Jan 2, 2019 | From the Heart, Humor, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads
By Laura Simon I don’t think I’ve ever made a real New Year’s resolution. I’ve made a lot of joking resolutions. And I’ve even made up a few phony resolutions when pressed by friends and students. But I’ve never sat down on New Year’s Day and made a decision that...
Dec 18, 2018 | Holidays, Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Laura Simon Here we are, one week from Christmas, and I’m this close to telling my kids Santa isn’t real. I won’t do it, of course, because I know the day is coming when they’ll figure it out on their own and then I’ll be sad. But seriously, the man is becoming...
Dec 5, 2018 | Holidays, Humor, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family
By Laura Simon When I was a youngish mom of babies, I scoured Pinterest to create a heap of meaningful holiday traditions for my kids. (In case you were wondering, Pinterest was BRAND NEW at that point.) My kids were barely old enough to comprehend anything other than...
Nov 1, 2018 | Adults, Humor, Moms & Dads
By Guest Blogger Misty Nichols, author of Back Porch Bliss Words cannot express how much I love and miss my grandmothers. They were raised in opposite worlds and their lives could not have been more different, but they both loved their families beyond what we felt we...
Oct 26, 2018 | Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Laura Simon I was digging through my minivan the other day, looking for something I told my children to put in a safe place, when I found all the socks in our house. I’m only slightly exaggerating. It seemed that literally our entire stash of children’s socks – and...
Oct 9, 2018 | Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Guest Blogger Laura Simon Let me preface this by saying I want my children to love reading. I love it myself. Given the choice between jewelry and books, I’ll chose books every time. I don’t get rid of books…I buy more bookcases. I assumed my children were going to...
Sep 7, 2018 | Humor, Moms & Dads, Preschool, Toddlers & Preschool
By Guest Blogger Ginny Olson We’re potty training little brother right now. Which entails saying things like, “You’re a big boy now!” This is met with wails of protest from the bigger boy in the house. Who likes to remind us that’s he...
Aug 23, 2018 | Education, Elementary, High School & Beyond, Humor, Middle School, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Guest Blogger Dara Kurtz, author of the blog Crazy Perfect Life Dear Kids, It’s hard to believe the school year just started and summer is over. I thought we should take this opportunity to go over a few things. Since it’s a new year, and you’ve had a busy summer,...
Aug 4, 2018 | Humor, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads
By Katie Moosbrugger Most of you reading this are moms, and while we may be in different stages of motherhood, I’m guessing we’ve shared similar experiences. From being pregnant to losing the baby weight. To celebrating our child’s milestones. From choosing a school...
Jul 30, 2018 | Adults, Humor, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads, Pop Culture, Books & Movies
By Laura Simon Every Monday, I make sure my three-year-old tornado doesn’t take a nap. I schedule activities that I’m certain will wear her and her older brothers out. We swim, run, wrestle, and climb a few walls. Meanwhile, I walk around with an extra pep in my step,...
Jun 7, 2018 | From the Heart, Humor, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads
By Laura Simon When I was new to motherhood, I kept reading about this mythological concept that my sleep-deprived brain couldn’t wrap itself around: the sweet spot. The sweet spot is the stage in parenting where your kids haven’t yet reached the angst of adolescence...
Apr 21, 2018 | Humor, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads, Working Parents
By Guest Blogger Ginny Olson With little ones around, plus a full time job, this momma really likes routines. Especially in the morning. Where everyone wakes up, dutifully gets dressed, eats organic goodness for breakfast, brushes teeth, combs hair, and washes face...
Apr 13, 2018 | Humor, Moms & Dads
By Kelly Hines “You should totally run for something,” my friend Alex says. “Like school board, or county commissioner, or dog catcher.” She’s drinking wine glass number three of six, and I’ve had two whiskeys, which is just enough to make this sound like a good idea....
Apr 9, 2018 | Humor, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads
By Laura Simon I forgot about trash day. I was busy and tired last night, and I failed to notice that the other neighbors had put their cans at the curb. Usually I hear someone rolling theirs out, but apparently our house was louder than normal, too. Anyway, as it...
Mar 30, 2018 | Family Time, Holidays, Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Laura Simon I made it through seven Easters before I gave in. For all seven Easters, I happily re-used the same heap of plastic eggs and willingly filled them, one-by-one, with a combination of coins, chocolate, and the occasional dollar bill. My husband hid them...
Mar 23, 2018 | Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Heather Miller Since moving into a fairly close knit neighborhood that is full of families with young children, it has become more clear to me how differently each of us parent. Before living here I was in a sort of parenting bubble as my kids were really too young...
Mar 21, 2018 | Humor, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Laura Simon I keep hearing this myth that having kids will keep you young. I don’t know about that. Every day when I wake up, I discover that my gray hairs have invited more like-minded friends. At this point, they vastly outnumber the dark brown former occupants....
Mar 2, 2018 | Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Laura Simon You know what would be nice? If my children woke up every morning with warning labels attached. See, I can parent pretty effectively in the areas that I can anticipate being an issue. I know to teach my children not to run in the road. I know I have to...
Feb 26, 2018 | Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Guest Blogger Ginny Olson, author of the blog MothersRest.com I have a rule when dealing with small children and major life events: Don’t tell them that something AMAZING is gonna happen until the DAY OF the event. Occasionally I break this rule. Hey, kid,...
Feb 19, 2018 | Elementary Age, Humor, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children, Teens & Tweens
By Rachel Hoeing I have a great story today from a friend of mine who moved all the way across the country from NC to California. Shortly after she moved, she sent me an email that had me laughing for quite some time. Things were chaotic when they left, to say the...
Feb 17, 2018 | Family Time, Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Pop Culture, Books & Movies, Recreation, Sports
By Laura Simon If you need me between now and February 25, you need only check the space in front of my TV. In general, we aren’t a TV-watching family, but I make an exception for the Olympics. Bedtime, screen time limits…it all goes out the window for two weeks. I...
Dec 30, 2017 | Family Time, Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Heather Miller With the holidays now behind us we are now faced with the challenge of winter. That wonderful time of year where it is dark before 6pm and cold all day long. This time of year can be insanely frustrating for moms (and dads) of small children. I mean...
Dec 21, 2017 | Holidays, Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Guest Blogger Andrea Ropko Do you want to take the kids to see Santa tonight? This is not an appropriate 6:12am question. My husband and I have been married for thirteen years; he should know better by now. Not only do I have no interest in anything but drinking...
Dec 1, 2017 | Humor, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads, Toddlers & Preschool
By Guest Blogger Thea DeLoreto If you don’t like to read or think about the OB/GYN stop reading now. Also stop reading if you are my brother or my Dad. Seriously. Stop. Yesterday I had to go for my yearly lady visit. Of course it was a non-school day and no one...
Nov 17, 2017 | Humor, Moms & Dads
By Kelly Hines Well, I didn’t pee on the phone, but I peed while I was talking on the phone. I thought I could be quick, and quiet about it (I don’t know why I thought I had the superpower to make my pee silent). I suppose I could have just said...
Sep 27, 2017 | Humor, Moms & Dads, Pop Culture, Books & Movies
By Kelly Hines One of the greatest joys of parenthood is sharing a part of your own childhood with your kids. For some people, it’s camping at a special lake, or making a favorite meal, or reading a treasured book. For me, it’s watching all the movies that seemed to...
Sep 14, 2017 | From the Heart, Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Laura Simon When I was pregnant with both my boys, everyone from my first cousin to the stranger in the grocery store had something to say about life with boys. “Better buy some earplugs. You’ll need them.” And, “Don’t bother buying anything nice for the next 18...
Sep 1, 2017 | Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Guest Blogger Ginny Olson, author of the blog www.MothersRest.com You know how it goes, “No shirt? No shoes? No service!” So we mommas gotta rally the troops and dress ’em up real nice before we kick ’em out the door. But getting kiddos dressed requires ninja...
Jul 1, 2017 | Humor, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children
By Heather Miller In my last blog I gave a big shout out to parents of one child. This time I would like to give those parents an explanation as to why it is sometimes hard to try to make spur of the moment plans for those of us who have multiple children. I hope that...
Jun 30, 2017 | Humor, Moms & Dads, Parenting & Family, Raising Children, Toddlers & Preschoolers
By Guest Blogger Ginny Olson You think the terrible twos are terrible? The terrible twos aren’t actually a thing. I know a few of you in the midst of it now want to fight me. Seriously, y’all, 2-year-olds are the bomb. It’s the horrible THREEnager you need...
