Mommyhood

Travel is not what it usually is right now, not by a long shot. Everyone is cancelling big travel plans and staying close to home–either not traveling at all or getting away for short road trips only. Our family loves to travel and we’re really hoping to take our regular trip around the holidays. We’re…

Raising kids is all about raising productive and independent adults. You need to make sure that your kids are ready for the real world and can eventually function without you. Part of your responsibility as a parent is to make sure that your teens learn how to drive. Not only is it an essential skill,…

With most of my kids in the teen years right now, I look back at where we started and what helped them to grow into the great young adults they are now. My kids are far from perfect, I want to acknowledge that right up-front. I won’t go into detail, but kids will be kids…

The holidays can get expensive, especially when you have a large family like ours. I think we’ve been pretty good about not spending too much on our kids and focusing on memories rather than things. Instead of Jeff and I buying gifts for the kids and one another, we took the whole family to Cancun…

This year, the holiday season is just a little bit sweeter than all the rest. After several months of Jack being away for college, the whole family is under one roof again. This isn’t the first time he’s come home, but it’s a much longer stay than he had during Thanksgiving. And for that I’m…

With the kids getting older, Jack moving away and the other kids having their own activities and schedules, family vacations are looking a bit different. This year for fall break, Jack was away and Lucy was on a cruise with a good friend and her family. So Jeff and I packed ourselves up and brought…

Jack officially flew the coop a few weeks ago, moving into his dorm at Northwestern. The whole process has been a whirlwind, so much so that I haven’t had much time to stop and get sad about it. (Okay, maybe a little!) The truth is, while this is a new chapter for him, me and…

If you have a graduating senior this year like me, you know well about senioritis. Most graduating seniors have suffered from it for at least the last few months and us parents are suffering too! senioritis – noun – a supposed affliction of students in their final year of high school or college, characterized by…