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2nd Grade Checklist
School has begun for most families, and every state/county is doing something different with their education. The county I currently reside in is full speed completely online. Parents are struggling at times, teachers are struggling, students are already sick of screen time. If you are one of those parents, you may be asking yourself why you aren’t just homeschooling your children yourself instead. Either way, being sure your child is meeting/passing their milestones for their age and grade can be daunting on any normal day. While I already compiled a list for kindergarten and 1st grade, I wanted to continue the lists for the rest of the elementary grades. So…
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Oct 1st: A Year Later #vegasstrong
It’s raining today…which is fitting. Rain can be a symbol of sadness, fear, but rain cleanses. Rain revitalizes plants, it resets the earth and brings new life. It washes away the dirt, grime, destruction. One year ago at around 11:30pm, I was laying in bed trying to sleep. I was pregnant, just beginning my second trimester, super uncomfortable and super sick. I was laying there, staring at the ceiling fan growing more frustrated by the minute. Mr. Man bursts in saying in a very urgent voice, “there’s a terrorist attack going on down on the Strip!” Being a military family, we dread something like this happening, but we know all…
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Super Mom
I’ve always wanted to show the world a photo of my kitchen sink full of dirty dishes. I absolutely cannot go to bed with any dishes in the sink. It is something that just makes my skin crawl…and yet…I’ve had to learn to let that go at times. As my boys have grown I’ve tried to teach them certain traits that their future wives will appreciate…such as dish duty, putting the toilet seat/lid down, not leaving toothpaste in the sink, or leaving dirty socks all over the place. That being said, they are boys…they are preteen boys…and their expectations of how certain things should be done are VERY different than…
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Double Trouble: Tips for Managing Multiples
Having twins? Triplets? Done panicking yet? How many times have dollar signs passed through your mind? While receiving the news that you are getting two for one can be a special moment; it can also cause nervous breakdowns. There are many misconceptions and unhelpful advice floating around, and while my advice is definitely not fact, I have had 10 years of experience. I am still asked, ‘how do you do it?’ I thought that would be one of the questions that would dwindle over time. I sincerely hope that sharing the tips, tricks, and mistakes I’ve experienced; eases your nerves, saves you money, and relieves the stress. There may even…
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Life Lessons From Motherhood
While I am definitely not an expert in motherhood, I have been mothering someone for the last 32 years. I first practiced on my siblings, and while they routinely reminded me that I was not, in fact, their mother…it did not deter me from bossing them around. My two oldest will be turning 10 next week and I routinely remind them, and their younger brothers, that I am their mother and I am allowed to boss them around. And in honor of officially mothering for the last 10 years, I thought I would share what I have learned. Some lessons were from trial and error, some from enlightening conversations with my…
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Mom Shaming
Mom-shaming…it is something has become WAY too prominent. I’ve been mom-shamed too many times to count. For some reason, everyone has an opinion and they think they need to voice it. I have totally been a mom-shamer as well. It is easy to jump to conclusions and assume the worst. What prompted me to write this post was my beautiful, intelligent cousin. She tweeted about a mom who seemed would rather play a game on her phone than give her children any attention. The things she was writing that this mom was saying…well let’s just say if I were the one overhearing her I would’ve totally stepped in. But my…
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Life of a Military Wife
Parasailing at UPT-2006 I am a military wife. I have been since January of 2006. And before that, I was a military brat from birth. When Mr. Man commissioned I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into because I grew up with a military dad; boy was I wrong. Growing up it was normal to have a dad that couldn’t always make it to my sporting events or recitals. I knew he loved me, I knew he would’ve been there if he could. I watched my mom be a super-mom because, well shiz always hit the fan whenever dad was unavailable. I distinctly remember when we lived in Spokane,…
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Kid Laughs-Jokes and Riddles
Camping in McCall, ID 2015 Believe it or not, growing up I was a rather serious kid. I would offend easily and dished out a lot more than I could take. It wasn’t until I started dating Mr. Man when I began to change. He is such a tease and totally changed me. He taught me how to laugh at myself and to live in the moment instead of worrying about all of the ‘what-ifs’. He has definitely passed that along to the Amigos. I’ve never been around a sillier bunch of boys. Half of the time they don’t even mean to be silly. They love jokes, riddles and to…
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My Road to Motherhood
Growing up I was not one of those girls who fantasized about getting married and becoming a mom. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to marry and have children; I just assumed it would happen when it happened. I grew up with an amazing mother, one who has been a wonderful example to me, which is probably partly why I just assumed I would be a mom someday. My mom would have snacks ready at the kitchen table for my siblings and I every day after school and we would sit, complete our homework, and tell her about our day. When I did think about my future and when I would…
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Mother’s Day Gifts
Every mom loves feeling appreciated, especially on Mother’s Day; but trying to decide on what to get mom can be difficult. There is always the easy, predictable route of flowers, chocolates or chocolate covered fruit and a card. Or…you can maybe be a little creative this Mother’s Day. I absolutely love taking baths. It gives me an opportunity to decompress and not be bothered by kiddos for a while. Bath bombs and bubble bath are definitely a favorite. Bath bombs have become so popular that they can be found at Target, Walmart, Walgreens etc. But if you want to make the mom in your life to feel special, Lush has an…
