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Going to Pre-K during Coronavirus: Thoughts on Letting Go
Reid has been out of school for almost 6 months. In that time, we have navigated, learned and grown so much as parents and a family. It has been a taxing, fun, stressful, different, playful time that brought our little family closer together. The boys have become best friends and their little friendship has blossomed immensely. I know that I will look back on these days and remember the precious moments we got to spend as a family unit (as well as the stressful, uncertain times). As I write this, we are a week out before Reid starts pre-K and gets back into the swing of somewhat “normal” life again.…
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Honest Motherhood: Digging Yourself Out of Frustration with Toddlers
I laughed to myself as I unpackaged my new “ciao” shirt–as I thought “ciao little family, see ya later!”. Obviously, that isn’t what I really want, but today was a tough one and gosh what I would have done for a little mid-morning break! Motherhood has taught me many lessons and one that I implemented today was digging myself out of being frustrated and into a better mood. Y’all it is tough when you are on the verge of screaming at the top of your lungs—to get out of your head and calm the f*** down. But it is possible. This morning was Reid’s final swim lesson of the summer.…
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Navigating Motherhood and Burn Out During Covid-19
Let me start this by saying this comes from the heart. As I write this I in no way want to offend anyone or seem to be ungrateful. I just feel the need to speak from my heart and the place that I am currently at. My purpose behind this post is that maybe people can relate and feel a sense of relief that they are not alone in their feelings. Lets talk about being the best mom you can be. Lately, I have felt burnt out. It is not fair to my children, my husband or myself. It pains me to feel that I haven’t been giving the absolute…
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Road Trips with Toddlers (without screen time): Tips and Tricks for an Enjoyable Car Ride
We have gone on our fair share of car rides this year and I thought I would share a couple of the things we do to make the car rides less chaotic! Having two energetic toddlers confined to a car for 5+ hours can be daunting, but we have a few tricks that allow us to make the road trips enjoyable and lets be honest, tolerable 😉 It is probably not a popular opinion, but I am not a huge fan of screen time. For us, it makes my kids become little monsters as soon as we take away screens. I would rather not deal with the mood shift, so…
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Motherhood Lesson: Riding a Bike for the First Time
I write this with so much pride for my four year old: Reid rode a bike for the first time! I am beyond amazed that with very little assistance and skipping training wheels, he was able to ride a bike on his first try. All I have to say is: balance bikes are amazing!We gave Reid a balance bike when he was 2.5 years old. He took to it pretty immediately and loved going on bike rides around the neighborhood. At first he simply walked with the bike (probably for the first 6 months) and then around 3 he got the hang of it and would balance and glide along…
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Simple and Clean Toddler Indoor Activities
With the coronavirus in full swing and schools being cancelled all around the country (as well as most restaurants and playgrounds), there is more time for creative indoor activities. I love following accounts on Instagram like Busytoddler and DayswithGrey (local mom who presented to MOPS last year) who provide invaluable advice and activities for at home activities. These activities help kids learn, fight boredom and give moms (and dads) a break! With the vast amount of activities to choose from, you can quickly become overwhelmed and honestly, feel a little like a failure of a mother who has not tried many of these activities. Take it from me, I have…
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Getting a Toddler to Nap or Have Quiet Time
The frantic, fabulous or ferocious fours–which one is it?! A few weeks ago, in tears I was googling and reading every article I could about a child in their FOURS. I originally thought that it was the terrible twos and the three-teens, but never heard anything said about the fours. Well after doing about an hour of research, I found some evidence that the fours aren’t all peaches and cream.Let me back up and give some context of mothering my current four year old. Reid is about as good of a kid as I could imagine. I used to call him my angel baby and angel boy–he has his faults,…
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Happy Bit: Taking a Break from Social Media
In this season of life and of the year, I am aware of the need to live in the present and guilty of not. Raising toddlers is a great reminder of living in the present. I read somewhere that kids up to the age of 7, always live in the present. They do not have the mental capacity to have regrets or forethought to fret about the future. Not sure what happens at age 7, but I am certainly in awe of the human brain to allow children to stay in the present/innocent bliss for as long as possible. My thought is that if my boys are constantly in the…
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Taking Family Photos with Toddlers: Our Family Pictures 2019
Wow, getting ready for family pictures can be super stressful. After 4 years of getting pictures done (really 6 if you include engagement and wedding), you would think I would have it mastered–but no such luck! The most important lesson I have learned is to go with the flow when it comes to taking family pictures.I set my expectations super low this year and it really helped us relax and get some fantastic pictures. I feel like in years past, I put so much pressure on us to take good photos and everyone to be happy–but the reality of it is that toddlers will act how they want and you…
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Motherhood Lesson: Being Mom can be your Purpose
I would love to live 6 different lives. Truthfully, there is a part of me that would love to be a small business owner who lives in a small town or a headstrong attorney in the city or an influencer exploring the world or a socialite who parties like crazy or a badass in JAG or just a mom who is raising her babies and supporting the home for her husband and children. The last one doesn’t sound very glamorous (and frankly, it isn’t!) but it is exactly where I want to be and the life I want to be living.It has taken me a while (and trust me, I…
