My 9yo son asked me yesterday if it was easier having a baby in the house with big kid helpers or if it’s easier to just have one baby in the house and no other kids to care for. (We just had our fourth little one in August.) I had to think about it for a minute. Having big kid helpers is so different than having only toddlers! It’s downright dreamy. But life is certainly pretty busy over here, … [Read more...]
Why You Should Take Your Kids to Caves, Monasteries, and Fancy Hotels
As loyal readers will know, my family of five is currently on a six week road trip around the United States before we begin our new life in Texas. We’re in week three and it’s been 90% wonderful and 10% sibling bickering, unexpected traffic, and unreasonable requests for snacks. We’ve camped, been hosted by friends, and stayed in hotels over the past 17 days. We’ve visited national parks, big … [Read more...]
9 Ideas for Observing Lent with Kids: Holy Heroes Review (and free coloring books for you!) {Sponsored Post}
This post is sponsored by Holy Heroes. Is it just me, or is Lent painfully early this year? I feel like I'm still recovering from Christmastide. On the other hand, I'm a big Lent fan. I love that the Christian Year offers us a time set aside to clean house. And no, I'm not talking about my dusty baseboards, although that would be a good thing to tackle during Lent, too. I'm talking about our … [Read more...]
The Secret to Not Fighting With Your Kids About Their Messy Room
Want to know the secret? Get rid of all the toys. Ok, ok, not ALL of the toys. Just a few garbage bags worth. Seriously. After weeks of begging, threatening, and fighting over the kids' messy room, we finally wised up and realized that they weren't trying to be uncooperative little stinkers, the task was overwhelming. When our five-year-old sat down in the middle of his room and cried that … [Read more...]
Recalibrating! (How Parenting Is Like Following a GPS)
You know where you’re trying to go. You thought you were on the road that would get you there, but suddenly everything looks wrong and your intuition is confirmed when the know-it-all voice of the GPS on your dashboard barks, “RECALIBRATING!” You took a wrong turn and the lady inside your GPS is frantically trying to get you back on track. For a blogger, I have surprising Luddite tendencies. I … [Read more...]
My First Post as Gardening Editor!
Today I'm over at Mama and Baby Love with my first official post as Gardening Editor! This post could be titled: “Don’t Lose It If Your Toddler Picks All the Unripe Tomatoes.” (Not that I would EVER do that! Ahem.) In full disclosure, I have definitely lost it when little inquisitive hands prematurely harvested the bounty of our urban garden. Numerous vegetable beds and a chicken coop take up … [Read more...]