Being firm doesn’t mean being negative. Back in 2005, we got a Lhasa Apso puppy who we named Buckles. It was the first foray into parenthood of any sort for my husband and me. One of the things we learned quickly as we were training the puppy is that positive reinforcement was effective. Basically, if …
Back to school blues
on Thursday, July 25, 2019
Sending my kids back to school is bittersweet At the end of next week, my kids head back to school. I’m not ready for it. I never am. This year I have a 1st and 4th grader, which seems impossible since they were just born a few months ago. But alas, here we are. The …
Teaching our kids how to handle the unexpected
on Monday, July 22, 2019
How to help our kids when plans goes sideways Last week, my kiddos and I took our Lhasa Apso puppy for a walk. Our goal was to get in a decent walk for him, come home make and eat dinner and then be off to swimming lessons. My husband, who has injuries from falling down …
6 thoughts on puppy parenthood
on Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Being a puppy parent is exciting, exhausting and so many other things! Though we had puppies twice when I was a child, I wasn’t in charge of them. When my husband and I got our first canine friend 14 years ago, it was a different story. We learned about taking care of and training a …
Lessons for my kids about being American
on Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Part of being a parent is teaching our children. And on days like tomorrow, when we celebrate the 243rd birthday of the United States, I think about things like what I am teaching my kids about what it means to be an American. Through my years as a mom, I’ve learned that some lessons come …
How social media impacts moms
on Monday, July 1, 2019
Social media can be a breeding ground for mompetition and complaining The average internet user spends about 2 hours and 22 minutes each day interacting with social media, according to a report on Digital Information World in January 2019. That equals equals 16 hours and 36 minutes each week and nearly 800 hours per year! …
Two laundry hacks you need to know!
on Thursday, June 27, 2019
How to get rid of difficult stains Affiliate links are used in this post; if you make a qualifying purchase via my link, I receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services I use and love. It helps support my blog, so thank you …
Balancing summer break and mom guilt
on Monday, June 17, 2019
Mom guilt intensifies when summer break rolls around! This summer, my kids are 6 and 9. It’s also the first summer I’ve had very much work to do in nearly a decade. With my youngest starting kindergarten last school year, I decided to accept more freelance writing and editing projects like I did full-time before …
We need to stop setting dads up for failure
on Thursday, June 13, 2019
Joking about the incompetence of fathers is damaging our families We’ve all seen the classic sitcom bit where the mom goes away for a couple of days and leaves the dad in charge. She comes home to chaos and a frazzled husband. That story line has also been used in commercials and all sorts of …
A reminder for parents: Let kids be kids!
on Monday, June 3, 2019
Parenting with grace for who your kids are right now Affiliate links are used in this post; if you make a qualifying purchase via my link, I receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services I use and love. It helps support my blog, …