This is one of the parts of parenting that I typically get judged pretty hard for. I find no logical reason to not be straight forward with my children. No one in the world is going to placate my children or keep their world in isolated perfection. The more honest and open I can be … Continue reading No need to sugarcoat: Advocating for straight talk with your kids.
It was a long and busy Saturday with my little family. My husband and I were spent and so were the rugrats. I put together a gourmet dinner of leftovers and then tossed all three kids into the tub. The kiddos were having a good time in the tub. This included draining and … Continue reading Our crap filled Saturday night: A humorous take on septic back-up.
Part of parenting is dealing with the daily moments of, "What the hell?" It seems that every day poses new questions that I simply cannot answer. Whose bright idea is this? First, I swear I am the only person in my household who is aware that light switches have the possibility of being turned off. … Continue reading I Feel I need an Explanation: Parenting Edition
Grocery shopping with kids is stressful by itself. Trying to remember everything, stay on budget, and not lose my mind while wrangling small children in public is no easy feat. Then enter the level of hell that is the grocery car-cart. On the surface one would assume that the car-cart is a fun distraction … Continue reading The psychological torture of the car-cart
We won a bag of free groceries. That's how the whole thing started. We live in a small Midwestern town. Our town is blessed to have any grocery store at all, let alone one that is incredibly active in the community. This little store was celebrating 10-years in business. There were tons … Continue reading Our real family photo… that went small town viral.
I should be putting away laundry. I really need to clean the kitchen. The vacuum needs attention. There is an unidentified smell in the family room. But for a moment, I don't care. Right now I'm enjoying a moment. A little stolen moment where I can sit and do nothing. Currently I am … Continue reading Stealing time: Creating a break.
My husband is painfully old-fashioned when it comes to family time. He has all sorts of delusions of grandeur about making high quality memories for our kids. This has translated into the biggest vacation farce of all, camping. A week of camping. Unlike my Tired Not Dead partner in crime, I loved me some … Continue reading Camping: One Big NOPE Part 2-clinical evidence
I have completely given up on the idea of planning. There have been so many instances where I convince myself events will play out in a predictable fashion, only to have that idea explode in my face. Accept that planning is bullcrap. This has never been more true than when it comes to family … Continue reading Want a good laugh? Plan a trip with kids.
Every parent understands the beauty of bedtime. Every parent also understands the frustration of bedtime fails. The following is a short list of ways I have recently woken up my children. Try not to wake up the kids. Think about having sex. Be completely silent. Plan an at home date night. Plan some personal time. … Continue reading Guaranteed ways to wake up the kids.
Lately, my 5 year old has been a real handful. Arguments, back talk, sass, the whole shebang. I could tell him the sky is blue and he would contradict me. It is exhausting. Timeouts do not work, taking things away does not work, so what's left? Bribery, er, I mean, goal-making. Most recently I had … Continue reading We don’t call it bribery. We call it goal making. So there.
Tired Not Dead 