It’s been six months since I worked outside the home.  In many ways, it feels like just yesterday that I was pulling into work.  In other ways, it feels as though I haven’t worked for years.  I am, by no means, an expert at being a stay-at-home mom.

If you were to ask me in college, where my kids were going to go to school, homeschooling would have been my last option. I had so many preconceived notions about what homeschooling was and the families that chose to participate in it.

It is the 5 (10 on a good day) minutes of the day where I can stop, think, and not be “on”.  Don’t get me wrong. I have a job that I love. But being a teacher, I am “on” all day long.  It’s an honor and a blessing, but it’s also exhausting. 

A few years back, I had one of my most memorable “mean mom” moments. We have a rule that each morning, the boys are to clean their room. For a few months, they started pushing back and playing with toys instead of cleaning up.

That’s why I have been using Hyland’s since my children were babies.  Hyland’s brand has been serving all ages and ailments for over a century, and they do it without all of the chemicals and additives of their leading competitors.

No one is perfect. No mom or child is kind 100% of the time. But I feel like if I can keep these 3 things in mind, my kids will be kind most of the time. And when they’re not, they’ll hear my voice in their head tell them, “That wasn’t a kind way to behave. Can you try again, please?”

Stepping up to the plate isn’t always easy when it comes to volunteering your time for anything. Most moms are busier than ever nowadays and are professional jugglers. The fear of dropping the ball or taking a misstep at any time can be worrisome to most moms. Have no fear, you can do it.

Recently, my three-year-old daughter began having night terrors.   I hope this is something you haven’t experienced, but after doing some research, it is a relatively common phenomenon in mostly younger children.  One study I read said that up to as high as 40% of children have experienced them.  

We recently asked our pediatrician to get in the battle, asking him to very clearly point out how important fruits and vegetables are to eat.  While his recommendation helped, ultimately it is still up to me and my husband to get our four-year-old, Elsie, to eat well.  So, I have enlisted some of my favorite kitchen gadgets to make fruits and vegetables more appealing.

Do you have a good relationship with your in-laws, any relationship? There are many reasons why pursuing a positive relationship with your in-laws is a good thing, especially if you have children.