Mom's Timeout

High School Graduation Day fast approaches. It will soon be the last day of my daughter’s public school education and 3 days after that is graduation. I’m not going to quote trite sayings like “They’re only with you for a short time” or “Time flies when you’re raising kids”. I know all of that, because believe […]

Do you have any bad habits – addictions that you just can’t seem to stop? No, I’m not talking about anything illegal in nature. I’m talking about the things you do as a parent that make you cringe. We all have them. For the most part, we just don’t talk about them. Remember the old […]

It’s not like we need a list to tell us we’re moms. I’m well aware after listening to my toddler repeat “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” all morning long just because he likes the sound of it. Being a mom has become such a part of my identity that I can’t really remember what my life was […]

What kind of parent are you? Can you neatly bracket yourself into any one particular category? Do you have a so-called type? I think most of us are just doing what we do. We’re probably much less concerned about what we should call ourselves and more so worried about whether or not it’s bedtime yet, […]

I’ve definitely heard my fair share of things that I’d rather not have since I became a mom, especially things that relate to my decision – if you want to call it that – to go back to work. I mean, it’s not as if I go out of my way to make sure that […]

Are you a veteran mom? Have you been in the trenches? If you instinctively know all the secret mommy life-hacks that will make your life easier, I’m talking to you.  If you’re that mom, you don’t need this article. You’ll be shaking your head and smiling about how you “already figured that one out.” For […]

Do you think you’re a good mom? Most of the time I think I’m a good mom. Some days I feel like I’m totally rocking at this mom gig. Now that I have two kids, I sort of think of myself as a veteran at the mom job. Sometimes I even think I can do […]

Congratulations! You’re a mom. Now begins the inner monologue of things your mom did that you are NEVER going to do. Don’t say it out loud, because that will make it come true. Really, all us veteran moms are laughing at you because we know something you don’t. Every thing, EVERY thing, that you say […]

It’s a story as old as time.  Child has a birthday.  Parents plan a party.  Parents send out invites.  RSVP is a “yes”.  Invited child does not show at party. Invited child’s parents are invoiced and threatened with legal action if the invoice is not paid…….wait, what? It used to be simple.  Bake a cake, […]

If you’re a first-time mom, I’m sure you find it both funny and frustrating. It’s probably taking everything you have just to keep your head above water for those first few weeks. Maybe, you even feel as though you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing. We’ve all been there and done that. I remember […]

What makes someone a good mom? Is there a list of rules somewhere or maybe even a book that explains everything in detail? Is it something that we’re supposed to figure out on our own? For that matter, is there one standard definition that applies to all of us? Being a good mom seems to […]

The advice never stops. You get sick of it before you’re done with your first pregnancy, but it just keeps coming. I know that most people really do mean well when they try to pass on their mommy wisdom. We’re expecting our second child and I’m already getting lots of advice from other moms who […]

This is a subject that’s near and dear to me. It took me almost a decade to conceive my son. I had to listen to so many well-meaning people give me excuse after excuse as to why things weren’t working out the way that we had hoped. Sometimes, I wanted to cry – not listen […]

I’m sure it isn’t exactly a surprise to anyone that babies are expensive. As if raising kids isn’t hard enough these days, fitting everything that you’ll need into your budget can be even harder. It’s crazy to think about how quickly it all adds up. No worries, though. It’s definitely possible to raise a baby […]

I have a love/hate relationship with working at this point. I love my job, but I hate being away from my son 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of pros to working full-time, but that’s a story for another day. Today, I’m focusing on the […]

We all need a night out once in a while. It doesn’t even have to be a night, at this point, I’d settle for coffee with a girlfriend on my lunch break.  Why is it that we never give ourselves the night off? I think mostly it’s the guilt. Mommy guilt is ruthless. Especially when your […]

Recently, a girl I used to babysit got married.  Besides making me feel old, the event got me thinking about what I would want to tell my daughter before her big day.  There’s a lot of wisdom she can’t find on The Knot.com or in the pages of a magazine.  Here’s what I’d tell her: […]

Hey, Mommy. You deserve a prize! No, really, being a mom is an awesome, consuming job/love sacrifice. It’s way overlooked by society. So, I’d like to take you all to an all-inclusive to show you my thanks… but I can’t even afford a trip to the local salon for a mani-pedi. What I can offer […]

Man, if I had a dollar for every time some idiot said stay-at-home moms were just too lazy to work, I’d surely be living on a beach somewhere! What do they know? It’s hard stinkin’ work. And more often than not, most people don’t get it – not even our husbands. Well, ladies, this post […]

The struggle is real. When you’re a stay at home mom, you wake up every day with this lofty vision of what you will accomplish. If you’re like me, you even write it all down on your “to do list.” Then reality kicks in and somewhere in between picking up toys for the millionth time, […]