Is my parenting preparing my son for school? As my son navigates his first year in school, it will be so important for him to feel confident on his own in this new environment. Am I instilling the values and skills he will need for his new independence? Will he be happy, comfortable and confident as he embarks on this new and important stage in his life? Am I providing the tools to feel capable and ready for this big transition? I believe my answers reside in what I think of as the “Three C’s of Parenting”…
motherhood Archive

Do you find yourself weeding through your inbox to find that important e-mail you were saving? Or perhaps it takes you forever to find something to wear with the clothes piled high in your closet? With the days of summer dwindling down and back-to-school organization a must, I’m getting myself and my things in order and ready for a busy and exciting fall schedule. To put it simply, we need to clear out the clutter. Here are my top five tips for clearing out the clutter.

While celebrating the 237th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence, I have been thinking a lot about its meaning. The power and courage it took our forefathers to declare our independence is nothing short of amazing and inspiring. The word “independence” has so many wonderful meanings. It got me thinking about what independence means for us. Is there anything I want or need independence from? Yes. Our food allergy fears…

I’m thrilled to share that I am now a contributing blogger for Fancy Shanty about parenting topics! Stacy Molter is the owner of this cool website about parenting, crafting, cooking and more! My first post offers tips on how to have less stress this summer. I’ve been on a kick to simplify things so it seemed like the perfect first post.

In honor of National Children’s Book Week, here’s a new review of a cute picture book about managing our feelings that my kids can’t seem to put down. Liesbet Slegers hits a home run with this story about Kevin, a likeable and typical little boy who experiences the very big feelings life throws at him throughout his day. If you have a young toddler and a child in elementary school, this book is sure to be a big hit with both! Slegers offers colorful and cute illustrations that are perfect for engaging this age group and taking kids through all of Kevin’s very common daily activities, which leave him feeling very common emotions: happiness, anger, sadness and fear.

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first Mother’s Day, Mothernova’s first birthday, and Food Allergy Awareness Week…. I can’t believe we launched Mothernova.com one year ago today. Happy Mother’s Day to you, and happy birthday to us! Little did we foresee the wonderful parenting and food allergy friends and communities we would find!

Parents who engage in empathic parenting by setting age-appropriate expectations while offering love and understanding will find their “sweet spot” for raising happy and successful kids, Dr. Laura Markham, the founder of Aha! Parenting, told a group of parents at at Our Savior’s Way Lutheran Church in Ashburn, Va. With peaceful parenting, we’re setting reasonable limits while supporting and connecting with our children; we’re working to achieve cooperation without punishment, the renowned parenting expert said. “This means whatever your child is trying to master, you’re giving them the support to learn how to do it,” Dr. Markham said. Teaching our children emotional regulation through self-discipline and resilience is key, she continued.

In a fast-paced world where parents type away on iPhones and families rush from one activity to the next, Visiting Feelings is a beautifully illustrated book that takes children on a magical journey and invites them to stop and take a breath. How are they feeling? Lauren Rubenstein’s easy-to-read rhyming verses are catchy and fun. She gently encourages children to recognize, listen to, feel and explore their emotions. Check out my book review!

I’m going to be honest with you. Not that I haven’t been in my past posts, but I’m going to share some feelings that I haven’t shared before: On many days, managing food allergies feels like I’m walking a tightrope. It’s true. A tightrope over what? So many things. But it’s a tightrope. Other days it turns into a balance beam…