My best gal Lila is going to turn 9 on September 12th. Her birthdays always make me feel nostalgic. You see, six days after Lila was born she was diagnosed with full Trisomy-18. This makes me passionate about supporting terminally ill children and their families. For those of you who don’t know, Trisomy-18 is sometimes also…
Category: Development
The Secret to Teaching School at Home like an Expert
I’d been homeschooling for what felt like two seconds when we had our first, “What do we do now?” moment. My boys were four and six, and I had plenty of tasks I wanted them to do, but they didn’t have the desire to do any of them. So, I asked them to bring their…
Your “Only” Is My Everything
For the past week or so, I’ve been inundated with calls and texts from well-meaning loved ones. All of them checking in to see how we are holding up under the stress of the current pandemic and all of the restrictions it has brought with it. The sentiment is sweet and all, but really our…
Throw the Ball in the House: Making More Memories & Fewer Rules
We have these things in a lot of the houses here in the southwest and we call them “pot shelves”. They are high ledges up by the ceiling, so it’s not a place you can put things you use all the time. It’s more of a display area. You’ll usually find them in most of…
Is this for real? How One Postpartum Ad was Shut Down
I recently wrote a blog post about what NOT to ask a new mom because some of the same old questions can be a bit frustrating, sometimes invasive and sometimes insensitive. But when I scrolled my news feed at 5:30 am, whilst nursing my infant, I came across this Buzzfeed article, showing an ad that…
Benefits of Delaying Kindergarten from the Perspective of a 1st Grade Momma
My oldest was born in the spring, her birthday falling a day after mine. From the time she was an infant, I thought I had her early education planned out. She and I would attend a parent/toddler class when she was two and a half. Then she would go to two years of preschool followed…
What a Mom Needs to Know before Kindergarten
Being a first-time parent to a baby or toddler is challenging in more ways than one. But you know what? There are SO MANY resources out there to help you through. Doctor offices pass out guidelines. Countless books are written about the infant and toddler years. Don’t even get me started about the wealth of…
I See You! The Importance of Your Child’s Eyes
When I say AUGUST many parents immediately think of Back-To-School or the end of summer heat. But something else that they should also be thinking is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month. Depending on the state or country that you live, a comprehensive eye exam may be required before a child can enter elementary or…
Is It Still Paleo if I Eat the Whole Bag of “Paleo Puffs”?
This was the actual situation occurring in my kitchen when I decided to write this. While I was repetitively crunching on the dairy free snack I started to think, “Well, at least it’s compliant”. Anyone who has followed a dietary program has probably had this feeling and has told themselves, “I’m not cheating that bad”….
Car Seats, Booster Seats and Seat Belts: Are You Doing Enough?
My #1 pet peeve (among many) is children who are not properly restrained in a moving vehicle. It absolutely infuriates me to see a child hopping all over the backseat when I see their moving car in traffic. I could literally write a thesis on the importance of properly restraining a child in a vehicle….