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I’ve never been good about sending out Thank you cards even though I have every intention to do so. I have invested in Thank You cards over the years that just end up in my stationary box and vary in theme. I still like good, old-fashioned face-to-face conversations and will acknowledge gift-givers in person, or at least over the phone. On occasion, I’ll send an email (as I did when the baby was born and I realized it had been over a month since my amazing friends showered us with gifts). I... Read Full Story

Thank you to TurboTax for sponsoring my writing about household finances. Learn more about how TurboTax can help you find every ">">tax deduction you deserve. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective , which endorses ">">Blog With Integrity , as I do. When you get married or move in with your significant other, you merge more than just your finances, but the discussion about money is something that every couple should sit down and have, prior to tying the knot or... Read Full Story

At anytime in my life, if someone told me I couldn’t do something, I wanted to do it even more. When my doctor told me I couldn’t have a VBAC (with baby #2), I wanted to prove him wrong as well. I wanted to prove that getting a second opinion was the best thing that I could do for myself and for my child. I did end up having a successful VBAC, once I switched doctors and chose San Diego County’s first World Health Organization-designated Baby-Friendly birth pavilion to deliver at. One of... Read Full Story

This year’s Children’s Book Week is less than 50 days away. Mark your calendar for the week of May 2 – 8 when the official Children’s Book Week takes place. Events are held around the country at local bookstores but you can host your own celebration, at home or at school, if you can’t make it to these locations. Voting is now open for the 2011 Children’s Choice Book Awards . Voting ends April 29th so you have plenty of time to read all of the books by each of the finalists in time to make... Read Full Story

The first few months of motherhood are especially challenging. Sleep deprivation and trying to translate baby’s cries while somehow getting everything else done is not easy. Surviving early parenthood requires much support from family and friends, especially at the end of the day when both baby and mom are ready to have a melt down. With my first son, I had two months of maternity leave before returning to work, full-time. Every morning, I would shower and get myself ready, eat breakfast... Read Full Story

I breastfed my oldest son for 8 months. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. When he was two months old, I returned to work, full-time, and I pumped regularly, storing my breastmilk in the office refrigerator and traveling back and forth to work each day with my Medela breatpump . At seven years old, he remains very healthy, hardly ever getting sick (I can’t remember the last time he even had a cough or runny nose) and I can’t help but wonder if this is due to the fact that I gave him the... Read Full Story

Each of us has an emotional bank account that keeps us happy and directly relates to a healthy self-esteem. You can think of it like a gas tank too. You can’t run on empty and having over a half tank gets you where you need to go efficiently and without worry. Being able to fill our children and partner’s emotional accounts is the key to a happy family. Being able to ask for what we need to fill ours makes our day-to-day life more enjoyable. Love Bags Your kids will enjoy this activity... Read Full Story

At the beginning of the year, I committed to fully participating in the #NewYearNewMe weight loss challenge , sponsored by Larabar , Yoga Pulse , GoodBelly , Our Love Yoga and The CarbLovers Diet . It’s been nearly 6 weeks since I made that first pledge, and the fact that I’m finding myself tightening my belt and pulling up my pants lately is just one sign that I’ve managed to lose the baby weight successfully. Maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle another thing, all together. It would... Read Full Story

If I didn’t have kids, I would still drive a mini-van, in fact, I drove a mini-van in high school and for a brief period during college. True story. Of course, it was my parents’ vehicle in high school and I inherited it after moving away to school. It was the party van when I was behind the wheel – only because it fit so many passengers that I quickly became the official designated driver for every occasion. Of course, that meant I had to spend the night wherever we were if alcohol was... Read Full Story

My son and I started a family tradition a few years back of having sleepovers in the living room. We pull out our sleeping bags and a big pile of blankets and sleep on the floor. Sleepovers involve eating snacks while watching a movie (of his choosing) and staying up late. It’s great to see how excited he gets when we have a sleepover but just the thought of being able to sleep-in gets me excited. With a new baby, or young children of any age, sleep is something most of us moms and dads... Read Full Story