How Focusing On the Positive Shifted Our Experience of Discipline

Over the years of raising six children, my spouse and I have learned a very important aspect of caring for them: positive reinforcement works much better than disciplinary actions. Don't get me wrong, we've had...

In Her Own Time: Musing on Walking and Other Developmental Milestones

It was a simple, easy morning. We woke up a little extra chipper, worked our way up to and through a decently yummy oatmeal breakfast. She crawled and knee-walked around, particularly fascinated with two plastic...

Why Mommy Wars and What I Do To Stay Out of Them (Best I Can)

When I first thought about the topic of mommy wars, I pictured current social media: critical Facebook posts and parents tearing each other apart in the comments of a blog. This is what I've seen...

Working From Home with Kids (Ain't Easy!) - A Day In the Life

Each day starts about the same... slowly.  I'm not a morning person, and I never wake up "chipper" and ready to take on the world.  My boys will crawl into bed with me and often...

3rd, er... 4th time's the charm? Home Schooling, A Day In the Life

This year marks year 4 of us home schooling. Something I firmly believed would not last more than a year... and something I feel has had many ups and downs.... is way easier said than...

Would You Let Someone Else Breastfeed Your Baby?

A couple weeks back I had a funny dream. I dreamt that I reunited with a friend back in the states (I live in Chile), who was meeting my now one-year-old daughter for the first...

Why All This Parenting Style Stuff Matters Even When It Feels Like It Shouldn't

Today, I saw an intense image pop up in my Facebook stream, shared by a page dedicated to supporting mothers with breastfeeding challenges. It showed an emaciated mother with very little breast tissue (mostly skin)...

My (Un)Glamorous Expat Beach Mama Routine (A Day In the Life)

I’ve talked here before about how I left the states to travel, fell in love on my first major stop (Chile), stayed, had a baby and am now living the expat mama life on a beach...

Unschooling: The Good, the Bad and the Awesome (A Day in the Life)

I decided I wanted to write a day in the life post because I love unschooling. We do *so* much, have amazing experiences, and witness everyday life kind of awesomeness that wouldn't be seen sitting...