If you are in the throughs of potty training, be sure and check out these super helpful tips for potty training success. Remember no one goes to college in diapers! Motherhood comes with all kinds of challenges, right? We worry we are messing things up a good percent of the time. But we mostly realize that kids are resilient and we are doing a way better job than we ...
Raising Kids
How To Foster A Love Of Reading In Children
We know that reading is one of the biggest predictors of our child's success in school but what are tangible ways to foster a love of reading in children? Over the years, I've learned a few key things that make a huge difference. Study after study has linked the benefits of reading to children from birth as one of the biggest indicators of their success in school and their ...
Why We Love The Riverbanks Zoo
If you are in the Columbia, SC area, please take an afternoon and find out why we love the Riverbanks Zoo! My family recently visited the zoo there again and I was reminded why it is one of my favorite ways to spend a free day! As a mom to two young children, my family is always on the hunt for a fun quick getaway that won't break the bank. Living near Charlotte, NC, we do ...
Halloween Traditions For Young Children
In our home, we use these 5 Halloween traditions for young children to light up the faces of my 3 and 6 year old each year. They aren't elaborate or expensive but in the eyes of a young child, they are all magical. Growing up, despite most of those years being at or below the poverty level, my mom always put a special emphasis on each holiday and making it feel ...
Parenting the Brave Child
I kept asking her why she wasn't smiling, why she wasn't excited but I had forgotten...for a moment I forgot that I was parenting the brave child. The answers aren't on the surface...it's never that straightforward. Our children are each so beautiful and unique in their own ways. The color of their hair, their temperament, their likes, their dislikes...each and everyone is different and ...
5 Things To Do Every Morning
With school back in session and everyone running on too little time, I make sure I follow this "5 Things To Do Every Morning" checklist. And it makes my morning so much smoother and less rushed! August/September means the start of a new school year for many of us busy moms. I hate the feeling of being rushed or that nagging sense that I'm forgetting to do something so I a ...
When Kindergarten Feels Like The Beginning Of The End
Despite all the promises that sending her to school would get easier, that I would love all the free time, for me all I could think was "when Kindergarten feels like the beginning of the end." One year under our belt and the twinge of sadness remains... This was it. This was really it. I mean, I had known this day was coming for over 5 years now. So many moments I had thought I couldn't ...
Our One Rule For Santa’s Gift
Want to know a secret? I've been told I had horrible parents growing up....that they robbed me of one of the most fundamental joys in the Christmas holiday. That's right...I never believed in Santa. I mean, can you imagine the gaul? It wasn't that my parents didn't mention Santa in all his gloriousness. And I certainly loved to hear the tales of Rudolph guiding the ...
Raising Girls Is Not What I Dreamed Of
As a Mom to 2 little girls, I have learned a lot over the years and one of the most prominent lessons has been that raising girls is not what I dreamed of...and I couldn't be happier. The stereotypes abound and my two daughters have shown me that what may be the "average" doesn't have to be their "normal." Each of my daughters is their own person - unique and special. And every ...
The 6 Moms You Meet On The Playground
Took my girls to a local playground the other day and was so quickly taken back to my initial venturing on the playground as a new mom to a VERY active toddler. I realized that 5 years later, not much has changed on my list of the 6 moms you meet on the playground. I'm sure many of you can relate! And please know this list isn't made to be ugly or mean...realize I am ONE of ...
