by Sarah Powers on February 27, 2013
This post is by Sarah Powers, Happiest Mom contributor and Managing Editor, and blogger at Powers of Mine.
If there’s one thing that busy moms cling to for dear life, it’s our calendars. Whether you swear by a datebook you carry in your purse, a dry-erase board hung on the wall, or an electronic calendar that lives in the cloud and syncs to half a dozen devices, I’m guessing you’ve got some kind of a system for keeping your family’s calendar.
And as Meagan points out in this post, what works for one mom may not work for another – you’ve got to find the system that works for you. Today I thought I’d share the way I manage our family’s calendar – a simple, 3-part system that combines digital and paper-based planning.
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by Guest Blogger on January 30, 2013
Today’s post is the third in a series by guest writer Tragic Sandwich. You can read the first two posts in the series here.
Time is of the essence. Tempus fugit. One thing’s for sure–time is not on my side.
Before Baguette was born, I heard horror stories about how long it could take to get a baby out of the house. I checked and re-checked her diaper bag half a dozen times in the days before we wound up going to the hospital for her birth. I was prepared.
And as it turned out, most of the time, getting out of the house wasn’t so bad, as long as I gave myself a little bit of prep time. (Mind you, there were plenty of times we turned around at the door to change a diaper one more time before leaving.)
Even once I went back to work, I developed routines that helped me stay on track. Over the weekend, I set out Baguette’s clothes for the next day. I try to cook at least one big meal so that there are some leftovers as the week progresses. I get her bag and mine ready the night before.
But that’s the routine. I can do routine. Variations? That’s a whole different story. [click to continue…]
by Meagan Francis on December 30, 2012
2013 is here! After having visiting family for the last four+ days, I’m in a bit of a snack-and-party-induced haze. But as is always the case at the beginning of a new year, I’m feeling motivated and ready to embark on a little self-improvement.
But as a big-picture thinker, one of my obstacles to making concrete, doable changes is painting “self-improvement success” with too broad a brush. You know what I mean: ”I resolve to completely renovate my house, make a big family dinner every night, and work out every day in 2013!”
Last year, as an antidote to the sort of complete-life-overhaul resolutions that we’re all tempted to make in early January but, by early February, seem to be mocking us from our mental trash bin, I wrote a series of posts about mini-resolutions anyone can do to make over their lives (but not in the Extreme Makeover kind of way.)
We’ve compiled 13 of those mini-resolutions below:
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by Meagan Francis on December 3, 2012
It’s official: the Christmas season is here. And for some of us, that means the pressure is on.
The pressure to get the right gifts for everyone on the (extensive) list recommended by etiquette experts (remembering a year I chased our trash collector down the street in my pajamas because I realized I wouldn’t see them again until after the holiday. Yes, he got his card and tip, but I lost a little piece of my dignity.)
The pressure to send cards (tradition!) or not send cards (the environment!).
The pressure to bake 4 dozen different kinds of cookies or hand-craft every cute idea seen on Pinterest.
And really, I think most of the anxiety stems from a pressure to create meaningful traditions. We want to feel like we’re engaging in something bigger than ourselves, creating lasting memories and adding warmth to the world at this time of year. [click to continue…]
by Meagan Francis on November 26, 2012
Be honest: have you ever unwrapped a gift at the holiday and thought “Huh?”
You’re not alone. And while ’tis better to give than receive, I don’t think there’s anything wrong being a bit disappointed by totally off-target gifts.
A present doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive to make a mother feel warm and fuzzy; it just needs to show that the giver went a little out of their way to think about the kinds of things she might like.
But that can be easier said than done for even the most well-meaning gift-giver.
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by Guest Blogger on November 23, 2012
This a guest post by writer and photographer Veronica Armstrong of VeronicaArmstrong.com.
I’m passionate about preserving my children’s childhoods with my camera. The kids and I enjoy sifting through our memory box and flipping through photos taken when they were babies. They often ask to see photo slide shows on the computer of relatives who live far away.
Photography is a big deal in our household, but I don’t let it consume me. I don’t want to miss precious moments with my family because I’m fumbling around with lenses or complicated lighting setups. I’m a mother first and cherish this fleeting time with my kids, but photography is my passion. After spending a few years photographing my kids I’ve reached a good balance.
Here are some tips for documenting childhood. Simply. Beautifully. [click to continue…]
by Sarah Powers on October 24, 2012
This photo is one of my very favorites of me as a mom. For vain reasons? Heck, yes. I look at it and think: hmmm, I like my hair that dark shade; and wow, that’s some lovely décolletage (thanks to nursing); and awww, isn’t that the sweetest little thumb-sucking boy you’ve ever seen?
I also love this picture for reasons less vain and perhaps more revealing. It’s a candid shot, and a genuinely happy moment – a flash of proof that such moments did exist during what was otherwise a pretty bleary and often grouchy time. That baby, my second, has a darling disposition but was (and is, even at two) a thoroughly rotten sleeper. He’s about four months old in this picture, which means I was many, many weeks into a year of military-grade sleep deprivation – with a two-year-old testing my patience during the day even as he demanded my attention all night long.
I was tired but, at least in this moment, I was happy. And it’s nice to look at a photograph and be reminded of that. [click to continue…]
by Meagan Francis on October 16, 2012
I love order. Something about having everything tidy and in its place gives me a sense of calm and peace, and actually makes me more functional.
But.
Living in a house with 7 people, it’s impossible to completely control the flow of “stuff” around our house. Dishes end up in the wrong cupboard. Toothbrushes idle on the sink. A sock may wind up balled up in a shoe, where it will be temporarily separated from its partner.
It’s those pesky transient socks that are the topic of my latest post for Babble, in which I embrace a new – and rather unfashionable – philosophy: Clutter is Life. [click to continue…]
by Meagan Francis on October 12, 2012
Somehow fall caught me off-guard this year. One day it was 75 degrees, and the next day we had a frost warning and I had to dig out all the sweaters and boots.
(Actually, now that I think about it, that seems to happen every year. I guess I should have learned what a Michigan season change looks like by now!)
Anyway, the change in weather was a wake-up call that Halloween is right around the corner. I have to admit that, historically, I’ve kind of blown Halloween off as a mom. Ask me about the year we left on an impromptu trip, FORGETTING IT WAS HALLOWEEN and then ended up having to take our 2- and 4-year-olds trick-or-treating in a mall in a strange city. (Yes, “good moms” really do that kind of flaky stuff sometimes.) [click to continue…]
by Meagan Francis on February 21, 2012
“So, think we could pencil in a friendship starting next week?”
One of the most common questions I hear from other mothers is: “Why is it so hard to make mom friends?” While some of us have serious challenges to friendship (like living out in the middle of nowhere, for example), for many of us the obstacles to creating a support system are more typical and a lot less insurmountable. [click to continue…]
