Mom's Timeout

These days, it’s becoming more and more common for dads to have joint custody and kids are getting shuffled around a lot more. Having a closer relationship with both parents is awesome, but the whole idea of custody agreements can be confusing. While it’s amazing to be able to spend equal time with both parents, […]

Sometimes, I can’t help but laugh at the things we say to each other. And even more so now that we have a toddler. There are so many expressions in which the context has totally changed since reproducing. Hard to believe, but things aren’t like they used to be. Phrases like “Let’s do it” and “I’m tired” […]

“I’m teaching her about the world. It’s a mean place.” My husband said last night as he tried to justify teasing my daughter mercilessly. It’s true, we want our kids to be able to cope with disappointment, bullying, and many other not-so-nice things about the world we live in today. I’m guilty of being the […]

Does your child know what to do when there’s a problem? For instance, if he’s working on a new color-by-number and accidentally colors something black when it should be yellow… How’s he going to handle that? Meltdown city? Will he get creative? We all want our kids to be problem solvers. We want them to […]

Growing up, I was a big fan of mud pies! My sister and I once attempted to get my brother to eat them on the grounds that he must sample our cooking to play with us. Yes, I know we were awful. There was something therapeutic and creative about making mud pies though. We had […]

There’s a secret all parents are looking for. We all want to know how to end the bad behaviors. We’re all looking for a way to get our kids to behave and be the little angels we see when they are sleeping. I know I’m tired of reminding my son not to throw toys, hit […]

I’m totally in favor of postponing formal education. What I mean is that during what’s typically considered the Preschool and Kindergarten years, we should be encouraging a love of learning and reading to our kids, not shoving Math and Phonics down their throats. Science experiments. Nature walks. Building things. That’s all great. My issue comes when […]

You know all the cliches about messy homes being happy ones and making memories being more important than perfection… Oh, and the kids won’t remember whether or not everything was immaculate? Yep, that basically sums it up. Here’s the thing, though. A clean house doesn’t necessarily mean a boring mom. I’m somewhere in the middle […]

Pregnancy is great, isn’t it? First, you get blessed with morning sickness and then having to pee constantly. Not too long after, you have the pleasure of experiencing acid reflux so badly you have to sleep sitting up and did I mention not being able to bend over? So many of my friends told me […]

Parenting is… well, funny. Am I right? It’s hard to believe the predicaments we get ourselves into. I remember thinking it would be piece of cake. Boy, was I ever wrong! Being a mom has been totally awesome, but it definitely has the occasional challenging moment. The mom and dad in this video are absolutely hilarious […]

Do you remember your dad’s reaction to you dating? Or maybe your husband’s reaction to your daughter dating? Either way, this video basically sums it up perfectly. Why you gotta call me rude For doing what a dad should do And keep her from a fool like you And if you marry her anyway… This […]

Sadly, it is. Daycare is at least twice as expensive each month as what our mortgage is. On the flip side, the people who are caring for my son every day deserve to get paid too. It’s a catch-22. I mean, think about it. Sure, sometimes I wish it were less expensive, but I’m honestly […]

When we were kids, things were a whole lot different than they are now. We ran around the neighborhood, came and went within our boundaries, and spent summer days outside. We weren’t anywhere near as closely supervised as kids are today. Everyone watched out for everyone else. I remember telling my mom I was going […]

Can you believe it’s mid-October already? In just a few weeks, we’re going to be going trick-or-treating for the first time. Last year, the little guy was only a few months old. This year, it’s different. Just today I ordered him the most adorable little fuzzy monster costume. I’m totally excited. Here’s the thing, though. […]

Sometimes I think we plan too much of our kids’ lives these days. During the majority of the year, we trust public school and extracurricular activities to keep them busy most of the year. In the Summer, we worry. We worry about what they might be getting involved in with all that free time. Admit […]

Okay, seriously… I couldn’t even imagine re-living the same nightmarish mom day over and over again. Remember the Freaky Friday movie from way back? This kind of reminds me of that. The first time I watched this, I laughed hysterically. This is so funny. I’ve had real life nightmares about things like this. Sleeping in, […]

Alright, this is definitely one of those things in life that I have extremely mixed feelings about. Long story short, the little boy in this story was being bullied and his parents let him have cosmetic surgery. Say what? I think there’s a lot to be said for teaching children to love themselves unconditionally. However, […]

I remember kindergarten when I was a kid. The blocks were huge. They reminded me of bricks, but they were made of cardboard. We used to sit on the floor and build with them. And the letter people. Do you remember them? Making macaroni necklaces and sitting in a circle for story time. These days, […]

I must be in the minority because there’s a little part of me that misses being up with my newborn son at 5 AM. Maybe, I’m just crazy. Who knows! It was generally just he and I and it was so peaceful and quiet. We’d sit on the couch and watch Adventures from the Book […]

I hate homework. Personally, I think that evenings should be reserved for spending quality time as a family. My vision definitely doesn’t include dealing with last-minute papers and projects. I’m also not a fan of rote memorization. And cramming for tests? Don’t even get me started. Unfortunately, finding a public school that doesn’t send home […]