While sitting in the teacher’s cafeteria Friday, nibbling happily on my meatloaf and mashed potatoes, a conversation at one end of the table caught my ear. One of the language arts teachers was relating an event in her classroom that warmed her heart. Apparently, she showed one of her classes a short video of her son wrestling another boy at a meet.
It's funny how something that happened 25 years ago can trigger a fight or flight response as a grown woman. Nothing like Class Parties at your child's school to force you to face the demons of your own schooldays.
If you had one chance, one opportunity to go back sit down in face to face with your 21 year old self, what would you do? What kind of advice would you give to YOU?
I love my kids, and being a stay-at-home-mom. But I had a rough day yesterday, and couldn't help but think about how life would be different if I worked outside our home. Being content with where I'm at right now is always a struggle for me. No one is constantly happy all the time, but how do you maintain contentment with where you are at in life?
Swearing on blogs, do you or don't you? I was curious on the subject myself, since being a ''Mom Blogger'' I was supposed to adhere to a whole set of standards. Which I pretty much disregard anyway. My post was entitled Thou shalt not swear and was aimed at the Mom blogging community in general about the standards we are sometimes expected to meet.
There are many things I didn't know until I became a mother. Friends and family can tell you what to expect all they want, but until you hold a baby in your arms or discipline a young child or share clothes with your teenager, you can never fully understand.
This post is about our first foray into backyard gardening (with kids). We built a bed, planned out our "crops" and planted some seeds! Honestly, we could use all the advice we can get.
Breastfeeding is a huge debate in today's society. Unfortunately, not everyone is aware of the truth on what breastfeeding really takes. We need to be more supportive and less judgmental when it comes to infant nutrition.
How often have you been sitting in a movie theater or in your own family room watching a DVD and had the thought: “My life is way more interesting than this!”? What if you could make your life into a movie?
Who would play the part of YOU in a movie about your life? Would your movie be a comedy like mine or a drama? Maybe (gasp!) a horror film?
Do you have a favorite story that you think would make a good short movie? The possibilities are endless.
My daughter had a terrible cough with her last virus. I don't like giving my children over the counter cough syrup and read recently that theobromine in chocolate helps suppress a cough better than codine. So I thought, it's worth a try. I already give them elderberry syrup at the first sign of a cold or virus and it helps to reduce the severity and length of their illness and avoid infection. Here's my homemade recipe.
Now the Easter Bunny has moved back into his hole until next year, mothers all over the world are anxiously looking forward to 'their' holiday: Mother's Day. This day is celebrated in many countries, but it is particularly meaningful in cultures where mothers are considered the most important person in the family, including the Italian culture.
The list that every child MUST have. What would YOU add to this list of the best ways to annoy your mom? Or maybe you've got the Guide to Annoying your Sister or Brother. I want to hear it!
I'm sure they meant well, but my parents had their own agenda for what career I would follow. Looking back on it now, as a mom of three great kids of my own, I feel sorry for them that they never got to know the real daughter they had. But the good news is, despite lots of detours and sidetracks, I just realized the other day that I have grown up to do all the things I loved to do as a child! And I get paid for it! How cool is that???
Scientists claim that one of the best ways to relieve stress and be a happier person is to find a personal “happy place.” In fact, scientists report that the brain can produce its own antidepressants and going to your ‘happy place’ truly works.
What are the top and bottom three things are that I worry about as a mom? I had to think about all the things that I worry about (and there were a great many) and then I had to organize them by sheer amount of worry. It was not an easy job and it took some time, but I think I have it figured out.
Mommy-hood changes things...and that's great. In fact that is the way it should be if everyone would take it seriously. But I feel as though there are an aweful lot of mommies out there that sugar coat being a mom. In my opinion, not all things about being a mommy are peaches and cream and I feel like it's taboo to talk about that.
I come from a family who sits down and shares a meal together every night. No TV, no balancing plates on your lap, and no shovelling grub in to your face. We all sit around the table together and no one starts until everyone is seated. We don’t say Grace, but we do always thank the cook for their hard work. As we eat, we chat together and discuss our day. We talk about school and work and what we want to do on the weekend...
I am about as relaxed as mothers get – especially now. My kids are unschooled and we love it. We follow our passions and spend our days building things, learning about things and I write a lot of it down. I recently picked up Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother from the library after reading a few essays and some controversy online.
I would like to tell you why I was not able to breast feed, and why I will have to have a c-section if I decide to have more kids. We live in a society where people feel trampled and looked down upon for having a c-section and not breast feeding. And heaven forbid you don't use cloth diapers to diaper your child. I am sick of people feeling bad for getting an epidural, needing a c-section, or not being able to breast feed because of circumstances out of their control.
Come read my post on http://sensitvity101.blogspot.com about perceptions and how different upbringings or age contributes to what we see or read about and how we react to it.
Sometimes the best way to be a good mom is to do the wrong thing. Wrong, according to standard wisdom, or even our own rules. Before you automatically say 'no", stop and think about the great family memories you might be creating by forgetting about the rules once in awhile.
Writing should be an important topic in schools, but the more I teach, the more I realize it’s not stressed nearly enough. This month, I am teaching a “Fundamentals of English” college course. This course teaches the basics of English to students. I cover parts of speech as well as basic writing skills, and I try to do it in 12 hours a week for four weeks.
We've stopped teaching our kids to communicate and we've stopped teaching them to stand up for themselves. How can we fix this or at least combat the apathy?
“Your voice has the power to lighten a heart of a friend. To encourage the doubt of a child. It also has the power to hurt unlike anything known to man. You have the choice of how you use your words and your voice. Consider wisely.”
