How can we celebrate our non-blood family with our daughter?
I come from a fairly abusive background, and am perfectly happy with most of my biological family not being in our life. However, I’m finding it increasingly hard to find ways to celebrate the friends that we have made family. I want my daughter to know that she is surrounded by love — even though we don’t have what you would call a conventional family unit.
Confession: I suck at being a working mom
Friends and family often wonder how I “do it all” but the truth is there isn’t any magic to it. I think of how much time I spend apart from my children, and launch into panic mode. I know I’m being a responsible parent by providing the health insurance, food, and security that my job affords my family, but I can’t help but feel that just as not every parent is meant to stay at home, not every parent is meant to be away.
Where can I get a mini toddler bed?
We are now looking for non-traditional options for toddler beds. We have a traditional-sized toddler bed for the four-year-old, but are now in the market for a toddler bed for the almost two-year-old. He is only two feet tall, and we have a really small space, so getting a five foot long toddler bed just is not practical.
Talking “the talk” with my daughters: I accidentally avoided talking about sex with my kids
At this point I was feeling pretty good about myself and the conversation. I felt I’d taken a stand for equal rights and promised to defend my daughters’ reproductive rights. I was feeling much like a bona fide father of the year candidate when I was blind sided by the next question. “So, how do they get in there then?” she asked.
What are your favorite animal-friendly, beautifully-illustrated kid’s books?
My kids, nearly two and four, love to be read to and I love to read to them as long as the books are lyrically written and creatively illustrated — and they don’t encourage harming animals (original Curious George, anyone?), or feature name-calling or cranky parents (too many to list).
High Tech Homeschool: how we use Google Drive to schedule assignments at home
Tonight I began a grade book for each child and shared it with only that individual. All of the assignments come to my email, which comes to my phone (which has a Google Drive app) so I can grade anywhere: in the car, in bed, in line at the grocery store or during my husband’s boring Alien conspiracy shows.
About our perfect at-home water birth
My due date of April 2nd came and went with little fanfare. I’d somehow gotten it stuck in my head that my due date was the 4th, so little surprise that I woke up at seven that morning with period-like cramps. I called my husband and told him what was going on so far, prefacing the conversation with, “Don’t freak out.” I told him to finish up his day at work as my contractions weren’t that painful.. yet.
Don’t wait: travel with your young kids
I have been travelling since I was nine months old. My parents took me to England and South Africa to visit my relatives five times between the time I was born until I was about 11, and I only really remember the trip at age 11. Some memories I have from the previous trip are the kind where I’m not sure if I actually remember it or if it’s me remembering photos.