Tips for Mom "EDGE" Series

Maybe you’ve already read this?  Maybe not?  We figured in case you didn’t see it and needed a good laugh – we thought we’d share it with you.  A friend of mine sent this 11 step program to me today on Facebook.  Honestly, I don’t know who wrote it but it had me laughing out loud.  …

As a new year begins, I can’t help but reflect on my precious kids and how terrified I am that I’ll screw them up. That led me to write down some of the many wishes and hopes I have for my children as they get older and learn to navigate life. I’ll use these wishes …

The holidays are one of the cutest times of the year. Why you ask? Because it is prime school concert and pageant season. All our kids turned out in their finest, dressiest clothes or delightful costumes up on stage performing cheesy songs or festive plays—it’s so darn adorable and a moment for every proud adult …

Veterans Day is coming up on November 11th and after seeing too many Facebook posts mixing up this day with Memorial Day (May 28th), I think it’s high time we Americans learn the difference between the two important holidays so we can teach our children what patriotism really means. And I’ll give you a hint: …

Yesterday was Halloween and I loved seeing all the costumed kids come to my door for the processed sugar yumminess I was handing out. Most of the kids I saw were the typical toddler or 5-7 age range. But at one point, a young couple with their first child came to my door and guess …

Two days after giving birth to my first child, we went home together. Three days after giving birth, the realization hit me that she was no longer protected inside of me. The thought of her vulnerable self now on the outside of me, where I wasn’t literally wrapped around her anymore to protect her body with …

If you see a mom struggling in the store with a screaming baby, a toddler throwing a tantrum, or maybe she just looks like a hot mess all around, there’s only ONE acceptable thing to say to her in that moment: “You’re doing great, Mama. Can I help you at all?” Acceptable variations include a …

Kindergarten: On her first day, my four-year-old brought home a forty-page packet of worksheets. Each weeknight, my kindergartener was supposed to complete one page (front and back) of math and one page (front and back) of language arts homework. We did this for four weeks before Parent-Teacher conferences came around. It was horrific. We fought …

A short time ago, I wrote an article titled “Friends: It’s Okay to Discipline My Kids.” In it, I explained why I needed my friends’ help with disciplining my kids sometimes and I encouraged them to do it (even if I was around, if I wasn’t stepping up to the plate). I’m determined to raise …

I recently read an article on a popular mommy blog that suggested two sentences to say to your misbehaving kid instead of yelling at them… And it was a total waste of my 5 minutes to read it. The two sentences were: “I can see that you want to do your personal best right now. …

Isn’t it odd that in order to keep human life on this earth, we literally have to procreate, yet when a mother with a baby shows up to most places, all of a sudden she is a burden that people dread to be next to, for fear of her child inconveniencing them? This hidden double …

I’m a big believer in the “it takes a village” mindset when it comes to raising my kids. In most parental circumstances, I realize I probably need help and I know there’s immense value in having the input of others outside of my husband and I, who can step in when needed. So I have …