For many pregnant moms, welcoming a baby can be a difficult challenge to get through. Here's how to stay positive during pregnancy and when times are tough. I know I'm not alone when I say your pregnancy can get tough. For you, it might be caring for your toddler when you can barely walk, thinking of financial bills to come, or coping with health issues. And when it rains, it pours—bad luck seems to invite even more bad luck. I hardly have bad luck in life, but it seems to have barged right through the door as I neared the end of my twin pregnancy. You see, I endured several … [Read more...]

Are you a soon-to-be first-time mom? Discover the best tips and advice for new parents that no one talks about—from fellow parents who've been there. Tell anyone you're about to be a new mom, and you'll likely hear scores of parenting advice all over. The coworker who tells you it's okay to feel overwhelmed, the friend who warns you not to rock your baby. You'll hear about milestones to keep an eye on, and what those flaps on onesies are actually for. But sometimes, it's the absence of advice for new parents that's most startling. How no one tells you the intense and almost shameful … [Read more...]

Do you react and get angry with your child, then feel guilty about it? Learn how to respond with intentional parenting to stay calm and grow as a parent. "You're mean!" my son yelled at me. Apparently, he didn't like that I wanted to apply sunblock on him so we could go to school. He had been reading a book and wanted me to start on his brother first. But when I suggested I apply the sunblock while he read, he stomped out of the room. The thing is, I wasn't in the mood to deal with it. I felt stressed about work and had my own emotional weight to carry—now I had to deal with this, … [Read more...]

Having long term parenting goals and objectives is a must for any parent. Discover 8 examples of goals for kids to be able to do throughout childhood and beyond. My husband saw me in the hallway with tears in my eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked in alarm. "I'm sad that they're going to kindergarten," I sobbed back. Emotional, I know. But as my twins wind down their last few weeks at preschool, I'm reminded of how quickly childhood flashes by. As much as we wish for certain stages (ahem: tantrums) to end already, once you hit a milestone, you realize there's no going back. It's moments … [Read more...]

We've all questioned our parenting skills in one way or another. Maybe it was when your toddler was so upset he refused to get up off the floor and finally leave the park, or he wouldn't eat dinner but threw a fit instead. It feels like all you do is yell at your kids, because that's the only thing that seems to work. The worst is when they've finally fallen asleep from a long, draining day, and you're filled with remorse, wishing you could wake them up and apologize. All this, on top of managing your household, getting errands done and appointments scheduled... no wonder you're … [Read more...]

It's the one thing I hear over and over, from moms everywhere: "I feel like I'm failing as a parent." We've all felt overwhelmed with the weight of parenthood, at one time or another. Where we feel like a failure as a wife and mother. When we feel frustrated and helpless, like we have no idea what we're doing. Maybe it's when we feel like we're doing something wrong, especially when we can't decide or don't know which direction to take. Other times we're scared how this is all going to turn out, at the rate we're going. And the reasons vary, too. Maybe you feel like you're failing as … [Read more...]