Today it was a blue slushie. Yesterday it was the iPad. They’re things that my nearly 4-year-old daughter feels entitled to. She pleaded her case declaring that she ate “real food” and reminded me that she spent countless hours frolicking around the house and playing outside. Her righteous indignation came out demanding that she deserved…
Tall and skinny. Those were the words the doctor used to describe my picky eating child. He dropped to the 10th percentile for weight, and while he was still growing, it was concerning. The doctor glanced over in my direction, cocked her head to the side and reassured me with a variety of tips to…
From the back of the van I heard Jenn jabbering about a memory she had as we drove past a nearby park and wildlife reservation. “Daddy climbed this HUGE rock and then he let me climb a big one too!” It sparked memories of my husband explaining the adventures that the two of them had…
My whole world slowed down to a screeching halt and spun past me in slow motion as I screamed in sheer panic “WHERE ARE YOU JENN?!?!” I was in my own 900 square foot home and yet somehow could not find my 3-year-old daughter. Really. How does that even happen? The following minutes on the phone with…
My toddler is particularly partial to a bread sandwich. With a side of bread. And many parents find they’re faced with a toddler who won’t eat. I think we all agree that parenting toddlers is an interesting time. One of the greatest trials that we face as parents is feeding our toddlers, preschoolers, and even young…
This post brought to you by LastPass. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Kara Carrero. A young toddler wielding a liquid in the living room by an open laptop. It’s not a modern twist to the game CLUE, rather, it’s the start of the story of the demise of my first MacBook….
“… and the BIG Jenn bear stomps into the room. CRASH. BANG! BOOOOOMMMM!” I hear my husband say from the next room as my oldest giggles with sheer glee as she winds down for bed. They’re making up stories again and her little creative juices are flowing. I can only imagine what kinds of dreams…
Back when my sweet Emma was not quite 2, I found her in the kitchen mopping up pomegranate juice that she had spilled happily exclaiming “Pom Pom!” as she worked. I didn’t ask her to wipe up her mess, but it was important to her to get it fixed and cleaned. She had seen her…
“Dayntt Ewww” my 21 month old shouted after her sister gave her some food. “Aww, you’re welcome sweet girl,” my oldest replied. While I don’t force manners like please and thank you on my kids and let them learn at their own pace (no matter how excruciatingly slow it may be) it’s still so nice…
Whether it’s a business trip, deployment, or visiting family, there are times when in parenting when what’s typically a two parent household has to adapt to the needs of solo-parenting. You don’t have to be a military family to know what it’s like to solo-parent and trying to juggle raising kids on your own for…
In front of a group of complete strangers, my three year old daughter stood gleefully screaming a verse she had just learned the night before. Fearless, she continued to participate with this group of children she had never even met before despite weekly meltdowns of not wanting to participate in her own class at home. And…
I sat in the living room explaining to my almost 4 year old that I was sorry. Sorry I lost my temper. Sorry that I let something little get in between her and I. Sorry for not prioritizing her over something trivial. In those moments of regret, both she and I learned something. She learned…