Search Results for: blog becoming the mom you never thought youd be

Olympic-Sized Sacrifice

No sooner did their children make international headlines as Olympic gold medalists than the parents of gymnast Gabby Douglas and swimming superstar Ryan Lochte’s parents garner worldwide attention themselves… but not the good kind. Leave it to TMZ.com to break the news that Douglas’ mother, Natalie Hawkins, was forced to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy just months before her 16-year-old daughter made the Olympic gymnastics team. According to court records, Hawkins has been granted time by a federal court to reorganize her finances and pay down the nearly $80,000 of debt she has accumulated since going on long-term medical disability … Continue reading →

More Ways to Hurt Your Unborn Child

You don’t need to stroll down the baby book aisle at your local library or even Google “pregnancy concerns” to learn about all the ways you can harm your unborn child. Stress, unhealthy eating, excessive consumption of alcohol and spending too much time in a hot tub are huge no-nos for pregnant women. Now, women looking to add to their families can tack yet another risk to the ever-growing list: Working after the eighth month of pregnancy. According to a new study conducted by the University of Essex–which compiled research done in the UK and the US–women who continue to … Continue reading →

Summer Camp Quandary

How young is too young for sleepaway camp? For parents, not kids. I’m convinced that I could hit the big 8-0 and still worry about my kid being away from home. And by home, I mean me. Because hi, I am THAT Mom. Allow my baby to attend summer sleepaway camp? Never. Actually, I’ll probably give in when she turns 30… I mean 10. That’s considered the “age of reason” for most sleepaway camps in our neck of the woods. However, on the East Coast there are many summer camps that allow kids as young as 6 years old to … Continue reading →

Consequences

One of the tenets of good parenting is teaching children about consequences. But what happens when kids see adults act inappropriately and not have to suffer a penalty for their negative actions? Well, you get a situation similar to the one described in my fellow blogger Stephanie Romero’s post about her son’s recent high school graduation ceremony. In her blog, Stephanie detailed the frustration she felt when several parents blatantly defied the principal’s plea to remain silent while the graduates’ names were being announced and diplomas were being handed out on stage. From what I gather from reading Stephanie’s post, … Continue reading →

Making May More Manageable

I am a sucker for alliteration. Can you tell? In a previous post, I lamented the madness that accompanies the merry month of May. From graduations and end of the school year concerts, sports tournaments, plays and awards banquets to Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, it’s enough to challenge even the most seasoned multitasker. It’s one thing to be present at each event, but quite another when you are responsible for bringing a gift, food item or other contribution. Right now, I am taking it one day at a time. This weekend, my goal is to complete my Mother’s Day … Continue reading →

May Madness

Forget about March madness, if you are a parent, the month of May is when crazy comes knocking. In addition to Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, May means graduations, end of the school year field trips, concerts, talent shows and First Holy Communion. If you thought you were pressed for time during the other 11 months of the year, May is typically when moms and dads are really forced to put their multitasking skills to the test. We are a less than 48 hours into this new month and I have already been required to use my fingernail as a … Continue reading →

Work It

If I took my daughter to work with me, this is what she’d be doing all day Yup, knocking back donuts. It takes more skill than you’d think. Look at those jaw muscles in action. Is that sweat on her temple? No, I don’t work in law enforcement, unless you call breaking up fights and threatening jail time for pint-sized cookie thieves, policing. Rather, I work a series of mundane jobs in order to pay the bills. The lack of excitement on my job fronts is why I didn’t partake in Take Your Child to Work Day. On the fourth … Continue reading →

Companies Cherishing Mothers

In this day of job insecurity and a bleak economic outlook, many women are postponing getting pregnant for fear that taking maternity leave will prompt their employers to give them the heave-ho. Technically, a company could be sued if it terminated a female employee simply because she got pregnant and used maternity leave, but stranger things have happened in the workforce. Perhaps that’s why the news of a major insurance company based in Australia actively celebrating procreating female employees has captured so many headlines around the world. If you have been living under a rock, you may have missed the … Continue reading →

Location, Location, Location

Does where you live affect how you parent? NBC News recently ran a story about moms and dads dubbed “super commuters.” According to the peacock network, the title is bestowed upon a growing number of Americans who live in one city and are forced to travel extreme distances to work in another. In the Nightly News piece, one dad shared his story of spending nearly four hours behind the wheel a day, putting 1,000 miles a week on his car, and forking over $450 for gas per month. All so that his four children can remain in the same home … Continue reading →

Evaluating Your Self Worth

Do you constantly focus on your weight, appearance or ability to perform in a negative manner? Are you always comparing yourself to other moms and coming to the conclusion that you suck at raising kids? Do you regularly dismiss compliments and continually find yourself checking with others before moving forward with projects or decisions as they relate to your home or family? If you answered “yes” to any of the aforementioned questions, you are not alone. A new study shows an increasing number of moms suffer from low self-esteem. In addition, researchers found that stay-at-home moms experience self-worth issues more … Continue reading →