S'mores Life

Dear Second Child, I'm not sorry that I'm just now completing the photo book from the year I was pregnant with you, and haven't even begun your baby photo book. You turn five in less than four months. I'm not sorry that your older sister had her newborn pictures professionally printed within two weeks of her birth, and I just now ordered pictures to fill your "Baby every month" frame. I'm not sorry that in your sister's baby book, I marked the date for every new tooth, and she has a special compartment for hair from her first haircut. All I have for you is the statement I told the dentist "I don't know, she was a late teether because I remember being glad I only worried about being bit while nursing for a few months. I think she 11 months when she got her first tooth?" And I found a baggie with hair I'd saved from when I trimmed your bangs for the first time recently, but when I reached in and my hand unexpectedly came into cont...

I still wear my almost 4 and a half year old in a baby carrier, and here's why...along with some questions I've been asked about that choice. Why do you still wear your 4 year old in a baby carrier? For a lot of reasons...sometimes, it's because I skip zumba or barre to go to target/sleep/clean/go to target/spend time with my kids/go to target/etc. and I want to feel less guilty about that choice so I decide to burn some extra calories that way. Or because I take my kids out for pizza and gelato and I don't want to spend the whole meal hating myself for eating it (like pretty much every other American woman I know, working on that one in therapy, thank you very much.) It's an excellent work out, child-wearing, and she told multiple people at my workplace "it's not too hard for mommy, it just makes her very sweaty." Other times it's because I need to get some work done, either around the house or at work, that involves lots of running around ...

The other day one of my daughters asked me if there was a college she could attend to become a Super Hero. As with many of our little ones questions ("But how exactly DID the daddy seed get into the mommy's belly? But, HOW?") I was not prepared with an answer for this so I replied "Well there is school to become a police officer or firefighter and they help people in the same way superheroes do." She wasn't satisfied with that answer, and so I've been thinking about the specifics of becoming our own Wonder Women, magic rope or not. I've been feeling pretty Super Woman myself lately. I've been listening to the Powerful Women of Pop playlist on Amazon recommended by my best friend, I've been responding to tough situations in ways I am proud of. This past year has brought a lot of change to my family, my personal, and my professional life and I feel like I'm finally finding my groove. I'm finding ways to be more efficient with my time,...

Names have been changed to protect the innocent...and the not-so-innocent. ********************************************************************************* "Mommy, I have a HUGE crush on David." Where did she learn that word? "What makes you have a crush on him?" I inquired. "Because he's so handsome and he likes to play with me." He's good looking. He likes me. "Is he kind to you? Is he kind to other people? Does he make you laugh?" "Yes, he's nice to me and he's nice to my friends. He makes the silliest faces and that makes me laugh!" She answered. "I'm glad you have a good friend in David. Those are good reasons to like somebody." ********************************************************************************* "You should ask Daddy for help because he's a good worker. And you're a good cooker." Don't ask for his help. Show her you can do it on your own....

Here's a sign that you aren't regularly discussing your body: You have to google "leg muscle above knee" before you write a blog post about self-care,  self-love and your body. Part of my job is running the social media accounts for my employer. I enjoy it and it's great because I post at least 75% of what is posted which means I get to screen almost every picture of me before it goes up. Which means a lot of pictures of me do NOT go up. Another part of this job means people send me pictures from events I may not be at or may be unable to have my phone with me. A few weeks ago someone sent me a bunch of great photos. And one photo of me. I was in front of a crowd, speaking, and holding one of my kids. And I immediately started shaming myself. You look disgusting. You look pregnant. Your hair is so frizzy. Your face is so red. You're gross. Then came the rationalizing... Well your phone is in your pocket. That's why your butt looks huge. Those pan...