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“Shoe Alarms” to Get Kids Out the Door
I’ve been reading a blog called Rookie Moms since my first son was born. Recently, they had a post about using “Shoe Time Music” to get their kids moving out the door. They set an alarm to sound when...
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Setting Intentions for the New Year
I don’t like the word “resolution,” mostly because it seems too strict for me right now. If I resolve to do something in January, it’s more of a binding contract than if I intend to do it. As a mom...
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Breastfeeding When GI Bugs Strike
I dread January not because of the cold temperatures, but because the close, indoor contact with everyone else spreads nasty gastrointestinal illness. Last winter, the first time I tried parenting my...
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Shoveling My Walk with Young Kiddos
I’ve got a small driveway and sidewalk in addition to some porch steps I need to take care of during bad winter weather. Sure, my husband shovels and salts before he heads off to work in the morning,...
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Have You Tried the Coffee Nap?
I first read about the “coffee nap” during my baby’s first sleep regression. Now, we’re in this funky place where he really only naps for one sleep cycle, so 22 minutes. On the button! It’s...
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Supporting Breastfeeding at Family Functions
I’ve breastfed babies in lots of public places. I’ve nursed my boys everywhere from a boat in Belize to a bench at the zoo. I often expect to get the stink-eye. Sometimes I sort of dare someone to say...
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Are You the Default Parent?
Have you read this great article that’s been circulating, about this idea of a “Default Parent“? It resonates with me so deeply, particularly as I spent last week sitting by the computer waiting for...
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Your Amazing Montgomery Glands
I’m tandem nursing my toddler and my infant. Currently, my toddler has some sort of virus. I’m nursing him more frequently to help hydrate him and sometimes that means popping one kid off the breast...
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Breastfeeding Without Birthing: Latching An Adopted Newborn
When Pittsburgher Danielle Edwards found out she would be unable to have children biologically, she says she felt totally fine with the idea of adoption. What made her upset was the idea of losing out...
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Crying Rooms: Do You Breastfeed in Your Place of Worship?
My family checked out a new church this weekend. When we got there, we were greeted by some very friendly members, who escorted my toddler to the nursery and showed our kindergartener where to go for...
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Breastfeeding Without Birthing: Exclusive Pumping
Angela Soo Hoo gave birth to her eldest sons, Nicolas (11) and Landon (7), and breastfed them without issue. She and her husband, Luke, planned to adopt a third child. For Angela, breastfeeding is...
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What Is Domperidone, Anyway?
In the past few weeks, we’ve been blogging about mothers who have induced lactation and used Domperdione to help do so (see here and here). Other mothers we’ve been in contact with have used...
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Scheduling Pump Breaks at Work
As a freelance writer, I enjoy a very flexible schedule. This is fantastic in terms of pumping milk for my baby during my work day. Ordinarily, I just set my timer to pump, put down my work, and hop to...
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Breastfeeding Without Birthing: Changing Plans
Christine Barker was still nursing her third biological child, a toddler, when her family began looking to adopt a fourth child. Barker had had no issues nursing her first three children and was...
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Coping with Colic: Tips for Mom
I spent my first months of motherhood pacing barefoot around my neighborhood, bleary with exhaustion. Does he have colic, people used to ask when my first son was born. It seemed like such an...
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Do You Ever Dream of a Vacation?
This morning, when I went to the bathroom, my kids became so frantic looking for me that the five-year-old proposed making a map to find me. Also? It’s February and -5 degrees F. Today, dear readers,...
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Free Grocery Store Childcare? Sold!
One of my favorite days as a parent so far was July 17, 2012–the day my oldest son turned 3 and, thus, eligible for the free childcare at our grocery store. This happened about a week before my...
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Becoming a Milk Donor: Shipping Liquid Gold
I did it! I saved and donated 200 ounces of breastmilk to the Mother’s Milk Bank in Columbus, Ohio!Earlier, I posted about my journey to get here, how I needed to supplement my milk for my first son...
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Family Info Cards for Babysitters
Once I had more than one child, it got trickier to keep writing notes for new caregivers. We had to repeatedly write out our address, both of our contact information, allergy info…it just got to be a...
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Keeping a Crawler Safe from Big Brothers
Image sourceMy older two boys have become accustomed to trashing our house by now. I’m either changing, nursing, or napping the baby and haven’t been very present to intervene, you see. Every surface...
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