Browsing Articles Written by

Jennifer Pitt

I became a mother for the first time at 37. I know, I know – what the hell was I thinking? P.S. I also believe in eating the last butter tart while my husband is sleeping, because snoozing = losing. I also blog at www.mommiesdrink.com.

election-night-drinking-games

Win or Lose: Election Night Drinking Games

EAT, Mommy Mixology By November 7, 2016 No Comments

I have Election Fatigue, and I am sure you do too.

The week we have all been looking forward to is finally here, and we can once again enjoy a campaign-free existence, if only for the next few years. What always gets me about an election year is the constant barrage of negativity; thanks to Donald Trump, that negativity seems to be amplified by 1000.

I had all but given up on trying to talk to various Trump supporters about their candidate–I was, and still am, incredulous that people would vote for him and genuinely curious as to why; sadly, there seems to be great difficulty in their collective ability to clearly define their position with intelligent sentences and without personal attacks. Social media has made it possible for everyone to be an expert and political pundit, unfortunately, and not everyone has the knowledge (or depth of vocabulary) to pull it off.

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#BICFFYW

Moms—Keeping Handwriting Alive, One Letter at a Time #BICFFYW

grow, play, tech By August 31, 2016 1 Comment

My daughter just started preschool and all I can think about is how fast time flies. As parents, I guess we don’t really see the time passing us by until the day we watch our babies walk…out the door for their first day of university.

“Wait..what do you mean you don’t need your blankie anymore?!”

But enough projecting, sometimes it’s all we can do to keep up with their learning pace, so when my three and a half year old started correcting me in our dialogue, I realized that it might be time to get her into preschool.

So much has changed in the school system since my time, and (as a writer and a self-proclaimed anglophile/English history fanatic) I was really sad to hear about the phasing out of cursive writing in schools. Handwriting is an art, perhaps, but it also serves a very basic and necessary function: communication. Once cursive is gone, it won’t be long before the almighty type will begin to chip away at all the options for putting pen to paper. But I will be here to set the example for my child—when she’s ready, she’ll learn it from me.

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tantrum

Why We’re Not Leaving Even Though My Toddler Is Screaming

grow, LIVE, Unpopular Mom By July 8, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , , 2 Comments

We’re in a restaurant and my toddler is screaming. I feel your eyes on us, but I make no move to leave. When I return your stare, I see you look away quickly; not so fast, though, that I don’t catch your eye-roll. I can feel your annoyance coming at me in waves. And you know what? I could not care less. And we’re not moving.

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drone

Best Father’s Day Gift: Tie, Socks…or a Drone?

FAM, holidays, play By June 6, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment

That time of year is upon us again, ladies, when we ask ourselves the age-old question: tie or socks? I usually like to go rogue and get him both but this Father’s Day, I want to think outside of the ‘workwear accessories’ box. My partner is a great dad and an incredibly thoughtful man; he does the things that I don’t even realize need doing, like restocking the fridge with cream for my coffee and making sure our toddler treat cupboard is well-stocked. And he is always ready when he knows I need a break, a few minutes to decompress. I keep these things close to my heart when I come home to his dirty socks on my living room table: because marriage, right?

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surviving a bff breakup

It’s Not Me, It’s You: Surviving a BFF Breakup

self By May 26, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

We’ve all had relationships that didn’t work out, for one reason or another. Maybe he liked to go out more than you, or you liked to borrow his underwear, whatever—we (eventually) accept that the relationship wasn’t meant to be, they weren’t The One, maybe learn a lesson or two about ourselves and what we really want, and ultimately, move on. Friendships are different. Sometimes they fade when life gets in the way, sometimes you grow apart because you’re headed in different directions. It doesn’t always mean you love each other less, it just means your activities aren’t compatible any longer. But sometimes, a friendship can end abruptly and without warning, leaving you with the same bitter hurt, despair and resentment that comes with the terminal end to a romantic relationship. Here’s how you deal, with some tips for surviving a BFF breakup.

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City Parking is easy and awesome with the Honkmobile App

Honk for Stress-Free City Parking, with the HonkMobile App

apps, GEAR By May 18, 2016 No Comments

Living near a large city has its perks; there is always something fun happening, indoors and out, and going into the city is a great way to spend the day together as a family. I know that’s how I should feel, but for years I didn’t. I work in that same big city, and couldn’t wait to get home to my suburban life at the end of the day. It’s not because I don’t love the city; I do. It’s not because I don’t know about all of the amazing sights, events, and activities the city has to offer either, and it’s not because we don’t have a pretty reliable transportation system to get us there.

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Dads Are Not Babysitters

baby, FAM, kids By April 18, 2016 Tags: , , , , , 3 Comments

Society generally portrays dads as having it pretty easy. I am not going to lie – sometimes I think they do too. Raise your hand if you don’t think you occasionally do more than your partner, and I will personally nominate you for sainthood.

I am the default parent of our daughter in that I look after snack-day, what needs to be in her daily backpack, or when it’s time for her next shots. This is not because I am the mother, but because my partner has a memory like a sieve and the poor kids at daycare would never get their cupcakes.

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Under Pressure: Mothering in The Age of Perfection

baby, FAM, self By April 9, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments

There are more than a few reasons I am happy I waited until my mid-30’s to have a baby (and a few reasons I am not, but that’s for another post), and when I did give birth at 37 and decided to hit some of the mom-and-baby library groups, it became abundantly clear what exactly had made waiting right for me.

Being a people watcher and an armchair psychologist, I had a good look around. The moms were all younger than me; I wasn’t the oldest, thankfully, due to the grandmother unsuccessfully wrangling her grandchildren to the circle and the elderly librarian trying to grab their attention.

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6 Must-Watch Shows for Mom to Binge on After Bedtime

FAM, GEAR, self By March 11, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , , 5 Comments

When my toddler’s bedtime hits, it’s MY turn to watch TV. Unfortunately, I usually realize this I have been chugging sipping an adult beverage and watching Heidi… alone… for the last 20 minutes. I have Netflix to thank for helping me feel like an adult again and removing (however temporarily) The Wiggles earworms from my brain.

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5 Things I’ve Learned From Raising a Girl

FAM, kids, self By January 19, 2016 Tags: , , 11 Comments

I am a determined, independent woman with strong opinions (sometimes to my detriment, to be sure) but I have (mostly) learned along my 40-year journey when to bare my teeth and when to turn my back. And then I had a daughter. I had to think about raising a girl. All of a sudden, I felt the weight of having to teach her how to be all of those things that I wanted to be, too, while still making sure she didn’t choke on grapes or fall out of the stroller.

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