all thought and acted alike.