Last week while I was trying to cook dinner, my two-year-old climbed onto the back of the couch so that he could use a broom to sweep dust off of the ceiling fan. What could go wrong? Everything. In a moment of sheer exhaustion, I pulled out the iPad and let him watch two episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba. I…
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I’m Not a Fun Mom and I Don’t Care I am not a fun mom. And I’d be lying if I said that it was the four kids who sucked the fun out of me. I’ve never been fun. I was a very serious little girl, a melancholy teenager, and am now a mostly grumpy adult. When grocery shopping, strangers…
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As I’ve said several times before, summer is my absolute favorite season. Fall is meh. And I know. Some of you are passionate about fall. It’s your favorite and that’s awesome. I’m so glad you love pumpkin spice and sweater weather and football season. I love that you love Halloween. We can still be friends and have different season preferences….
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Halloween is my husband’s favorite holiday which always throws people off a little since he’s a pastor. But he’ll argue about how it’s actually a Christian holiday and give tons of historical data to back it up, so I just go with it. That being said, our family loves to dress up. We especially love dressing up in themed costumes….
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I grew up in the late eighties and early nineties. There were a lot of unfortunate fashion decisions made, but I had some really great toys. 1. Tape Player I know. Music can be played on iPods and phones very easily, but there’s something really cool about tape players. For Christmas last year, we got our oldest kids tape players and…
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Your Kid’s School Lunch is Like Bronchitis: Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That For the last three weeks, my Facebook feed has been filled with the most adorable lunch ideas. There’s been butterfly PBJs, tic-tac-toe veggies, fruit kabobs, and crustless turkey sandwiches with kid’s names stamped in them. And all of the videos assure me that these lunches are a…
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5 Totally Free Gift Ideas for Husbands & Dads I am a terrible gift giver, so when someone drops hints about something they want, you better believe I’m taking notes. Unfortunately, my husband is a terrible gift receiver. He will talk to me the whole month of November about how he wants a thing, and then buy it for himself…
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Why I Hate Homeschooling, but I’m Doing it Anyway About two years ago, God placed it on my heart that I needed to start homeschooling my kids. I took it off my heart and placed it on a shelf, explaining to God that I was going to need Him to show me FOR SURE that it was what He wanted…
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If you’ve been a parent for more than five minutes, you know that some days are just crummy. Sure, there are a bazillion books and blogs about how to turn the day around with prayers, exercise, snuggles, music, treats, sunshine, etc. And I’ve tried a lot of it. And at the end of the day when I finally collapse into…
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I am not a naturally competitive person. In games, races, debates, etc., I will automatically concede far before an actual defeat. So in dealing with my kids, I lean heavily towards letting them learn from the natural consequences rather than debating with them to try to convince them that I’m right. If my kids choose to forgo the recommended jacket…
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Parents often accept the breakdown of communication with their preteens and teens. We’ve been conditioned to think that’s it’s normal for our kids to hide away in their bedroom, never speaking to their family, only coming out to grab some food before sullenly re-entering their cave. Just thinking about my kids acting like that makes me so sad. But it’s totally within the realm…
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