How to Parent with Compassion
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How to Parent with Compassion

It’s happening again. You can feel your stress levels rising as your toddler clings to your leg, constantly repeating: mommy, mommy, mommy. No amount of counting to 4 will help you in this moment as you desperately try to recall the mantras of positive parenting. Your stress levels only increase as you eye the unwashed dishes in the sink or the toys strewn across the floor. Toys that you just finished picking up before your toddler decided that they were made of Velcro. And regardless of what society says, a glass of wine or a shot of tequila seems like a great idea. Even if it is early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Because you know that there’s still time before your…

Easy Lunch Solution for Busy Work at Home Moms

Once summer is here, one of the last thing that I want to do is spend time preparing lunch. Most days, I’m content to just heat up leftovers and be on my way. Other days, a simple picnic lunch might fit the bill. But even that involves some prep, you know? I love finding quick and easy lunch solutions that won’t consume a lot of my time but still keep me going for the rest of the day. Known for their Frozen Breaded Eggplant Cutlets, Dominex Natural Foods is now offering one-skillet meal solutions. I’m a huge fan of Eggplant Parmesan but not a huge fan of how time consuming it can be. The frozen breaded eggplant cutlets seem like they would be a huge…

How to Encourage Your Kids to Play Outdoors

How to Encourage Your Kids to Play Outdoors

Remember when we talked about why play is important for kids? If you don’t, that’s okay! The American Academy of Pediatrics says that: Playing is an effective way for children to learn how to work together in groups, to give and take, and to resolve conflicts. Free play also encourages decision making, an essential life skill. Even though it may not seem like it, kids really do learn a lot through playing. And for kids, playing really is serious business. With the warmer weather hopefully settling in here in New York, I’m hoping to get my kids outdoors more to play. Doctors, educators, and experts in childcare believe modern changing lifestyles have a negative effect on the health and wellbeing of children. Children and youth…

How to Bring the Outdoors to Your Indoor Cat

How to Bring the Outdoors to Your Indoor Cat

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PawsToSavor #CollectiveBias I have a wannabe outdoor cat. Abby, my shorthaired tabby cat, has been with me since she was about 2 months old. I was the first human in our household to really bond with her and though I’ve never been much of a cat person; I would consider her to be my cat. In fact, she’s responsible for changing my views on cats and has become a very treasured member of the family. But, let’s get back to the wannabe outdoor cat thing. Abby is an indoor cat. She has been an indoor cat since she was brought home. She’s also incredibly curious, like most cats…

How to Manage Pregnancy and Labor Pain

How to Manage Pregnancy and Labor Pain

Along with pregnancy, comes unexpected pain. Of course, we’re aware that labor will be painful. Most women have heard horror stories or at least know of one woman who has given birth in her lifetime. The pain that comes along with pregnancy may resemble other pain that we’ve dealt with. But it’s also different. Your body is shifting and stretching, after all, to accommodate the growing life inside of you. But what kind of pain can be expected during pregnancy, and equally important; what type of relief is there? We’re going to explore how to manage your pregnancy and labor pain. Both with and without drugs. Pregnant during the summer? Be sure to check out my summer pregnancy survival tips. Pregnancy Pain Management There are…

What Does It Mean When Your Baby is a Preemie?

What Does It Mean When Your Baby is a Preemie?

If you’ve been here before, you might know that two of my children were born premature. My oldest was born at 24 weeks gestation and my second child was born at 31 weeks gestation. They spent almost 4 months and 1 1/2 months in the NICU respectively. I was almost going to just update my previous post about parenting in the NICU when I realized that I should break this up a bit. So I’ll have another post about NICU parenting but first, let’s talk about what it means to have a preemie. “Preemie” is the common term used when referring to a premature baby. The dictionary definition of a preemie is “a prematurely born infant”. A preemie is born before 37 weeks gestation while…