Tag Archives: parenting

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Telling Your Kids the Truth About Santa: Is There a Clause for Lying?

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I’ve taken enough classes on sexual health that it is engrained to always answer my kids’ questions honestly and never push them away. We use the real words for body parts so they aren’t stigmatized. When they’ve asked questions like “mom, how do you keep from getting pregnant?” I answer in a way they can understand that is developmentally appropriate (while hiding my inner anxiety).

We want them to know they can trust our answers and that they should never feel bad or awkward about asking us questions. We want them to come to us with life’s tough and awkward topics, not their friends on the bus with a smartphone or the internet.

So what does this have to do with Santa?

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sunscreen, what sunscreen is safe? What sunscreen is best?

The Real Beast of Summer: Sunscreen

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I hate putting sunscreen on myself. Then I have to hate putting it on my kids next. Just add an extra 30 minutes to go anywhere outdoors, then smell funky and feel gunky all day. If you don’t put it on pre-sand and dirt, you’re in for an unwanted body scrub.

But it’s worth it.

I’ve done a lot of worrying about which sunscreen is best for my children. Probably because my skin is made for Ireland and Basal cell carcinoma cancer runs in my family. Many hours of my youth were spent on scorching tennis courts and now I’ve had 20 moles removed (TMI?). A few of them pre-cancerous.

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mental toll

Why are you tired? It’s the Questions.

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Many days of parenting feel like I’ve only maintained life and made little progress. It’s hard to explain why I’m so tired at the end of some days. But I don’t think we give enough credit to the energy it takes to ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS. They are disparate, frequent, and complex. They come during school drop-off, while at the grocery store, and while using the bathroom. Answering them well- in a way that’s short, simple, yet nuanced enough to offer truth, can be cumbersome. Continue reading →

children's books, childrens books, children's book reviews, best children's books, learning manners, learning punctuation, learning, reading, kids, parenting

The Fantastic Few, my favorite-not-so-well-known children’s books. Theme: Learning

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Hey friends!

It’s been awhile. I had an idea 4 years ago to post about quality children’s books because I’ve been frustrated with the random judge-a-book-by-its-cover library pulls. And 4-10 years is about how quickly my ideas are rolling out! The plan is to put out a few fantastic children’s books every few weeks.

These won’t all be new books because some of the best are oldies I’ve never heard of. And that makes me think of a midlife crisis. Continue reading →

The Mother Induced Gender Wage Gap

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I was talking about the gender wage gap with one of the professors in my Masters of Social work program last week between classes. To be there, I had arranged childcare, driven 45 minutes, paid a lot of money in tuition, and felt entirely rushed to return to my 2 and 4-year-old as soon as possible. So, every second must be extremely productive.

I’m not a great person to be friends with since I’m only on campus for class and then I dart home to help with dinner, bedtime, or begin to tackle loads of homework.

Back to the conversation with this professor: I was informing him of some reading I did on the impact of pornography on the sexualization of girls and women in society and how some argue that sexualization/ objectification is partly to blame for the gender wage gap. If you think about how women are portrayed predominantly as sex objects in all forms of media, then it makes sense that women wouldn’t be taken seriously in big decisions or for leadership roles. Objectification takes away person-hood and makes a person an object for another person’s pleasure. And nobody would make an object the CEO. Continue reading →

I Ruined My Child’s Life Over a Tortilla

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I’m part of an online mom’s group where we share parenting struggles. We all have 4-year-olds and there’s a trend emerging among our kids lately. They are saying things like: “You are the worst mommy ever!”, “I hate you mommy!” and “I wish Jessica was my mommy and not you”. Thanks for being so awesome, Jessica.

It’s both hilarious and heartbreaking considering all that a parent does for their kid only to get verbally slapped in the face. Continue reading →

mom thoughts, the thought record of a mom for 1 hour as she tries to decide on a preschool

A Thought Record of a Mom for 1 Hour Trying to Decide on a Preschool

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An attempt to record my words and thoughts for about an hour on a normal Wednesday morning.

“No you can’t eat that cereal when you’re sick it has too much sugar”. What should I do with the kids today, should I take them to that new soccer thing? But it’s kind of expensive. But I think it could be really good for my daughter to learn some soccer skills when she’s young because what she learns now will be so much more natural later. But will she even like soccer? I don’t think she likes it. Continue reading →

stay at home dad, dad stays home, working mom, dads at the park

What it’s like to be a Stay at Home Dad

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Being a stay at home mom, I know that there are many other moms in the same place with whom I can find camaraderie. That wouldn’t necessarily be the case for a stay at home dad. It is becoming more common for dads to stay home, but it is still counter cultural and with that I suspect come unique challenges. I reached out to one of the stay at home dads I know and asked If he could write about his experience. Here are his thoughts: Continue reading →

Why I Chose to be a Stay at Home Mom, SAHM, parenting

Why I Chose to be a Stay at Home Mom

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I was going to write about my choice to stay home mom a few years ago when it was fresh. It’s a decision many new parents struggle with. But then I got scared. What if I offended someone? It’s such a touchy topic. So the idea died, as most of my half-written drafts do. Continue reading →

mother of drool, motherhood, parenting tips, mom hacks, how to raise a child, baby tips, how to give a baby a bath

Tips and Tricks for Babies Part 1

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All parents learn tricks to survive the years when their children are little… and it takes awhile to get to a place where you don’t feel like you’re in panic mode every second. Or is it that you just get used to panic mode? Regardless, tricks, and not the magic kind, do help. Continue reading →