I've got really ambivalent feelings about this whole Santa thing. My oldest is only six and things are already getting messy. For example, why the heck did we add in Elf on the Shelf? It just complicates matters! I now I have fend off questions like, "Sally at school told me the elf isn't real. She doesn't have one at her house but she saw piles of them at the store. And mom, … [Read more...]
On leaving breastfeeding behind…. Weaning and Extended Breastfeeding
Sometime back in May I nursed my daughter for the last time. I don't know the exact date. She would have been three years and three months old, give or take. There was no decision, no cut off point. She just gradually lost interest. She would "forget" to nurse, let it go for a day or two, and them come back, full steam. Ajay Shrivastava - Fotolia.com After … [Read more...]
Being Difficult, A Birth Story
"She's being difficult. Don't let her go until she signs". Those were the words the obstetrician said as he walked out the door. The nurse nodded, glanced in the room and then shut the door on me. I stood there feeling furious and helpless and trying hard not to cry. I was late into my third trimester and my biweekly meeting with the OB had quickly gone south when he started … [Read more...]
Memories & Mom Guilt a.k.a. Disney’s The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid. This is a Disney movie I have such fond memories of. I remember taking a trip to Florida to visit family, and visiting the newly opened MGM Studios at Walt Disney World. There are so many parts of that day that stand out in my mind; the rides, the stars, the food, but my fondest memories is of walking through the animation studio area and standing … [Read more...]
That Time My Kids Decided to Test My Sanity… or When Rubbermaid All Access Organizers Saved the Day
A little while back my darling daughter decided to destroy her bedroom. Rocket got into her bedroom closet and unpacked every single thing I had stored in there. The closet was neatly organized, baby clothes she had outgrown off to the right of the door and clothes she didn't quite fit into yet off to the left. Box after box of carefully folded, sorted, kids clothing. Packed … [Read more...]
This is my Back to School Reality…
Back to School. If my Facebook feed is to be believed, I should be ecstatic that my daughter is back to school. If the words coming from my friends and family are true I should be so happy to have "just one" at home now. So easy. You must be bored. And what do you do with all that free time? Yesterday morning I put my six year old on the bus, on her way to her third day of … [Read more...]
Secret Motherhood Confession: I Am a Potty Training Failure
I have a confession to make, I hate potty training. I mean I really truly detest it. And I feel like I rather suck at it to boot. My daughter is almost three and a half and potty training is still a work in progress. I don't even want to admit that publicly, that my three year old is still wearing Easy Ups. It's embarrassing. I feel like she will never master the potty and it … [Read more...]
I Am Not The Pinterest Perfect Mother…
My mother often tells me how lucky I am to be a stay-at-home mom in the digital age, reminding me of the isolation she felt as a homemaker 30-some years ago. She points out that I have online resources and communities to fall back on that she never even dreamed of. She also recently very cleverly pinned down something else I have that she didn’t, something less enviable.“You … [Read more...]
A Day in the Life of a Stay at Home….
Today, I'm going to give you a glimpse into the life of a stay at home parent. A brutally honest sometimes this gig sucks sort of glimpse. But also, to those who are living this right now I say, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It does get better. I wrote this piece over two years ago, but never published it. When I wrote this Rainbow was three and Rocket was seven or … [Read more...]
Mama Needs a Time Out, Or What I Really Want For Mother’s Day Is…
I'll let you in on a little secret. The number one gift I want for Mother's Day is something a little unconventional. It doesn't fit in a box and you can't put a bow on it. It also happens to be the same gift that I want the most for my birthday, Christmas, and any other excuse you can think of. All I want is a little time to myself. I know, I know. It's Mother's Day. I'm … [Read more...]
Confessions of a Closet Gamer…
I've got a confession to make. I game. I game a whole lot. I'm not even counting the games I play with the girls. I mean grown up game time. I play board games frequently at home with the Mister, and also out at bi-weekly public gaming events. I am in a roleplaying group that is set to meet once a week on Monday nights, and I also play in frequent one-off games hubby organizes … [Read more...]
How the Hell Do you Cope with Bullying in Our Cyber Age?
I'll start this by saying, I have no answers. As a mom, when I think about the incidents of bullying that have been in the media lately I have that worried sick in the pit of my stomach feeling. How could this have been prevented? How can I protect my own daughters from having the same thing happen to them? I think about about Rehtaeh Parsons and I cry. I bawl. But the truth … [Read more...]
On Why I Hate School Days: Dealing With Miss “I Won’t Go”
I swear to myself that this morning is going to be different. I have set my alarm to wake me up 15 minutes earlier then usual. This morning we won't have to run to make it to the school bus in time. This morning everyone will eat breakfast and no one will cry or scream. My alarm goes off and I resist the urge to hit snooze. I pry myself out of bed to find one daughter … [Read more...]
Goodbye Boy Razor, Hello Girl Razor! {Venus & Olay Razor Review}
When we stayed in Toronto for the P&G Mom event, each #PGmom received a gift basket in her room full of every P&G toiletry product we could possible use while there overnight. Everything from Secret deodorant to a new Oral B-toothbrush and Crest toothpaste. And that's when I met my new best friend, the Venus & Olay Razor. I had long ago decided that … [Read more...]
Am I a Procter & Gamble Mom?
About six weeks back, I sat in the E.R. waiting room trying with limited success to read through my emails. I was waiting to see a second doctor about the concussion I had managed to give myself a handful of days previous. I had no kids on hand, free wifi and a tablet, but I was having a heck of a time focusing. So mainly I scrolled through my email, rereading the same stuff … [Read more...]