It’s finally my favorite time of the year. No, not the holidays.
Back to school.
Even as a kid, I always loved going back to school. My family didn’t take a lot of vacations, so I spent summers reading as many books as I could, doing summer assignments, and doing my best to keep cool in the heat and humidity of Virginia summers.
View Post
I learned something new last weekend, and in a way I never expected. Slide injuries in kids are a thing guys – and a common thing at that. See, that’s my two-year-old in a cast – a purple one that she picked the color of herself. Why is she in a cast, do you wonder? Well, Friday evening Chris took the girls to the playground. All was fine, until one final trip down the slide – with Ella on Abbie’s lap. They slid down and Ella’s leg bent back – and suddenly, she could no longer put weight on her…
View Post
I can’t even tell you the last time I did an update on my girls here. It’s been a while – but I know I never did an update when Ella turned two, or when Abbie turned six. Since this space is just as much for my own memories as for writing, I want to document that here – Ella at 2 (+4 months) and Abbie at 6, halfway through kindergarten. Being a mom of two girls is everything I thought it would be and more. Abbie is flourishing in kindergarten, just as I thought she would. She loves her…
View Post
Anyone else feel like the time goes by way too fast, with nowhere near enough of it spent with our loved ones? I definitely do. As a working mom, and especially in this season of the busiest time of the year, I struggle to make sure I’m paying attention to spending time with my family. Sure, we can do little things – cook dinner together, read a few extra stories – but are we really spending quality time together in the day to day? No, not nearly enough. We’re always stressed, tired, and just not looking for those special experiences – so it’s definitely something we need to work on.
View Post
I have a confession to make – Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays.
Growing up, it always just seemed like a lot of work, and my favorite part was passing out the candy – because then I could take the good stuff for myself (I mean, why would I give away all those peanut butter cups?). My girls, however, LOVE Halloween. They get that from my mother-in-law, who has made Abbie’s (and now Ella’s) costumes for the past few years. Abbie usually picks her costume by mid-September, and my mother-in-law then has plenty of time to sew it.
View Post
When Abbie was born, I was determined that once we started solids with her, she would be the best eater. I was going to be sure to introduce all different kinds of foods, and that she would like everything – fruits, veggies, protein, and more. There was no way my kid was going to be the picky eaters my little sisters were – including one sister who subsisted on frozen pizzas and bologna sandwiches for years.
View Post
Well, we finally made it. Abbie starts Kindergarten tomorrow, and our entire family is so excited. She’s ready. We’re ready. It’s time to start the big adventure of school, and we just can’t wait. I feel like Kindergarten is one of those milestones you don’t forget as a parent. Of course, I can’t remember my own first day of Kindergarten at all, but I doubt I’ll forget this. For the first time, she’ll go off to a school we didn’t select (other than by where we live) and have a teacher we didn’t meet and choose ahead of time. It…
View Post
Hey look! I’m back – writing a blog post. Imagine that. Maybe you’ve noticed I’ve been absent here, or maybe you haven’t. Other than a few sponsored posts I had already committed to here and there, I haven’t been around too much… because as I’m sure you all know from firsthand experience, things have been busy. This season of life has been so full. Our home is full of laughter and the wild antics of these two girls of ours. Our work lives are full of new skills, new friendships, and navigating new experiences. Our social lives are full of friends,…
View Post
I know I’m not alone when recognizing that summer as a mom isn’t always the glory days so many of us thought of as kids. To be fair, summer wasn’t my favorite as a kid, either! Summer here in Virginia comes with hot, humid days, summer thunderstorms, and tons of sunscreen. It’s not always easy to keep your cool in the summer – both physically and mentally!
So if you’re trying to figure out how the heck you’re going to get through this crazy summer with your kids – I’m telling you, you are not alone. They may be small things, but here are just a few ways to keep your cool in the summer!
View Post
Every workday around here ends the same way – a busy day and a long commute home. I’ve never glossed over the harder parts of being a working parent, and without a doubt, the end of the day is one of them.
By the time I get home, Chris and I have both had full work days. Mine started with two daycare dropoffs and his ended with two daycare pickups. By the time we get home, all four of us are tired, ready to relax, and hungry. Since dinner won’t make itself, we start on that right away, but we still always end up eating dinner late – usually around 7pm. It’s a far cry from the 5:30pm dinner I always had as a kid.
View Post