When flags fly and national anthems ring out on Veterans Day, it’s easy to get swept up in patriotic sentiment. While there’s nothing wrong with being grateful for living in a free country while recognizing our veterans, I worry that warm, …
Halloween When Your Kid Hates Being Scared
Our kids are big fans of Halloween. They have fun dressing up, they love the candy (of course), and they like decorating the house with pumpkins, bats, black cats, and silly monsters. They enjoy the innocent, fun version of Halloween. …
Queen Bees and Mama Bears: Tribing around Our Daughters
“Hey,” my friend Jana said to me last week. “A friend of mine is inviting moms to get together next weekend to talk about cliques and other issues their daughters are facing at school. Just the moms, no kids. Wanna …
A Little Cosmic Perspective for Mothers
I was watching a documentary on the universe with our space-loving 5-year-old the other day, and it reminded me of this epiphany I had a while back . . . Photo credit: NASA Mathematically speaking, we humans barely exist. The …
A Quick and Simple Way to Help Local Families in Need
If you’ve been to Wal-Mart this week, you may have seen a purple display from Champions for Kids. Admittedly, I’m not usually one to advertise something at Wal-Mart—I’ve made no secret of my love affair with Target—but this program is …
Why We Stopped Using Screen Time as Currency (and What We Do Instead)
“If you don’t stop whining, you’re going to lose your screen time for today.” “If you get out of bed again, you’re going to lose your screen time for tomorrow.” “The timer went off a few minutes ago. If you …
Why Yes, I Am SuperMom. And So Are You.
Perhaps it’s because I have three pretty great kids that I haven’t managed to totally screw up yet. Or perhaps it’s because I often look frazzled and harried and desperate for positive reinforcement. Whatever the reason, my kind-hearted friends and family …
What I Want My Children to Know About Being White in America
I have a guest post up over at my friend Paula Fitzgibbons’ blog, Mommy Means It, today. It’s one of the few posts that I’ve actually been hesitant to publish, not because I’m unsure about it, but because I’m not stupid. …