Parenthood

There is indescribable magic in the power of vulnerability and conversation. So why does the topic of mental health feel like a four letter word that requires a bar of soap to the mouth? Why can we so effortlessly...

I am all about traditions. Maybe this stems from my Catholic upbringing, but I love all kinds of traditions with my family. Bagels while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, muffins on Christmas morning, eating pigs in a blanket...

My office has a running joke that we could operate a full daycare center. At current count, we collectively have nearly 20 children–the majority of whom are five and under. We may not see them at staff meetings or...

My daughter was sick a few weeks ago and crawled into bed with us. The poor girl couldn’t breathe through her nose and wasn’t able to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. Of course, this meant that I couldn’t...

When you become a mom, you suddenly realize you've been surrounded by parenting experts all along. Well-intentioned family members, online acquaintances, even the elderly stranger you meet in the HyVee checkout line is full of golden nuggets of wisdom...

Travel with young children is no easy task, especially when said kiddo is a teething toddler who just learned the powerful world no and somehow can shriek it in three different languages. That’s no, nein, and nee, for those keeping...

I have been working with infants for 25 years. I love babies! With four of my own, let me tell you–none of them have been the same. Not a single baby has been exactly the same! However, I have...

Journal writing was never one of my strong suits. As a teenager I would write in it periodically, basically whenever I found it in my room. Now that I am a mom I have maybe only written in it...

As a parent of a picky eater, meal time can be one of the most challenging events of the day. Sometimes the dinner table feels like a professional sport that I am seemingly unprepared for. When I began my...

I may never again write another blog post about discipline techniques. Why, you ask? Because the moment I vocalized this blog idea, it was as if they KNEW. My children's behavior and obedience over the last week has been...