Green Bay Area Mom

As I was placing the umpteenth picture inside my daughter’s school folder that read “I love my teacher,” I realized the world needs more of this. There is no such thing as ugly displays of gratefulness. There is no such thing as too much happy, even if I can’t tell what that shape she drew is supposed to be. And when my daughter wants to show kindness to a friend or stranger, it is not for me to anticipate how that person will react, but it is up to me to nurture that desire in her. Because the world will try to change her one day; she will be greeted with a situation where she is not accepted.

We should do more than a homemade ornament for their teacher. Hmm if I was a teacher I would want… wine. All the wine. But perhaps that’s an inappropriate gift from a 4-year-old. What would the other mom’s think? What about cookies? Ugh. They probably get so many cookies.

This is a quick list of all the ways I have failed just in the last week or so!  I would be writing a book if I wanted to think about all the ways in the past year or more!  Maybe you said, "Yep, me too!" for some of these! So stop being so hard on yourself. 

Most stores are already letting us know the holidays are approaching as we walk in their doors. It really is one of the most wonderful times of the year, but let’s face it - as parents, we don’t want that to include our children and homes being inundated with toys, toys, and more toys! A few, okay, but the focus of the holidays should be about so much more! Although since gift giving is a tradition for many, here are a few MORE non-toy gift ideas, with a focus on practical gifts and experiences instead.

What's that sound? Oh, banging your head against the wall while thinking of creative and useful holiday gifts for the kids in your life? Yes, I've been there, too. Do you shudder at the thought of receiving more toys that only get played with a handful of times before they get tossed aside? And, let's not forget all of the cardboard that comes with those toys. ALL.OF.THE.CARDBOARD. Last year, it took a solid month before our garage was rid of it.

Today, 5 months pregnant and counting, I am beginning to get excited about the upcoming arrival of our little squish. I'm looking for the positives, enjoying the moments I have right now with my son while he is my only son, and dreaming of how awesome of a big brother he is going to be.

Anxiety levels spiked to an all-time high. Each injection induced fear, terror, tears and screaming. It was almost more than she could take, and I can't put into words what it did to my sanity as a mother.

I know many subjects regarding motherhood aren’t exactly glamorous or fun to talk about, but we really need to start talking about them! Yes, even the “embarrassing” and “taboo” topics! While I know that some topics may seem scary to a mother-to-be, it’s still good to have a heads up before things happen. Women don’t need to feel ashamed or embarrassed when they go through the magnitude of changes motherhood brings.

We need to keep the conversation about kindness alive year-round, not just on today – World Kindness Day.  Kindness needs to stay at the forefront.

When you add up all the appetizers, turkey and trimmings, drinks and desserts, the average American could be packing in up to 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. No wonder we feel stuffed!