Okay Kids, Here's the Thing About In-laws

When you get married, if your spouse still has a relationship with his/her parents, so will you. I've heard about many, many gnarley in-law interactions. One of my favorites is when a friend of mine, pregnant with her fourth child, went to share the news with her M-I-L. After doing so, the MIL got up, walked out the door, and drove away.

I can't say that some of the stories I've heard aren't humorous, and just like marriage, there really are no "perfect" relationship when it comes to parents, but there are definitely positive ones.

The number One reason for in-law discord: Boundaries. Have healthy ones, insist that those in your circle respect them, and if they don't, make a change.

My mother-in-law has been here for the past 24 hours. She's uber-helpful, respectful, and loves, loves my kids. Plus, we laugh. It's a pretty good time, and I appreciate her. And, I need all the help I can get right now.

I would love to hear your greatest in-law moments!

The Scent of a Baby

I can smell Hudson's sweetness on me tonight. I fed him his nighttime bottle (or baba as we like to call it) and then Ali put him to bed. It's been an hour already and I can smell him on my shoulder. He sat snuggled, facing forward with his hand over his eyes sipping his baba as though we haven't missed a beat.

Ali's been amazing. She picked up with the kids where I left off. It's a beautiful thing we've come to create, this sister dance we do with the kids. She loves them as I do, snuggles them, kisses their boo-boos and puts them to bed, in so much of the same way I do, with the love and the comfort. I sleep well at night knowing that when I'm resting during the day, much is well around me.

Something I saw in my mom yesterday changed my view of her forever. I realized as she snuggled Hudson, sounding like me, saying the same things I say to him, cozying and cuddling and loving him with so much that you can feel it touching your heart, that I am an extension of her in this way. We are all passing it on.

Good Stuff to Pass On from Mind in the Making Author

Mind in the Making author Ellen Galinsky will be answering your questions about parenting and child-raising from November 7th through the 11th. Click on her book below to be directed if you're interested. Check her and her stuff out! It's good.

Mama on the Run

I am running. I've actually stopped running for exercise and now only run around. In circles. All week long. I'm getting so tired and the phrase I used over and over this past week was "running on empty." Here to there, there to here, I've shuffled, hustled been late, and tired.

How Well Can You Keep It All Together?

If you are a rockstar at organizing all of your kids' papers, projects, and plans, please post your suggestions, recommendations and even pictures so that I can partake in your infinite wisdom! Our house has been taken over by paper and it's really cramping my feng shui!

Mom ADD...Is The Diagnosis Real?

I swear that since I've become a mom, I've developed a problem staying on task, finishing a task to completion, concentrating, focusing, and feel that without my now three cups of coffee each day, I'm walking around in a foggy trance. I've heard many a mom complain about pregnancy- or postpartum (biological and adoptive) attention deficiancy, and while I've absolutely 100% experienced this for myself, on a near daily basis, I wasn't quite sure of it's conception, or certainty for that matter.

Now I go out with the girls on occassion for mom nights out, girls weekends away, and love, love, love that and absolutely recommend it to every mom I know. But I'm telling you, we've all talked about Mommy ADD and wondered whether or not it's real or diagnosable. I don't have a professional answer for that, only an illustration:

Today, as everyday begins for me, I brewed a half pot of coffee. As I opened the dishwasher door to grab a clean cup I hear, "Mom, I huuuuunnggrryyy...." and little feet and hands are grabbing and clawing their way up my leg dragging me to the refrigerator. "I want orange juice," I grab the OJ. "I want a yogurt," I grab a yogurt. Next, one needs a spoon, and in between I'm trying to fill up my cup. Then the baby who was content as could be, begins crying in his bouncy. I've got to grab him, go set him down somewhere else for five more minutes of playmat entertainment. From there, it's back to the kitchen, grab the half and half, pour it. One sip...ahhh. Set the coffee down. Start unloading dishwasher. "Mom, I want more yogurt." Grab the yogurt, put it on the table. Baby's crying. Shut dishwasher, go to baby. Bring baby upstairs for nap, come down. Open dishwasher again. "Mom! Can I have some water?" Grab cup, water, give to second child. Take a sip of cold coffee, put it in the microwave for first of seven warm-ups. Sip, distraction, another distraction, warm-up. Repeat.

I don't have Mommy ADD. I've got kids.

Find a Passionate Expert

ChildCare Resource & Referral

Here's something worth passing on: It is so immensely beneficial to know people who love what they do.

In my quest to find the right preschool program for my three year old, I used a network of individuals who are passionate about early childhood education, and the kind of play-based curriculum most beneficial to three- and four year-olds, and as equally passionate about helping me find the right place for my child.

I started by using recommendations of friends. As it turns out however, it's not just the school that I needed to be mindful of when choosing one, but the specific teacher, and their style of working with young children as well. The recommendations I'd had from friends, worked well...but for them. They got lucky in their child's teacher, or they'd known a specific teacher to request. I wasn't armed with that part. From there, well, you know what happened as I mentioned in my previous post (Why Can't Kids Play in Preschool?). Hundreds of dollars of deposits down the tubes. But after this last experience, I got smarter and I started listening to people who had an edge in on the field of early childhood education.

A few of my I-will-absolutely-keep-in-my-back-pocket-for-the-future resources: Patrice Sullivan, Director of Hobson Cooperative Nursery School, Trish Rooney, at ChildCare Resource and Referral in DuPage County, and Chris Bzdon, Executive Director of ChildCare Resource and Referral for Will, Grundee, Kankakee, and Kendall Counties. Let me tell you folks, these people know what they're doing when it comes to what to look for in a quality early childhood preschool program, and how to find one that suited our family. I can't thank them enough for their guidance and expertise. Each one of them spoke passionately about children, their developmental capabilities and needs, and ways preschools can help them thrive.

I'm happy to pass on, that by working with the above mentioned individuals, I found a place that warms my heart and I can't wait for my three year old to reap the benefits of his new found preschool. Cool stuff to pass on. :)