Search Results for: blog letting it go

Letting Go Is So Hard

My little bird is beginning to leave the nest. Well not literally but suddenly my 16-year-old is asking permission to do things that I am not ready for. A recent request caused quite a stir in my home. I am really beginning to see that I need to learn how to deal with letting go. It is very difficult for me. I have this need to hang on but I know that it’s time for my little birdie to venture out. It took my husband to put things into perspective. What my son requested was nothing outrageous. I was the … Continue reading →

My Last Blog

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This is going to be my last blog as the Adoption Blogger for Families.com. I’m looking forward to spending the summer with my kids, possibly working at their school, and taking on new writing projects. I may well guest blog occasionally for this or other Families blogs. It seems the Adoption Blog will continue, so I hope this blog, along with Families’ forums, can be a source of information and community for adoptive parents, adoptees, and birth parents. Yesterday I could think of a million things to say in my last few blogs and wondered how I would fit it … Continue reading →

Good Intentions

Have you ever had a plan to be nice to your kids completely backfire? That’s been the story of my life this morning. My baby came down with a nasty cold a few days ago, and she’s been pretty miserable. I’ve been doing whatever I can to make her more comfortable: I give her lots of warm baths, run the humidifier, scratch her back, and do lots of baby massage. She normally sleeps in her crib. She always napped with me as a newborn, but once she hit about 6 months old, she made the transfer to mostly napping alone. … Continue reading →

Letting Children Grow Up Too Fast

“Can I have a cell phone for my birthday?” “How old do I have to be before I can date?” “Can I hang out at the park with my friend?” “Can I get a Facebook page?” These are all questions that a child of mine has asked in the past week. The scary thing is he will be turning 11 years old this upcoming weekend. He is barely a tween. I am sure it is hard being the youngest. To have to sit back and watch your older brother and sister get more privileges can’t be easy. I am trying … Continue reading →

Letting the Holidays Drag You Down

What is it about holidays that seem to drag you down when you have been doing so well with eating healthy and exercising? I don’t know if you can relate but it seems every time there is a holiday or celebration, I fall. Not only did we celebrate Easter this past weekend but we also had two birthdays in our family to celebrate. So there was plenty of candy and cake. For some reason when we are enjoying a holiday I tend to overeat. During other times of eating, I keep my portions small. But it seems like there is … Continue reading →

Lessons Learned – New Health Blogger Intro

As a new health blogger for Families.com I wanted to take some time to introduce myself. Through the years I’ve been a granddaughter, daughter, two times a wife, sister, and a mother—five times over. At this point, my family consists of only my girls and my sister. Everyone else in my family passed on at a young age, even my first husband. I feel that facing so many health-related tragedies is what spurred me on to study many health fields, as well as doing my best to take care of my own health and that of my girls. No matter … Continue reading →

Letting Things Slide

Having to deal with an extremely combative 5-year-old, you learn to pick your battles very carefully. Prior to having kids I envisioned myself being an extremely strict parent. More “Do as I say” than “Okay, let’s negotiate.” However, these days, I find myself letting things slide more than I ever thought I would. Don’t get me wrong; I am very much a stickler when it comes to important issues, such as hygiene (there’s no negotiating out of daily teeth brushing), manners (“please” and “thank you” are required, not merely suggested), proper behavior (talking back and hitting are never tolerated), and … Continue reading →

Saying No Can Be Good for Your Health (and Sanity)

I hate saying no. It makes me feel bad. It makes me feel guilty. It makes me feel like I’m letting someone down. To the recipient of the no, it’s probably not that big a deal. They find someone else to ask, and maybe that someone else says yes. Or they find out that they didn’t really need help after all, and get it done without help. My schedule is getting a little crazy this week. I’ve had plans for this Friday for a few weeks now, but suddenly I’ve been asked for my time on Thursday and Saturday, too. … Continue reading →

Goop Activities for Babies and Toddlers

Just what you need – more mess! However, gooey, goopy crafts serve your toddler wonderfully. They help him develop eye-hand coordination and large and small motor skills. Learning through play is a great way to help your baby, toddler, or preschooler develop these skills. Cornstarch and water is the simplest of goop. It’s also nontoxic, unless there are corn allergies in your family. Start with a bowl of cornstarch. Add water and mix slowly. The recipe is about 1 cup cornstarch to ½ a cup water. This makes a non-Newtonian fluid, which of course is something that you will tell … Continue reading →

Goodbye, Favorite Shoes! Hello… Happy Feet?

I put my favorite pair of sneakers in the trash today. Now I’m sad. They were New Balance slip-on sneakers — no laces to tie when I was running late, just slip my feet in and keep moving. Perfect for wearing to my part time job at the cats-only boarding facility, because they were so easy to put on and take off (we change into scrubs when we get to work and change back when the shift is over — another place where not having to tie shoes is SO handy). But after more than a year of being my … Continue reading →