I think it is fair to say that every Mom dreams of dressing up their little girls in the sea of adorable outfits clothing manufacturing dream up every year. I will be the first to admit that I while I only bought one or two little boy outfits pre delivery, I bought several perfectly pink frilly ensembles even though I had no idea what I was having. Good news is I was right in my assumption that I would have a girl first.  So now that the kids are getting older and their opinions louder when is it time to look the other way and let kids dress themselves? Judging by some of the outfits I see at…

We all know reading aloud to even the youngest child is beneficial, but it goes so much further than most of us realize. I was lucky enough to sit down with a co-author of an insightful book every caregiver should own. Susan Marx and co-author Barbara Kasok created Help Me Get Ready To Read as a practical guide for reading aloud to children from birth to age 5.  Before I met with Marx, a Lexington resident, I thought about my own experience reading aloud with my children and wondered if there was really anything I could do to make it more stimulating and educational. I also thought about the …

Let me start with a disclaimer. I adore my husband and think he is an outstanding Father.  My Dad was the best Dad ever, and I think my three brothers do a very good job with their awesome children. There now I can be honest with you. Why oh why do (most) men parent so differently from women? For starters, why don’t Fathers like schedules? They may say they like schedules and they may wake up at the same time every work day but that is about it. It will be 5:30 p.m. and a Father will stand in front of his young children and say something crazy like, “Kids, what would you like for dinner …

When I told my Father-in-Law that I was thinking of writing an article about family reunions he said, “be kind”.  I laughed out loud but I knew what he was getting at. It can be crazy but it can be fun too and the fun keeps us coming back. With one family reunion down and one to go this summer I started thinking about what made them successful and what made them stressful. Maybe in a few (hundred) years we can perfect this age old tradition and make it perfect or at least perfectly crazy. Since I haven’t ever hosted one of these family soirées I can only speak as an outsider but sometimes …

A barrage of articles about spoiled American children has popped up in the last few weeks and it got me thinking about the topic and if it is true. Yes, American children have access to a lot of “things” at a younger age and parents have become much more involved in children’s daily lives. But does that mean kids are spoiled? I think it can and the true test of a parent may be managing these “things” while at the same time allowing kids to experience responsibility and consequences. I will admit to turning my nose up at the many “our way is superior to your way” books about raising children …

Summer is off to a super fun start with camp, family trips and just plain being lazy around the house. But with all of the fun comes the inevitable concern about water safety. Water play is as much a part of a child’s life as bed time stories, bike rides and sleep overs. So start young and teach your kids the dos and don’ts of water fun. I grew up on a lake and later at the beach so water fun has always been a part of my life. My kids are beach goers and have family who have a summer lake house so we started young teaching them about water safety. But when water is a part of your life from …

This year we decided to ditch the security lines, strip searches and luggage fees and get in the old roadster for a good old fashioned family road trip. We’ve been taking this trip for years now and always via air plane so when we announced this year’s mode of transportation would be our car the kid’s response was less than enthusiastic. My 4 year old was easily talked into the idea with a bribe of a new Wild Kratz DVD but my 6 year old well, she was a different story. “Why can’t we just fly? I will pay for it” she said in all seriousness. I told her it wasn’t about the money. It was about …

Do you remember the first time your child drew something even remotely resembling something? I bet nobody else had any idea what it was but you and your child. It was a fun little milestone wasn’t it? Fast forward three years and the stuff is taking over your house. I do my best to sort through the “art” but two Home Depot bins later and I am running out of space and excuses for “lost” “art”.  I mean really, are we supposed to keep every last piece? Finally I hit my limit and started going through all of the “art” when the kids were at school. Don’t judge me but I threw away the things that …

Ah, the end of the school year. Those half focused, spring days filled with picnics, field day games and endless hours looking for those unreturned library books. Time to wrap up the school year, say goodbye to our favorite teachers and promise your kids they will see their friends all summer. It’s a love-hate relationship really. The kids love to be out of school and you hate to think of all of the activities you’ll have to line up to keep them occupied. But as much as kids say they love this time of year I think there is a little bit of dread, too. Think about it. Your kids see their …

I bet all of us can remember those long carefree summer days when the sun was about to set and you could hear your Mom calling you to come inside. It may have even been the first time you had been inside all day aside from a food or bathroom break. That is how it was for me too and I worry those days are passing our kids by. We all talk about the fear of over scheduling our kids but do we ever do anything about it? I swore I wouldn’t be “that parent” and have my kids in four activities at a time but I can feel the pull already and my kids are young. Soccer, ballet, piano, swim and t-ball are …

  Yelling at your kids isn’t something any parent is proud of nor is it something any of us want to do. I am an occasional offender. I admit it and I have read the articles that suggest that kids respond better to calm words. I get it. But never was it more obvious to me than this past week when a spring cold took my voice way for several days. I had no idea how I was going to command my kid’s attention but the days that followed shocked me into believing all of those articles.   I whispered my situation to the kids to elicit some sympathy and hoped their compassion would lead to extra great …

  I’m a soccer Mom. There, I said it. I am the same soccer Mom I used to talk about when I was twentysomething and swore I’d never become. Well, I didn’t really. I am a cool soccer Mom as are many of us out there and I am sure we could teach those twentysomethings a thing or two about moving on with your life and still having a life. So now that I am the Mom taxi taking my kids to all of their various extracurricular activities I thought I would at least do it with style. But what kind of style would that be? My evolution started gradually with my daughter playing soccer as a four year old in…

  The first few years I celebrated Mother’s Day it was all about the TLC. In other words it was all about me. I looked forward to it with such anticipation you’d think nobody ever did anything nice for me. I couldn’t wait to see what my husband would cook up when the kids were tiny. Cute cards, a special breakfast and a day off from everything a Mother does in a day. As the kids got older we took the day a bit further and went out to brunch where the kids would show off their best manners and Mommy would sip champagne and look at their beautiful handmade gifts. Now as I sit here wondering …

  We held our first family meeting recently and my kids groaned at the mere mention of it. I was taken aback by their lack of enthusiasm because I didn’t think they knew it to be anything more than a gathering of family members. For all they knew we could be meeting around the outdoor fireplace making s ‘mores. Then I realized the context in which I declared it and thus realized family meeting mistake number one, don’t demand one while sending a kid to time out. Next time I will make it when everyone is calm and happy and hope for a better response. Until then, I was stuck with sour puss …

  This is not an article about public school lunch options, pink slime or how to pick the trendiest lunch boxes for your child. This is an article about the ups and downs of what you put in your child’s lunch box day in and day out and the roller coaster ride that ensues.  It’s Monday morning and I’m ready! A restful family weekend has renewed my spirits and I am ready to tackle my daily dilemma; what to pack in my daughter’s lunch box. I have a refrigerator full of interesting and healthy things and my creative juices are flowing. I smile at my daughter with a sense of determination. I am …

  I love Earth Day. Maybe it is because I love a good cause or maybe because I love an easy opportunity to teach my kids something valuable. Easy because Earth Day is such an obvious way to teach kids of all ages about our great planet. It doesn’t matter how much or little you know about all the ways we can help Mother Earth (that’s what the internet is for) because even the smallest things can help. And kids don’t really care as long as they feel they are helping they will enjoy this chance to spend time learning, doing and making a difference. The opportunity to teach kids about helping our…

I was sitting in the waiting area of my daughter’s ballet class last week and another mom told me she arrived a few minutes earlier and everything was locked up, lights were out and she thought that class had been cancelled. She continued on by saying she wondered if she had missed an email, call or other notice and was she the only mom who messed up the date. I assured her that I have that feeling daily. After all, it was just the other week that I took my son to the wrong location for his classmate’s birthday party. I was so outwardly upset with myself for being such an idiot that my son …

  Spring is still my favorite season and not just because my birthday falls in it but because everything seems new and possible. I grew up with the Easter tradition and my husband with Passover so now we get the best of both worlds and can share that with our kids. While I am fully verse is the Easter ways and hosting Easter dinner is only slightly overwhelming Passover is another story. I rely on my husband and his family to show me the ropes. In other words, we always hope for an invitation to Passover Seder. From the get go I was interested in making these holidays about family and …

I have been thinking a lot about my circle of friends lately and realized that while they are vastly different from each other and even me they are an increasingly important part of my life. My close friends range from those I met in pre preschool to those I met pre babies and I consider myself very lucky to know them all. Even if time passes in between visits or we forget a birthday, these are the friends that are in it for the long haul. They’ve seen it all and keep coming back for more. But there is more to it than just having friends who forgive you for just about anything. There’s the …

Unlike most Americans, my resolutions usually start around early spring when my bulky sweaters give way to lighter more revealing wear. It is then when I realize my workout routine needs to be stepped into high gear and my diet tightened up if I don’t want to be laughed off the beach in my bathing suit. But now that I am a Mom, spring has taken on a bigger and yes, better meaning. Now spring is about reconnecting and remembering what’s important in my life. For me the best way to reconnect with my kids is spending time outside. Plenty of us have people to come clean up their flowerbeds each …