Practical Parenting

Every parent has had one of these days… from the moment your child wakes up, they are crying about something.  Or maybe you didn’t get enough sleep last night, and you are the one with the short fuse.  Regardless of who the grump is, the day starts off all wrong,…

Nothing provides more entertainment at our house during warm weather than bubbles.  And after three summers of blowing bubbles until I was breathless, Big M has hit an awesome milestone: she can now blow her OWN bubbles!  However, this leads to Lil’ M wanting to as well, and mostly she…

It’s the same thing every late afternoon… I start to get dinner ready, the kids are cranky and hungry, and insist on being right under my feet in the kitchen.  I try to let them help as often as I can, but sometimes, there just isn’t time for that, or…

We eat out with our kids a lot.  They have been going to restaurants since they were infants, and I can recall maybe twice since Big M was born nearly 4 years ago, where they were so badly behaved we took turns racing through our food while the other shepherded…

Happy Monday, y’all!  Not only is it Monday, it’s the first Monday of June, which means it’s time to announce another book for my virtual book club – Mom’s Book Nook!  As moms we give up many of our guilty pleasures when our kids are little.  For me, that included…

Plagiocephaly, more commonly known as Flat Head Syndrome, is estimated to affect as many as 46% of babies each year.  However, it is 100% preventable!  Many parents are unfamiliar with what it is, how to prevent it, detect it and most important of all, how to correct it should your…

Big M, at 3.5, has become increasingly interested in the concept of days and times.  When she is awaiting a holiday or Grandma coming to visit, she will ask what day it is happening, and then everyday ask if it is that day yet!  Similarly, she has picked up on…

When I was pregnant with Big M, my brother-in-law gave my husband and I this book: Sh*t My Kids Ruined: An A-Z Celebration of Kid-Destruction.  My husband and I paged through it and laughed, thinking to ourselves, these kids must have been left unattended for hours for that to happen! …

Two weeks ago, I published my best tips for breastfeeding to get you and your baby off to a great start in your first weeks, leading to long-term breastfeeding success.  Today, I’m going to offer up my best tips for pumping.  While we all would love to be there to…

It’s the first Monday of the month… and time to announce our Mom’s Book Nook book for May!  My regular monthly book club was sacrificed post-kids, but I still crave a great read, sharing book recommendations with my friends, and even chatting all about my latest favorite read.  I know…

Last week, I realized both Big M and Lil’ M were about to outgrow their current car seat settings.  The same morning, another mom at preschool drop-off asked me how long our girls had to stay in their 5-point harnesses.  The world of car seat safety has changed dramatically since…

Breastfeeding is as natural a human process as childbirth – women have been doing it, literally, for thousands of years.  However, in the early 20th century, a predominance of men in the field of obstetrics, the advent of formula in the late 1800s, and the call of women into the…

The test was positive.  You patiently waited your first trimester to tell all your friends and family.  Now, amidst all the excitement and congratulations, you begin to notice your pants are becoming uncomfortably snug.  Not only that, your boobs are spilling out of your bras.  Nothing seems to be fitting…

It starts with drool around the time your baby is 3 months old and continues, off and on, until nearly their 3rd birthday.  Teething.  For some babies, suddenly, one day, a tooth just appears.  Consider yourself a lucky mama if that happens to you.  For the rest of us, teething…

It’s the first Monday of the month… and time to announce the April 2015 book for our virtual book club, Mom’s Book Nook.  While we all still love to read, as most moms will identify, post kids, those lazy Sunday afternoons we spent drinking wine, eating cheese, catching up with…

A few months back, I posted the 25 Reasons My Threenager is Having a Meltdown – which just happened to be the 25 reasons for that particular week. And clearly, many of you out there identify. It was my first viral post, and having only been blogging for less than…

I love Christmas, don’t get me wrong… who doesn’t love stockings hung over a crackling fire and a tree full of ornament memories and twinkling lights?  But there’s something about the green grass, birds chirping and warmth of Spring that adds a little extra sunshine to Easter.  I love shopping…

Your friend or relative just had a baby.  You want to go visit, but don’t want to intrude.  You want to help, but maybe you aren’t sure how.  You want to bring a gift for the new baby and/or mom, but you aren’t quite sure what to bring.  You could…

Big M had always been a great sleeper.  From the time she was about two weeks old, she has always happily slept on a consistent routine, both for night and daytime sleep.  As I share in my Early Childhood Sleep Series, I credit so much of this to my cousin’s…