What is it about parenting that instantly makes us ponder questions like, “I wonder what sport they’ll play”, or “I wonder what instrument they’ll play”, or “I wonder what disease they’ll cure?” And we’re serious about these questions. Especially when it comes to sports. It’s like, before they have even learned to feed themselves, we’ve drafted them onto the 2035 roster for the Seahawks or we’ve had Giants replica jerseys made with their last name and future number stitched to…

Read More Read More

Camping. You either love it or you hate it. I’m one of those weirdos who grew up with a love for tent camping. I loved spending hours deciding which poles went into which pieces of floppy tent walls, sleeping on the ground, freezing my butt off at 3 am, grilling hot dogs on a stick, and my favorite part…smelling like a campfire. They really should bottle that stuff. Maybe I would wash my hair more. Now, at 34, I have…

Read More Read More

A lot of the parenting choices I make are driven by what I experienced as a classroom teacher for ten years. Why is it that some of my students could literally funnel hours of concentration into creative snapchat stories, but when it came to simple, genuine conversations, I felt like I was sitting opposite Ozzy Osbourne after a week long bender. Now…I am no child development expert. Nor do I claim that my own children are the epitome of behavioral…

Read More Read More

I remember the exact moment this blog post came to life. It was Super Bowl Sunday and my close friend Crystal literally proclaimed, “You have to write a blog post about this!” Before I tell the story behind this, let me first explain the inspiration for this post and more specifically, the title. Two words. Toddler meltdown. What is it that causes these little humans to leave their body and somehow return as drunken sailors like they’re fresh off the…

Read More Read More

This beautiful soul is what I like to call my bonus daughter.  She has been a part of my life since she was 4 and is a complete girly girl, which makes us perfect for each other. When you become a stepparent, there is no rule book. There is no manual, and no “right way”. The only advice I can offer, is that if you are going to take on that role, you do it with your whole heart and…

Read More Read More

When we were thinking of a name for this little one, I wanted something that could be shortened into a nickname, preferably one a little tomboyish. A simple name that could be spouted off quickly because something told me that this one would have her name called out quite often. You know when you go into a grocery store or you’re at a restaurant and you hear the shriek of a toddler that quite literally makes your ears bleed? The…

Read More Read More

There’s something about this little blonde haired blue eyed boy that just melts my heart.  Maybe it was that we endured 36 hours of labor together, only to head into an emergency C-section. Maybe it’s because he is my one and only boy. Maybe it’s because he can’t quite say the “r” sound which makes him sound like an adorable little British kid. Or…maybe it’s because he reminds me so much of my very first best friend, my brother. Since…

Read More Read More