Parenting is not rocket science, but this is one not-technical mama's experiment in raising curious, adventuresome explorers.
Right around the time a certain little someone turned three some new defiant behaviors started showing up in our everyday routines. Suddenly he wouldn't want to get in the car or snuggle in for nap time. Getting him to put shoes on, eat his lunch, all kinds, would trigger this stubborn refusal. And while I'm …
Well, it's been ages. So long I've even kind of forgotten how to do this. Or why I do this. With so many other things that need doing, and that's basically my only excuse for not having written in so long, somehow all the things that need doing now as a family of five, this …
The other day we went the canyon in the afternoon. It was one of the last hot days in the forecast (well, we can hope!), and I thought it would be fun to splash in the cool water. And it was. The water was too cold to be inviting enough to get really wet, but …
Boredom. We have arrived at the age when I am subjected to pleas of, "Moo-oom, what can I do?" AKA "I'm bored." And I pulled up this excellent article from a few years ago to remind me what to do with this desperate entreaty. Nothing. Boredom is magical. I love the article's suggestion of saying, …
You know how they say firstborns are often rule followers? Ours definitely falls in line with that theory. He has a strong sense of the "right" way to do things and is quick to correct those around him. His high standards often lean toward perfectionism born of a sincere desire to get something just right, …
Everyone has their not-so-favorite stages when it comes to raising babies. Maybe it's potty training. Maybe it's when everything goes straight into their mouth. Maybe it's the drooling, teething phase. Maybe it's the blow-out every time they poop (okay, really though, does anyone actually like that stage?). Maybe it's the colicky evenings when they're a …
It's summer and school break is in full swing. Now it's time to learn in all the other ways. As much as the formal classroom has its place, I'm choosing to embrace all the wonderful ways to keep growing and learning in the summer! What do you do with your school age kids during these …
I think my favorite thing about this parenting gig is getting to experience the world through the eyes of a child. This manifests in a million different ways on any given day, but recently I've been enjoying it through my favorite 5-and-a-half-year-old's guesses. It was last spring when I first started noticing him use the …
Since it was just Easter, last weekend around this time I was sorting through the few things I'd gotten for our big boys getting ready to hide their Easter baskets Sunday morning. Jonathan was amused since I was insisting they must have Easter baskets, a tradition he didn't grow up with, so he wondered why …
Anyone else get stuck sometimes? The afternoon can sometimes seem so long. Anyone else's kid say things like, "Mo-om, what can I do?" Utterly bored, but then refuse all suggestions of fun activities? Here's the latest trick that's working for us: I start doing something. Maybe it's pulling out the train track and just starting …
