My three birthing experiences were completely different. With my first son labor was natural with a midwife who performed hypnosis on me (which worked to reduce my pain for a good portion of the labor), and a bit of Pitocin to finish dilation. My third son’s birth was a planned C-section and interestingly the quickest and easiest recovery. My middle son’s birth had all possible labor scenarios: overdue induction, natural labor with a midwife, dysfunctional labor progression with ... Continue Reading...
When Letting Kids Quit is the Best Thing for Them
I hate quitters. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it. And I teach my kids to be the same way. As a parent, I did something I never thought I’d do, I encouraged my son to be a quitter. He’s an athletic kid who plays football and basketball. He has played soccer and baseball too. Team sports have been his love. This year as a middle school student, track was an option and, as a fast runner, he thought he’d try it. He made it halfway through the season and started to talk ... Continue Reading...
Our Rescue Dog Kipper
This post contains an affiliate link. All opinions expressed are 100% my own. See my disclaimer page for details. Dogs from rescue groups can no doubt be a challenge, but my husband and I have found a rescued dog’s bond is gripped strong from deep inside his heart. One of our dogs had passed away, and we knew we wanted to adopt another dog from a rescue group so my husband began to peruse the websites. We found a 2-year-old dog described as a Feist terrier. My husband visited ... Continue Reading...
Why I’m Choosing Mom Play Dates with my Boys over a Clean House
I’m in my forties and my babies are not babies anymore. Time is roaring onward so I’m changing my priorities leaving dust to grovel at the bottom of my list. I see the dust in my house, and I love it. I’m choosing my own play dates with my kids over a perfectly cleaned home. Moms of kids under five may feel too swamped to realize this amidst never ending sippy cups and diaper changes, but time sprints once kids are school-age. My youngest anticipated his turn to start school, but I blinked and ... Continue Reading...
Tips for Picking Your own Strawberries with Kids
I'm excited it's officially the season of summer. With school out and strawberries ripening, now is the time to head to a pick-your-own strawberry farm. My kids and I started our annual June strawberry picking tradition several years ago. They are so excited to pick each year and strawberry shortcake is now a favorite. We have visited two local farms that I recommend for Minnesota Twin Cities people: Bauer Berry Farm http://bauerberry.com/ and The Berry Patch http://www.berrypatchmn.com/ The ... Continue Reading...
To be a Dad is to be Present
Our youngest asked my husband, “Dad, do you know how to make buttered bread?” He was serious as he asked the question. This gave my husband a huge chuckle and it’s a running joke at our house now that he struggles with the simple task of buttering bread. My kids are fixated on how I do the cooking at our house, so they often assume my husband can’t do things. He’s a dad who knows how to be silly and make fart jokes, a talent I gladly don’t work on. They laugh together as boys can and I am ... Continue Reading...
Celebrating the Somersault-Boys of Summer
My feet sink into the garden muck. The rain has been coming and coming this summer. The humid Minnesota afternoon sun beats down on me, true to the eighty degrees the thermometer red line shows. I look over the short white garden fence and Matt and Ben are playing over at the play set in the other corner of the yard while I conquer the weeds in my swampy garden. I can only wrench them out if using all my back muscles, their roots clenched into the dirt like strong green and brown wire hands. I ... Continue Reading...
Guinea Pigs Make Great Pets
Great Pets Guinea pigs are great pets for kids. Before we got our sweet little guys Butterscotch and Twix, I had no idea how much personality guinea pigs really possess. They give kisses and snuggle, and even recognize us. They love to interact with us and be held. They respond happily with squeaks when held. Our guinea pigs are very social because we held them a lot from a very young age so they are very tame. My boys have constantly taken them out of their cages to ... Continue Reading...
My Almost Fail as a Multi-tasking Mom
My article on Sammiches and Psych Meds about my backyard obstacle course race to save my kids' runaway guinea pig Butterscotch. Sometimes as a busy mom, I take on too much at once and I almost failed in my multi-tasking. Click below to read it. It will give you a chuckle! http://www.sammichespsychmeds.com/my-almost-fail-as-a-multi-tasking-mom/ Save ... Continue Reading...
I’m Living the Boys’ Life Disgusting Stories by Mom
In my house of dysfunctional bathroom use including poorly placed farts I get little boys’ hilarious burps, foam darts whizzing past my computer screen to the tune of heckling laughter, and all sorts of other things I dare not mention, but just wait and I will. I barely flinch. It’s no doubt I’m living the boys’ life with four males in the house: my husband and three sons aged 12 and under. I like to think of us as 4 Alans and an Ann as these are our middle names. Sorry boys, I ... Continue Reading...
