mom of 4 Archives - I'm More Than a Mom

How to Keep Your Kids Active

With gyms closed, schedules out of whack and a lot of physical education classes shut down due to online learning, you may be wondering two things: How do I fit in my workout? How do I get my kids off the couch? No matter what age your kids are, they need regular physical activity. If…

How to Encourage Healthy Eating in Your Family

When you’re busy, it’s so hard to keep up with healthy meals. Especially when the kids crave and ask for all the junk. Pizza, Chick-fil-a and other fast and convenient foods often become a staple–and they have in our house too. But surprisingly, the kids have been pushing back on this kind of food. And…

How to Raise Kids With Values

Raising kids is a full-time job. Often there are tears (both yours and your children’s). It’s expensive, stressful and sometimes thankless. But it’s also the most rewarding and important job in the world. And also one of the most difficult. Let’s get through this together! I have a friend whose child has been making poor…

How to travel abroad with kids

If you follow me online, you know that my family recently got back from an epic trip to the UK, France and Spain. All six of us packed up and spent most of the kids’ winter vacation there, something we’d been looking forward to for a long time. We’ve done some travel as a family…

Year of Lasts: College Application Time

The 2018-2019 school year is a big year of “lasts” for the Ratterman household. This is the last year all six of us will be under the same roof. And while it’s a little bittersweet, I’m both soaking up all the memories and preparing myself for the excitement of what’s to come. Jack is a…

Mexican Quiche

I found this recipe online, then modified it meet my family’s tastes (the kids weren’t a fan of the jalapenos!). Thank you to The Girl Who Ate Everything for the inspiration!

Our Big Puppy Update

It’s been a while since my last update on our puppy, Ivy, and since it’s never a dull moment I figured I should let her check in! First of all, I did not know I was signing up to have a crazy, four-legged toddler in the house. We love her dearly (and Jeff tolerates her)…

How to handle 4 kids in 4 different schools

By now, kids across the country are back to school. My kids have been back for several weeks now, and it’s been interesting having four kids in four different schools. Of course, this was really my doing. When you spread out having kids across nine years, you really get what you get. No complaints here!…

Prepping Yourself – And Your Life – for Summer Break

Are your kids getting antsy about summer vacation coming up? I’m not talking about going away for vacation–I mean just being off of school and lounging around the house. School days have challenges. All the sports practices, homework and driving kids around here and there. But summertime has its own problems, whether you work from…

Growing Grit in Girls & Boys: My Experience

When my boys were younger, I got the stereotypical, “Two boys! What a handful!” And as the girls get older, I get the sympathetic, knowing looks from people who see grey hair in my future from having two teen girls in my house at once. It’s true that I have a bit of a crazy…