Parenting When You Just Don’t Feel Well

I got very little sleep last night, and the sleep that I did get was less than restful. My little Logan had a rough night. He was restless and woke up in tears. I’m still not sure exactly what was bothering him, but he clearly wasn’t feeling very well. I tended to him throughout the night, but his restlessness in turn became my restlessness which made for a bit of a long night in the Mommy department. I woke up exhausted with the beginnings of a migraine and knew that it was going to be a very long day. I … Continue reading

Mistakes To Avoid When Starting Your Home Based Business

I just read an article about starting a home – based business that rubbed me completely the wrong way. Of course, it may be more about me than it is about the author of the article, because it was mostly a good article. It is simply written from a different perspective than the one that I come from. I take my home – based businesses just as seriously as anybody else, even though I work part time because of my primary career as a stay at home mom. The article that I read seemed like it was written for home … Continue reading

Things They Never Told You About Being a Mom

Before having children all anyone ever tells you is how wonderful being a mother is. Babies are cute and cuddly and sweet and did I mention cute! However, what they failed to mention was that you were about to embark on the most difficult adventure you would ever face in your life. Don’t believe me? Try parenting a three year old for a day or two! They always say it’s the terrible two’s, they were wrong. Three was much harder than two, and I’m afraid four isn’t turning out much better. While I love my son dearly, there are some … Continue reading

Does Your Toddler Test Your Patience?

Today was a particularly trying day for me. It seemed as if each time I asked Dylan not to do something, he look right at me and did it anyways. Also, he had a couple of tantrums over things that I could do nothing about. For example, he wanted to play with Play Doh and I could not find any in the house. For about forty five minutes he let me know how upset he was that I did not have the Play Doh that he needed. The whole day seemed to flow from one limit testing scenario to another … Continue reading

Planning For A Vacation With Your Toddler

In about a month, my husband and I will be taking our sons on our annual vacation to Cape Cod. My dad has a time – share week there, and we go there to stay with him. Last year and the year before that, we had a great time vacationing with Dylan. This year will be the first time that Blake goes to Cape Cod. While I am not worried about our vacation, I do want to prepare myself (and my husband) for our first lengthy excursion with a two and a half year old and a baby who will … Continue reading

Give Yourself Some Girl Time

Between Logan and school my schedule is pretty tight right now. I don’t have a lot of time outside of my normal motherly duties to spend with my girlfriends, but I was reminded again today of just how important that time is. After a particularly difficult weekend I got a text from one of my good friends that said how much she would love for a couple of us to get together and go out to lunch this week. I immediately text back to find out when and where. I desperately needed some time out with the girls. We laughed … Continue reading

Preschool Primer Part 2 – What Kind Of Preschool Is Right For Your Toddler?

When you are trying to decide which preschool is the best fit for your toddler, keep in mind that not all preschools are created equal. There are multiple types of preschools, each with its own underlying philosophy. Here are a few examples of the different types of preschools that are out there. Montessori preschools have a philosophy that is centered around the interconnectedness of all living things and helping the child to discover his or her unique place in the world. Teachers are called “Guides” and they help each child to learn at his or her own pace. Life skills, … Continue reading

Preschool Primer Part 1 – Is Your Child Ready?

Recently, it dawned on me that at some point in the future Dylan will not be spending all of his days at home with me. Preschool is a topic that I have not yet given much thought, so it is time for me to learn what it is all about. Today I decided to start at the beginning, with the question of determining when a child is ready to begin preschool. Dylan will be two and a half years old this month. That is the age at which many preschools begin accepting children into their programs. For some reason, I … Continue reading

I Love You Anyways

On a recent trip to the library, one of the books that Dylan picked out is “Olivia”, by Ian Falconer. He has asked me to read that book to him so many times that I have lost track. You know what, though? Even if I have read it to him fifty times I could read it to him fifty more. I just love that book. Why do I love “Olivia” so? I probably have as many reasons as the book has pages. One reason that I love it is that the main character, Olivia the piglet, reminds me so much … Continue reading

What to Do When You Feel Unmotivated

Often, the work of a home – based professional is enjoyable. They have made a decision to do work that they like from the comfort of their home on a schedule of their choosing. As enjoyable as that may sound, it is not always perfect nor should one expect it to be. No matter how much you love your work, there will be times when you do not feel motivated to do it. Perhaps you feel tired sometimes when it is time to work. That happens all the time over here, as I do most of my work after my … Continue reading