My youngest sister is having a baby. She is 8 years younger than me, and I have always seen her as my baby sister. But, now she is having a baby of her own, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for her! I was thinking about some mistakes I made as a first-time Mom and how I wish I would have known better. Although, we all have to live and learn, so mistakes might not be the right word. However, I am proud to say that after baby #3, I do know better. I have learned from my mistakes as … Continue reading →

Forget the discount, the organic cherries not only rang up for a dollar more than the advertised price, but they also charged my per pound when this item was priced per package. The last thing I want to do is go back, but I cannot afford to keep letting these kinds of price discrepancy errors slide for the sake of convenience especially since these errors have been on the rise in the last few weeks. In the beginning the grocery store had their system set up to show the discount applied as each item was scanned at the checkout. After … Continue reading →

When we go over the sink to wash our hands after using the potty, my daughter decides that she does not like being in such a small space and starts to cry. I quickly get us back to collecting groceries and foregoing several items that we need because I can get them elsewhere for a better price. Once we finally get in line, I tell the cashier that the chemical free chicken and sausages are from the “health market” but never ring up as such so she will have to enter the discount manually, which she does without a problem. … Continue reading →

I really just want to go to the location that I know has the items that I need at the price I expect. So I call my mom and I have her look up the phone number, while I wait with my kids in the car (the baby starting to fuss). My mom threeway calls the grocery store (she is curious too) and I am told that they are closed because they had a fire and have not been cleared to reopen. As frustrated as I am that I drove all the way across town to that particular location and … Continue reading →

Wednesdays are the day of the week that I go grocery shopping. Our local grocery store, which is only found in the Midwest, has a promotional perk on Wednesdays. They call it “Health Market Wednesdays” whereby any items in the “health market,” including all organic and chemical free items, receive a ten percent discount. I find that to be a great reason to go grocery shopping on Wednesdays! This particular Wednesday was not any different than most Wednesdays. I got both kids dressed and loaded into the car along with my grocery list and reusable grocery sacks. My son really … Continue reading →

Today, I went back to the gym the first time after the baby. He is almost 6 months old. I realized I had a lot of work ahead of me when we went on a very easy hike a couple of weekends ago and I was sore after. So, I decided it was time to get back to work. Unfortunately, between nursing (I’m not one of those people that nurses and the “weight just falls off”) and being on a very restricted diet the past few months, getting back in shape was not a priority. Now that I have enjoyed … Continue reading →

The cover of Time magazine has everyone talking. By now, everyone has at least heard about the cover of the woman nursing her toddler as he is standing on a chair to reach her breast. Some were outraged wit the cover. It was called provocative, unnecessary, misrepresentation or attachment parenting, and a ploy to sell magazines. There is no doubt the cover will become one of Time magazine’s most controversial covers. As it exploded all over Facebook and Twitter, I watched as moms were hurt, disgusted, and insulted by the cover and other moms with extreme opinions. The eruption was … Continue reading →

One thing I’ve realized about myself over the years of being a Mother is that I am a baby person. It’s funny, because before I had kids, I never really thought this about myself. And, even after the birth of my first, I still didn’t quite realize it. I loved her, and goo gooed and gaa gaaed over her like any first time mother would. I was smitten, of course, but didn’t realize that I really loved the baby stage until she got a little older. I read this great blog post the other day about just this topic. It … Continue reading →

New moms are always asking me for advice because I am the mother of four children. There is nothing I love more than reminiscing about the baby days. I also understand the overwhelming feelings of being a mom for the first time. It is hard to know what to do and if you are doing it right. I know the fear of thinking of the grave ramifications of feeding sweet potatoes before green beans. I understand the worry your child will spit raspberries at the table until she is 18. So what would I tell a new mom? You cannot … Continue reading →

I am no longer a mother to a baby. My younger child is now three years old and officially a preschooler. She is my last child. I almost broke down in tears the other day thinking about not having another baby. A baby is not a baby for long. The time is fleeting. It is often a blur. There never seems to be a way to fully appreciate every second. There certainly is no way to hang onto the seconds as sadly they pass by too quickly. I have no desire to be pregnant or give birth but there is … Continue reading →