Motherhood, Mischief, and Mayhem

This post means a lot to me. It's for all of you out there who wake up every day and brave the struggle that comes with a child who may have some kind of delay or disability. For me, my son has a delay. I am optimistic that he may outgrow it. For some, there is not that chance. They will face days like I do permanently. I have the utmost respect for these parents! My son has a speech delay, and we are still finding out if there is anything more. The communication issues can be so frustrating for both of us. In the past month we had our first conversation. I was overcome with joy. Just the conversation of trivial things, soccer and playing outside...I was so proud. There are moments that I wish I could tear down the wall between us so he could understand me and I could understand him too. Then I stop to enjoy who he really is. He is brilliant. He can do puzzles with ease, he counts to 12, knows his colors and shapes and writes his name. That sounds like any 5 year old, right? The...

Last night I got the chance to join MomitForward and the YMCA on twitter to talk about keeping our children healthy. We not only talked about physical health, but keeping them learning in the summer. The panel had so many excellent ideas too. Reading was a big one, and summer reading programs are always great for kids to do. We also discussed hiking and biking. Of course, the bigger reason for this chat was to promote Healthy Kids Day at your local YMCA. Each location has fun activities planned. Go here for details.

It's almost summer and that means kids at home. They want to occupy their time so this means more time playing outside, playing video games, and of course utilizing social media. With all the different ways to communicate with friends (ie Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Facetime..and the list goes on) It can be a challenge to know which sites your child may be on, of what they are doing. Here's a few tips to keep them, and even all you Mommies, safe on the net.  • Stay in the loop- Mommies, add your kids, and post things that are appropriate for all audiences. Same goes for the kids. • Teach netiquette- Education.com has a great article here .  • Set limits- Even if you have to set a timer, always make sure that there are other activities your child takes time to enjoy. Studies have shown that too much social media can actually affect the mood in a negative way.  Real life is more fun anyway!  • Use tools to manage your sites. There are tools to block people who m...

I try to be superwoman all the time and let me tell you...i'm not superwoman. I am learning that going back to work can be very hard to do when you have a new baby. I am also learning that it is a nice chance to interact with people outside of children. With that being said, it's not so bad. I do miss my kids. I miss them a ton, actually. I am always grateful for the time I have with them and at the end of the day going back to work made me appreciate that time even more. Now I have to ask you, what's your take on going back to work after baby? Love it or hate it?

Every time I went to bed over the past month, I had this fantasy of a full nights' sleep. Then the harsh reality set in, I'm the mom of a newborn and sleep was more a dream than having time to have a dream. It seems like everytime my head hit the pillow one of my children needed something. My son would need water. My daughter would want held. I'd have them both happy, then it would be time to feed my daughter. I am now in my 30's so i'm realizing more just how precious sleep really is. By the time my son who is 5 is ready for bed, i'm ready too.  This is one thing I have no helpful tools for. What about you? When you have 2 kids, how to you find time to sleep well? Leave your comments!

Since my daughter has been born, I have remembered how nice having a newborn was. It goes so fast and I had forgotten how cuddly and sweet they can be. Before I had her, I had not wanted to have any more children. I just wanted to spoil my son. Now that she's here, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll update on the new baby journey as she grows, and of course, my son too. Now I need a nap! The one baby thing I did remember is there is very little sleep in the first few months. But it was worth it!

I've spent this week with a nasty cold. (My Facebook friends can probably attest to that with my whining about that fact over the past few days!) After first trying cold pills, I was desperate for any means to breathe. I tried my humidifier. I added vapor steam to it after the humidifier alone was unsuccessful. I even sat at our desk with a bowl of boiling water and a towel! Still stuffy. Still really annoyed. Then a couple nights ago I had the news on and heard them talking about a program where you can buy an air filter and it sends you one when you need to replace it and a light bulb went off. Since we moved into our home in November, we hadn't changed our air filter. Today, it's changed. The filter that was there was FULL of dust and other allergens. Needless to say, I don't feel quite as stuffy. My tool of choice for today- the air filter. Make sure you know when to change it and check it. Cold and flu season may be a little less painful with a clean air filter in ...

Since I've never had a girl, I never thought that I could be a girly girl, let alone have one. Now that I do, I am learning many things. The latest thing-- Making tutus!! They are easy, I promise. Simply use a crocheted headband and tie tulle through the loops. I used about 8 inches and it was adorable!! Here's my finished product:

I don't know about anybody else, but i'm sick of snow days. We can't play in the snow on most of them because it's been too cold and schools are starting days off where we have a bunch of school work even when there is no school!! So, in honor of today being yet another snow day, I'd like to share what we do for fun to survive the cabin fever. Make your own Snow!! Make the most of it. If you can't build a snowman, you can make snow! We use shaving cream and glue which is really cool when it dries. It gets fluffy just like snow. If you need a how to on it you can find it here: Shaving Cream Snow Painting - FamilyEducation.com