A previous version of this post was published in TheFABMom’s monthly commentary column in The Fresno Bee on Saturday, July 13, 2019. I’m convinced that easy family trips hinge on one simple parenting rule — don’t bite off more than we can chew. This goes for how many children we may decide to have, how…
Blog
When working with your spouse is… HARD.
A previous version of this piece was originally published in The Fresno Bee on June 6, 2019. Reinventing and evolving our identities as moms, wives and women can be hard. When my most recent (and most recently-beloved) TV job ended last year, I floundered. That was the job for me at this phase in my…
Summer & Screen Control with TechDen & Relay {as seen on KTLA}
The following post is sponsored by TechDen and Relay. All opinions and experiences are mine. Most of you already know how I feel about screens and kids. If not, you can check here and here and here for your entertainment. (Brace yourself. No holding back on those links. In a fun way though, so I’ve…
Mother’s Day: Do YOU.
A previous version of this piece was originally published in The Fresno Bee on May 10, 2019. If you Google ‘history of Mother’s Day’ you might find some fun facts: The very first celebration was launched at a church in 1908 by a woman named Anna Jarvis, who never married or became a mother. Anna…
Best lesson from Mom? Handle it.
A previous version of this piece was first published on TODAY Show’s Parenting Team in 2015. I’m sharing here now, years later, because it’s still one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever written about my mom… xo ———————————————- The other day my adorable almost-5 year old wandered into the kitchen (as I was writing a…
A day off from school for downtime? Oh hell no. {HLN}
Can we stop over-scheduling our children with back-to-back activities and unrealistic expectations that are completely age-inappropriate for what they can handle developmentally and then blaming it on how ‘this day and age’ is so hard for our poor kids? Wake up, parents. We’re the rule-makers. Recently, a mother I don’t know wrote a piece online…
I’m Raising My Kids Without Screens (mostly): It’s not that hard.
Raising kids without devices isn’t that hard. You heard me right. We’ve all been there: “Mommy, can we play with Daddy’s iPad?” (You’ve heard this too?) “Nope,” I say without hesitating. (Holler if we share a brain.) “Not now,” I soften the blow. Protesting, whining, counter-arguing and all sorts of admirable pleas that 8 and…
