Mom's Timeout

Are you a pro-Pinterest mama? Do you pin the ever-loving crap out of recipes and party ideas and kids activities? I may or may not have specific Pinterest boards for each and every one of those things. For that matter, bring on the paper plate animals and sensory bins. Pinterest is addictive, I’m telling you. […]

This year, my toddler is really excited about presents. He can’t wait to see what Santa brings him. He loves ripping off the paper and finding the surprise inside!  With a birthday just days before Christmas and 2 sets of grandparents living here in town, he’s quite spoiled this time of year. Here’s the thing: […]

Children are never too young to be read to. I love having story time with my children. I’m already sharing my favorite board books with my two month old daughter. We love Sandra Boynton. Her books are hilarious!  If I had to create a list of favorite books for my children, she would definitely be […]

There are so many things I wish someone would’ve told me. So many things I wish I had known. The problem is you can’t possibly be prepared for everything parenting throws at you. It’s just not possible. You can read dozens of books and talk to each and every one of your mom friends, but […]

“What is wrong with me? I’m totally failing at this mom thing! I’m the worst mother ever!” I cried to my husband as I held our screaming infant daughter.  She had been crying for the better part of 2 weeks. The doctors called it colic. I called it failure. Surveying our situation only made me […]

My husband is convinced that all the sodas he drank as a child are to blame for the fact that our children don’t sleep. I’m starting to think it’s a real possibility. We have tried everything and our kids still struggle with insomnia. They often skip naps, stay up past 10:00, and still manage to […]

This past weekend, my three year old broke my heart.  He told me that I’m not his favorite anymore because “you are angry all the time and Daddy is happy all the time.”  After our conversation, I went to my room and cried. Am I really angry all the time? Lately, things have been much […]

My son used to be the best little eater! People in restaurants would comment in amazement as he ate vegetables, cleaned his plate, and asked to try new foods.  He wasn’t afraid of green foods or trying new things. He ate foods in every food group and his favorites were things like avocados, squash, and […]

My three year old always wants to help me cook dinner.  Sometimes there are things I can get him to do, like stir sauce with pasta or put slices of bread on a pan for toasting. Other times there is nothing he can do to help and he quickly becomes inconsolable. In order to avoid […]

Does your husband drive you crazy? My husband knows exactly how to push my buttons! Sometimes, I’m quite sure he does it just for fun, just to see my reaction.  It’s maddening. I’m good at driving him crazy too. Sometimes, I don’t mean to get under his skin. Other times, I know exactly what I’m […]

Do you remember all those times you thought you had this parenting thing all figured out and then lo and behold you’d come to figure out you didn’t? It’s inevitable. Not one of us has it even remotely mastered. And then there are all those times you thought your job as a parent was done. […]

I’m a full-time working mom. Well, a few hours less than full-time these days, but you get the idea. And let me tell you something, the days we stay at home – they’re no less difficult than the days I go to work. I’m not saying I dislike being at home. Actually, quite the opposite. […]

My son was born in December.  I’ll never forget that first Christmas with a new baby. Everything seemed entirely different: the holiday, myself, the world! I noticed different things, cared about different things, and wanted different things. My aunt brought me a present for Christmas as she does each year, but this year the present […]

Visiting Santa at the mall in a nutshell:  You wait in line for nearly an hour (if you’re lucky and it’s not busy) before dumping your irritable, frightened toddler on a strange man’s lap and attempt to get him to smile for a photograph by jumping up and down and grinning like a Cheshire cat while […]

Everything changes when you have kids. But what you probably didn’t expect is that your relationships change too. At first, I only noticed the changes in my relationships with friends that don’t have children. Those friendships change fast!  It’s not always a bad thing and it’s not easy to explain, but they do change. Just […]

Every year people ask me what to get my kids for Christmas. I’m grateful, truly grateful that they are thinking of my children and want to give them a gift to show their love during the holidays.  I start thinking in advance about gifts, but not the way you might think. I start thinking about […]

I always try to get the perfect gift. It’s a fun challenge for me to find something everyone will love. But this year, I’m still adjusting to a new baby and trying to find ways to give my loved ones presents they’ll adore while saving my energy for those middle of the night feedings. For […]

I’m willing to bet my mom friends will never let me forget some of the crazy things I said before I had my son. It’s hard to believe that anyone could be so naive. Or not. I mean, I’m sure we all had some pretty ridiculous misconceptions about what it would be like to have […]

While I’m sure my husband would beg to differ, I personally think I’m pretty chill with the whole babysitting thing. Definitely more so with my parents than his, but that’s just the way it goes. Sure, throughout the last year or so, I’ve said a few things that made me scratch my head, but… For […]

My son has tons of energy! I wish I had that much energy. Sometimes it’s all I can do to keep up with him through the day.  Recently, we started having some behavior problems with my son. It took a few weeks for me to figure out what the problem was. The solution? He needed […]