Mom Tips

What is Mom Instinct? A Mother’s Guide to Trusting Your Inner Voice So yesterday morning I’m doing the usual chaos dance – you know the one. Coffee brewing, lunches packed (sort of), and I’m literally chasing Jared around trying to get him to brush his teeth properly. He’s eight, by…

So I’m standing in my kitchen this morning, and there’s cereal all over the floor because Jared decided to make his own breakfast while I was changing Maddie’s diaper. Again. And I just… laughed? Like, actually laughed instead of losing my mind. Six months ago, that would’ve been the thing…

Y’all, can we just be real for a second? I’m sitting here at 9:47 PM, finally getting a chance to write this post. Jared’s asleep (thank God), and Maddie just went down after her third wake-up of the night. My kitchen looks like a tornado hit it, there’s Play-Doh ground…

Picture this: I’m standing in Target (because where else do all parenting disasters happen?), and my 4-year-old Jared is having a complete nuclear meltdown because I won’t buy him the $30 Paw Patrol toy he “absolutely needs.” Baby Maddie is screaming in the cart because she’s hungry, tired, and probably…

What is a Surrogacy Mother? My Messy, Beautiful, Crazy Experience Just a real mom sharing what actually happened Hey there. So I’m sitting here at 11 PM, finally got both kids down for the night, and I keep thinking about how many messages I get from moms asking about our…

So yesterday I’m standing in my kitchen at 3 PM still in my pajamas, eating cereal straight from the box while Maddie’s attached to my leg screaming and Jared’s going “Mom mom mom mom MOM” about seventeen times and I just… I can’t. I literally cannot. Anyone else or just…

So there I was last week, standing in my kitchen at 7 PM, looking at Jared’s math homework scattered all over the table. My 8-year-old was in full meltdown mode because he couldn’t figure out these word problems, and honestly? I was about two seconds away from losing it myself.…

I was being such an ass to my mom that my 8-year-old had to tell me to knock it off. Yeah, you read that right. So there I was last Tuesday, on the phone with my mom while trying to feed baby Maddie her lunch and simultaneously help Jared find…

Real Mom Confessions: What Actually Works When You’re Barely Surviving So I’m literally typing this with one hand while bouncing Maddie who’s been screaming for like 20 minutes straight, and Jared just walked into the kitchen wearing his underwear on his head asking if we have any “adventure food” for…

My Kid Turned Into a Complete Brat (And It Was Totally My Fault) Okay so yesterday I’m at Walmart buying formula for my baby Maddie, right? And my 8-year-old Jared sees this huge display of Pokemon cards. He starts doing that thing where he follows me around the store going…

I’m So Done With Rude Parents and I Don’t Care Who Knows It   Jesus Christ on a cracker I am SO over dealing with other parents. Sorry. My kids are asleep, I’ve had two glasses of wine, and I need to get this out before I explode. So Jared…

Easy Self-Care Ideas for Busy Moms: Finding Moments of Peace in the Beautiful Chaos So I’m sitting here with my laptop balanced on my knees, trying to type this while Maddie’s finally sleeping on my chest and Jared’s supposedly doing his reading homework but I can hear him making sound…

What is Disrespectful to a Parent? Girl, I Wish I Knew Y’all. I’m sitting here at 11 PM eating leftover mac and cheese straight from the pot because today was THAT kind of day. Jared (he’s 8) decided homework was beneath him, threw his pencil across the room, and told…

Easy Mom Life Hacks That Save Time: What Actually Works in My Crazy House Okay, let me be real with you for a second. I’m typing this while my 8-year-old Jared is supposed to be doing his math homework (but is actually building a fort out of couch cushions), and…

New Mom Survival Guide: Must-Know Tips Okay mama, let’s be real here. Being a new mom is like being thrown into the deep end of a pool while someone hands you a baby and says “figure it out.” I’m sitting here writing this at 2 AM (again) while little Maddie…

Last night, my 8-year-old son Jared caught me completely off guard. As I was getting him ready for bed, he looked up at me with those curious eyes and asked, “Mom, what’s a mother superior?” We’d been watching an old movie earlier, and apparently, this question had been brewing in…

So I’m sitting here at 5:47 AM, fourth cup of coffee in hand, because apparently my 6-month-old Maddie thinks dawn is party time and my 8-year-old Jared just informed me he needs a poster board for a project that’s due TODAY. Classic, right? Eight years into this parenting gig and…

I’m sitting here typing this while my 8-year-old Jared is supposed to be doing homework but is actually seeing how many pencils he can balance on his nose. Baby Maddie just woke up from her nap 30 minutes early (because of course she did), and I’ve got a work call…

How to Co-Parent Successfully: My Real Journey with Jared and Maddie Let me be honest with you – I never thought I’d be writing a blog post about co-parenting. Three years ago, if someone told me I’d become an expert on juggling two households, coordinating schedules, and somehow keeping my…

Simple Mom Life Tips Every Parent Needs So I’m writing this at 11:47 PM because it’s literally the first quiet moment I’ve had today. Maddie finally went down after fighting bedtime for an hour (teething is THE WORST), and Jared’s been asleep since 8:30 after a complete meltdown about his…

How to Be a Better Mother: My Messy, Real Journey with Jared and Maddie Warning: This post contains zero Pinterest-worthy moments and 100% honest mom life I’m writing this while my 8-year-old son Jared argues with me about wearing socks (apparently they “feel weird today”) and my baby daughter Maddie…

What Makes a Nurturing Mother? Okay, so I’m sitting here at 11:47 PM because this is literally the only quiet time I get to think, let alone write. Jared’s finally asleep after asking me seventeen questions about whether fish have dreams, and baby Maddie is doing that thing where she…

What is Love? A Simple Definition for Kids That Every Parent Should Know So there I was, exhausted on a Tuesday night, trying to get baby Maddie to finish her bottle when my 8-year-old Jared suddenly plops down next to me on the couch. No warning, no context, just: “Mom,…

What is the Friendly Parent Rule? A Parent’s Guide to Custody Decisions I’ll be honest – when I first heard the term “friendly parent rule” during my divorce proceedings, I thought it sounded like something from kindergarten. Be nice, play fair, share your toys. But as any parent going through…

Is Screen Time Really Addictive for Kids? My Wake-Up Call Okay, so picture this: I’m making dinner last week, and I tell my son Jared (he’s 8) that his hour of iPad time is done. You’d think I told him Santa wasn’t real. He literally threw himself on the kitchen…

10 Things I’m Trying to Get My Kids to Do (And Failing Half the Time) Okay so it’s like 11 PM and I just spent 45 minutes trying to get my 14-month-old Maddie to go back to sleep after she decided 10:30 was party time. My 8-year-old Jared is finally…

That Time My 8-Year-Old Had a Meltdown in Target and I Finally Got It God, where do I even start with this? So I’m in Target yesterday – well, not yesterday, this was like six months ago but whatever – with both my kids because of course we’re out of…

The 4 Things I Wish I Knew About Parenting Before I Had Kids Written while hiding in the bathroom because it’s the only quiet place in my house So I’m literally sitting on the floor of my bathroom right now because it’s the only place I can get five minutes…

What is the 70/30 Rule in Parenting? How This Simple Change Saved Our Sanity Look, I’m just going to be honest with you right off the bat. Last Tuesday, I found myself hiding in the pantry eating stale crackers while my 8-year-old Jared was having a meltdown about wearing socks,…

The 80/20 Rule Saved My Sanity as a Mom (And It Might Save Yours Too) Okay, so picture this: It’s 7 PM on a Tuesday, and I’m literally running between my screaming 8-year-old and my screaming baby. Jared’s having a complete meltdown because he doesn’t understand long division (honestly, same…

How to Discipline a Child: My Hot Mess Journey with Jared and Maddie Ugh, okay. So I’m writing this at 11:23 PM because I finally got both kids asleep and I promised my sister I’d share what I’ve learned about discipline since she’s losing her mind with her 3-year-old right…

Is My Parenting Toxic? Real Talk From a Mom Who’s Figuring It Out Okay, so it’s 1:37 AM and I’m stress-eating leftover mac and cheese while baby Maddie finally sleeps and I can’t stop replaying what happened at Jared’s soccer practice today. This dad – let’s call him Kevin because…

What Is the 7-7-7 Rule for Parenting? Explained for New Parents Okay so it’s currently 2:17 AM and I’m sitting on my bathroom floor eating stale goldfish crackers while Maddie finally sleeps and trying not to wake up Jared who somehow ended up in our bed again. This is peak…