Children/Kids

Sigh. I think the hardest thing about being a parent is there's no darn crystal ball. There's no instruction manual. There's no FAQ's. No help desk. No troubleshooting matrix. Nothing. We can Google and read books and ask for advice... but at the end of the day, it all comes down to gritting your teeth, making a decision and hoping it was the right one.

Mother’s Day is upon us and what an awesome day for any mother out there.  We are honored and should be if you ask me.  But, the question I have is,  where did you learn to be a Mom?  How did you learn the necessary skills to not kill your child?  How did we as Moms get to the point where we know “best”?

When your child was 7 months old what were you expecting from them? You expect them to start crawling or be crawling. You expect teething. However, in that time did you expect them to be up on water skis?

I've been hanging on this blog a lot lately: travel50stateswithkids.com. The whole site is built around the concept of taking kids to all 50 states--in as little as 12 trips even. I know, sounds crazy, right? But I have to admit, I'm kind of digging it. There are numerous clubs for this, by the way. Google it!

I am quite fond of the phrase "Never stop learning." I hope people always take whatever opportunity that becomes available to expand their horizons, meet new people, or explore new surroundings. Learning is essential to survival; but, I never considered the fact that my child could teach me a valuable lesson. I was proven wrong this past weekend.

Appearances are not everything.  Let me explain.  I have colored hair, tattoos, am pierced; wear metal shirts and jeans.  My husband has long hair, tattoos, three facial piercings, wears metal shirts and cut off pants.

Shopping for clothes is my least favorite chore. I know there are some people who consider shopping one of the great American pastimes. And there was a time in my life when I enjoyed browsing for hours and searching for a bargain. All of that stopped when I became a mom.

As a mom of six kids I obviously have a wide variety of attitudes and characters.  I can handle them all, except the defeated child.  I am sure most parents of large families have at least one, and I of course had to be normal.

Looks like it's time for that E-Trade baby to step aside. Don't get us wrong, talking babies are still cute. But dancing babies? That's a win! Right??

I am sure that every mother has moments where she questions the choices that she makes for her children.  Are they in the best school for their needs?  Does he have the right pediatrician?  Does he need to be involved in more (or fewer) activities?  Is he getting all of the nutrients that he needs?

When we were kids, it was all about who was “going out with” who… but not until we were all sure that members of the opposite sex no longer had cooties.

This past weekend, I sat down with my kids and watched the documentary, "Bully." Bully is a film that documents epidemic of bullying in US schools. It follows five students and their families and chronicles the effects of bullying on their lives.