At the end of this year I will cross a threshold of achievement called my 40th birthday. Like most women my age, I started thinking about turning 40 sometime after turning 30. These thoughts started to get even louder as every year passed. This year, my 39th, I have done nothing to embrace my actual … Read more about 40 realistic Things to do before you turn 40
Six years old has been a very interesting age to parent. My son, W, is an expert at it. To ask him, he would tell you he is an expert at EVERYTHING. “I can do it,” is the most common refrain heard around our home. Not in an encouraging, Little Engine sort of way. Oh no, I … Read more about 8 Little things that get me through the day
In a few weeks, my 6-year-old son, W, will embark on the grand adventure known as The First Grade. This is incredibly exciting for me because I have very fond memories of my own first grade year, and I’d love for W to experience the kind of magic and wonder that year held for me. My teacher, … Read more about 7 Ways to help ease your kid’s back-to-school anxiety
I may dance around and sing Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” while I’m vacuuming the living room, but I’m really not. I’m not every woman, I’m a single mom. And I am certainly not EVERY single mom. We come in all shapes, sizes, and situations. Some of us, like me, set out to become single moms from the get-go. … Read more about 10 Things single moms are tired of hearing
I recently had my yearly lady-town exam. My gynecologist gave me a high five for my weight loss, a renewed prescription for my birth control pills, and said, “Congratulations! You need to see the schedule office on the way out.” It wasn’t to schedule my next yearly, it was something new. I have now reached the glorious age … Read more about 7 Women on what you need to know before your first mammogram
My son W recently started taking karate at our local YMCA. Earlier this week I was helping him get ready for class and I had this crazy moment of panic. “PLEASE don’t let my kid become a Johnny Lawrence!” Everything I know about karate comes from The Karate Kid franchise. Of course you guys all remember Johnny, … Read more about 11 Things I want my son to learn from ’80s movies
When my son was almost 2 years old, he stopped routinely taking naps in the car. His new alertness made me much more alert of other cars around me, and before I knew it, I had started composing a driving manifesto in my mind. Before then it didn’t matter if we were in the car for … Read more about 8 Things I wish drivers would stop doing in front of my kid
In August of this year, 4-year-old Fae suffered from anaphylactic shock on her flight home from a family vacation. She stopped breathing and lost consciousness 20 minutes into the flight, after a fellow passenger opened a bag of peanuts four rows away. The most disheartening part of the story is that this passenger, along with all … Read more about The parents’ guide to flying safely with food allergies
A new car seat campaign out of Great Britain had me re-thinking the back seat of my car. My older daughter turned 7 last week and my younger daughter turns 4 later this month. In anticipation of their advancing ages, I evaluated their car seats not long ago, did some research, and moved the little … Read more about Are backless booster seats putting our kids at risk?
When I was given the chance to do this car seat review post for the second year in a row, I was extremely excited. I know more than I did last year, both about car seats and about vehicle safety in general (I’m a Child Passenger Safety Technician now). However, I found choosing my favorites this year … Read more about EXPERT-TESTED: THE Best Infant Car Seats 2023