I think I’ve forgotten how to have fun…
Somewhere along the way, I convinced myself that walking the dog, grocery shopping, and watching reality TV was a perfectly fine substitute for actual fun and true play.
Read more about what my family taught me by visiting the full article on herviewfromhome.com
Read MoreOne day before my husband said "I do," we moved the final boxes into our new home.
When we should have been celebrating the our upcoming nuptials, we instead found ourselves overwhelmed and arguing about the chaotic state of the house, while also scrambling to pack for our honeymoon. Together, we learned a lot throughout the entire experience. To learn more about what I wish we would have and would not have done, visit the full article on Momaha.com
Read MoreThe last time my child rode his Big Wheel bike was nearly five years ago. If he tried to sit in it now, he would get stuck.
And yet it sits in our garage — huge and chunky — waiting for no one.
In fact, our garage has become a mausoleum of toys and clothes from days gone by. They're physical reminders of time; items I can't bring myself to get rid of.
Read MoreBy age 2, he knew his role in making banana bread was to smash down the bananas into puree using a potato masher. At age 3, I declared him "ready to go to college" because he successfully mixed up pancake batter by himself. It would be a few more years before he would graduate to actually frying or flipping them on his own, but he knew all the basics.
As an avid home cook — and a fan of cooking shows — I knew cooking was a favorite activity I wanted to share with my son. These everyday memories are some of my very favorite moments with my little buddy, and to this day, he asks to help whenever I'm in the kitchen.
When his step-sisters came into the picture, our new shared kitchen again became the place of learning — not only about cooking, but about one another. It's amazing how a child will open up about their life while helping do an everyday task. Chatting about the day, the kids — sometimes together and sometimes one on one — will chop strawberries, wash produce, make guacamole and practice measuring ingredients for cornbread.
Read MoreI had purchased three Bento boxes and spent weeks scrolling through Pinterest pages of nut-butter sandwich faces, animals made out of quinoa, organic berries and homemade flax cookies. As I stared down my new reality of being a working, divorced mom with a kid who I was sure would never eat hot lunch, these cute pictures taunted me as yet another way I was sure to fail as my son started his journey into elementary school.
Read MoreTrying to manage the kids’ activities is like trying to juggle while riding the spinning teacups at Disneyland.
In my house, we have three kids within a range of two years. Like a lot of families today, our children might be categorized as “over-programmed."
Most weeks we find ourselves running between competition dance, baseball, basketball, golf (or whatever sport is in season) and piano lessons. We'll even occasionally throw in in a showcase, performance or science fair at school.
We try to monitor this, but frequently an extra lesson or an extra team sneaks in here and there. And, unfortunately, there are just times where events overlap — or we can’t shuffle work around to be somewhere at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday — and we miss their event.
I feel the pang of guilt every time this happens.
Read MoreIn June 2018, I went from being the mom of an only child to the parent of three kids — my son and my husband’s two daughters.
I knew early into the relationship with my husband that not only was he the right one, but that his girls were the right ones, too. I had a deep love for all of them. What I didn’t have a clue about was how hard all of this would be for me to adapt to. While we have been incredibly fortunate — the kids have all bonded beautifully — there’s no “What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Whole New Family.”
Read MorePerhaps you’re familiar with this. It’s when my guard is down just enough to believe that we could—and should definitely, without question—have another baby.
Read MoreI am a stepmother and, if I'm being honest, it's not something I ever dreamed of being. I don't think any stepmom does.
As a young child, I didn't carry around my baby doll pretending I was its second mother. We don't dream of being a stepmom in the same way we dream of being moms. In our dreams, we're the mom our children know first; the only mom they'll ever come to love. We don't dream of being second. Being a stepmom means someone's first dream has ended in heartache.
But here I am — grateful to be a stepmom by design.
Read MoreFor months I stood on my soapbox saying, "My name is my name. If I want to be known as Jessica Lacey Flamingo-Hedgehog, then that is my choice." We all had lots of laughs about the idea of business cards that read "Flamingo-Hedgehog." That name is still unanimously approved by my husband and kids to this day.
I have agonized over this last name situation almost as much as I agonized over choosing my son's name.
Read MoreNineties rap blares on the radio as the air conditioning blasts against the new summer heat. Chip and snack cake wrappers litter the front seat. Is this a scene from an idyllic teenage summer?
Nope. It's just me — a bewildered mom — sitting kid-less in a Walmart parking lot after work, not knowing what to do with myself while my son is with his dad…
Read MoreI waited in line patiently after the five-year old in front of me, looked to the life guard for a nod of "okay", and zip, splash, into the water I went. Down the water slide.
Yes, I was "that" mom, the weird, goofy one who got into the pool with her kids. The mom who did handstands in the deep-end, raced her kids across the pool, threw rings to be found at the bottom, and actually went down the water slide. I was in fact, one of only three moms that got in the pool today. And honestly, I don't totally understand it.
Trying to manage the kids’ activities is like trying to juggle while riding the spinning teacups at Disneyland.
Read MoreWhen all the planning, toys and tablet games in the world fail you and your kid loses it — whether on a plane, in the grocery store, at the doctor’s office or wherever — the world stops. I know it feels like everyone is judging you and your parenting. And it’s the worst feeling ever.
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