Mom's Timeout

In a perfect world, everyone would mind their own business. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Take co-sleeping, for example. That’s a subject that’s near and dear to our hearts. And yet, instead of just focusing on what’s important to each of us, we fight and argue and criticize each other for our decisions. […]

Do you remember back in the day when we were in middle school and high school and we used to pass notes back and forth full of acronyms that looked like code so no one else could understand us? And then there’s the message board lingo that’s so common these days. I remember the first […]

I hear it even now – barely more than a year into becoming a mom… When are you having another one? He needs a little brother or sister. At least that’s what every one else seems to think. Here’s the thing, though. I would love to have another one and while we’re at it, I […]

“…but mom, I’m bored.” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? I’m willing to bet every mom has heard something along these lines. I may not hear this directly because my son is still so young, but I certainly hear the whining. When we were kids we spent most of our summer days outside – playing. We came in […]

I read an article not too long ago that talked about kids being strong-willed or full of potential. I just stumbled across another one talking about how poorly behaved children earn more money as adults. Really? Could it be because these are the kids who aren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in, […]

I used to tell my best friend that I had absolutely no idea how her son managed to make such a mess. Fast forward a few years and my son really isn’t much different. It’s so odd to me to watch kids eat. Generally speaking, they’re messy and their manners leave a lot to be […]

Toddlers are tons of fun! My little guy is starting to say all kinds of things. Not too many of them sound like real words, but hey… at least he’s trying. I’m also very conscious of the fact that if I don’t want something repeated, it’s probably in my best interest not to say it […]

I am obsessed with books and reading is, no doubt, one of my favorite things to do. I’ve made it a major priority to build a library for my toddler son. In a matter of a year, we’ve accumulated almost 200 books – just of his. That doesn’t include the books I’ve bought for us as a […]

The internet is bursting with Summer bucket lists, vacation ideas, educational day camps, and “easy” ways to tackle the inevitable boredom monster that appears when school’s out. You can color code your calendar, print a bucket list tailored to your child’s age, and save directions to all the local summer hang out spots. There are […]

An unfinished baby book is the equivalent of every mom’s worst nightmare, right? It is when your school-aged child asks to see it for a project and you have to explain to a nine year old why you never got around to it. We just had a first birthday here last weekend. It dawned on […]

I know that some days I feel overwhelmed. Some days, I think I can’t possibly do it all and get everything done. It’s so easy for us, as women and mothers, to take everything upon ourselves. We don’t always ask for help much less realize that maybe we need it. I’m totally guilty of this […]

We all want our kids to be happy, healthy, and successful in life. Most moms focus the majority of their energy on achieving those goals. We do what we can to help them get an education and learn to be responsible. We shower them with affection and words of affirmation to give them confidence and […]

There’s no shortage of parenting advice. When you become a mom, everyone is quick to share all their parenting advice with you. Some of it is incredibly helpful and some of it just isn’t worth the breath they wasted on it. That said, there are a few areas where no one can really give you […]

I’m pregnant with my daughter. She’s not even here yet and I’m already terrified. I have no idea how to raise a daughter. I’m more than scared, I’m petrified. Even though she’s yet to enter the world, my brain is already bursting with all sorts of things I want to tell her, things I need her to […]

It’s funny to think that when I first had my son everyone was so quick to tell me how to do things. So many people were all for helping me out. The only issue with this? All of the advice I was getting completely contradicted itself. One person would tell me something and someone else […]

It wasn’t my choice to wait until my 30’s to have kids. It was just sort of the hand I was dealt. I wanted kids a lot sooner, but as is the irony of life, it happened in its own time and on its own terms. In hindsight, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. […]

When we began our childcare search, I remember a strange bit of advice an older mom friend gave me. She said to look out for care providers that focused on education or putting the kids into a school-like routine. She urged us to find a provider who was more concerned with fostering play, imagination, and […]

Parenthood. It’s ironic. It’s sarcastic. And it’s whole lot of fun, isn’t it? You know the old cliché about kids saying the darnedest things? Sometimes, parents do too. Sometimes, I’ll just be scrolling through my Facebook feed, minding my own business, and I run across a gem like this one. I laughed so hard when I […]

I remember telling my mama friends over and over again exactly how things were going to be. I truly think they were just humoring me. You know, because it’s easier to just bite your tongue than it is to argue with a cranky, pregnant girl who knows everything there is to know about parenting. I’ll bet […]

There’s a clear focus on achieving in our society. We often push our kids to be the best – at anything, at something. We know in our hearts that being “best” or “perfect” isn’t really all that important, but we push anyway. What if we spent just as much time focusing on teaching our children […]