Tag Archives: children

Reading List for my little girls

I remember being really disappointed in my reading lists when I was in middle school. My teachers avoided the classics like the plague and stuck to some really bleak stuff. They seemed to labor under the delusion that all you need is a lot of depressing with a healthy helping of hopelessness, add a dash of licentiousness and congratulations! You just made the middle school reading list! No wonder teenagers these days tend to be so jaded and sullen. All of the books they have read merely communicated to them that life sucks and then you die an untimely death. read more

A letter to my childless self

Hey you! Yes, you over there with your tiny full term belly, wondering how your life is going to change once this baby comes. Let me tell you, this baby and the ones that come after her are going to rock your world, but in the most amazing way possible. However, there are a few things you should know and appreciate before they arrive.

1) Stop obsessing over getting the best parking spot possible. There will come a time when you will have actual physical obstacles to overcome when you park somewhere. Try searching for a parking spot when you have two babies and an enormous pregnant belly, or three babies in tow. Toddlers are as slow as molasses, and you are constantly terrified that their little hands will slip out of yours and they will immediately be hit by a car. (Side note, stop speeding through the parking lot! Toddlers escape easily and are hard to see!) Also, car seats with babies in them weigh about two tons and are about as easy to lift into a shopping cart as a baby grand piano. So, relish your physical freedom, park in the back, and enjoy a leisurely stroll to the store. We moms will be forever grateful. read more

Why we should experience the moment instead of capturing it

I am writing this post more for myself than anyone else. I struggle with this daily. In the age of camera phones and social media, we have become obsessed with trying to document our lives and forget that sometimes we need to just put the phone down and experience the moment.

I am guilty of this with my children. As anyone who follows me on Instagram can attest, I take a ridiculous amount of photos of my children. If Wren starts calling my camera phone, “Mama,” I’ll know that I’ve gone too far. I know I’ll never regret documenting their childhood, but sometimes the camera can become too much of a distraction for me. I’m so focused on trying to capture that perfect photo that will be Pinterest worthy and get a million likes and comments on Instagram (still haven’t caught that white whale), that I neglect to just put the phone down and enjoy these moments with my children and take delight in every stage of their lives. read more