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.
My goal is to try new and creative recipes this winter to reconnect with my love for salad, starting with this amazing Kale and Hazelnut Winter Salad recipe featuring kale, carrots, dates, hazelnuts and a warm dressing drizzled on top.
It’s not uncommon to have a child who hates homework. No child out there enjoys doing homework they get from school. Many children just get it done and move on with their other activities, but some children really struggle to get their homework done.
Oh dear. Spotting before your period – what does it mean? Your period is not due for at least another week, but you have found a little blood or pink or brown discharge that isn’t followed by normal flow bleeding. This is spotting and tends to always lead to your heart skipping a beat.
The other day, my daughter came home from school very excited. She asked me if I knew what her favorite holiday was. Knowing this is an answer that can change quite frequently, I guessed Christmas. And, I was wrong…
I’ve been working lately on trying to get my morning act together. Not so much my routine, but my mindset upon waking. I’d fallen into a habit of opening my eyes, tossing out a quick mental, “Hey God, it’s me, Annie,” picking up my phone, and immediately bombarding myself with the day’s news and to-dos. I knew I needed a new habit—something to replace my (rather pathetic) God nod and morning Facebook feast.
In order for you to even manage lip gloss in the morning, and get to wash your face at night, the little ankle-biters must pitch in somehow (or even get used to the idea). They may hang up their coat upside down and look like Justin Bieber after brushing their hair the wrong way, but it’s a start. And a little praise can go along way.
Despite the fact that most of us have a pretty high quality digital camera with us every waking minute, most of the pictures you have of you and your children consist of posed snapshots taken on special occasions. It’s the ordinary moments when it’s just you and them around the house or at the park that are most special, but rarely get captured.
While many of the moms I know have preferred a chilly winter pregnancy to the discomfort of expecting in the hot summer months, I’ve learned firsthand that being pregnant in the winter comes with its fair share of obstacles–specifically, staying healthy during a winter pregnancy despite sick kids, cabin fever, and fewer opportunities to remain active.
It’s hard to stay fit as a family in winter months. Between the hectic holiday madness, the shorter days and holiday treats, regular exercise gets put on the backburner. Throw in cold weather, snow and a desire to drink wine under a blanket on the couch, it’s pretty easy to justify not moving for most of the winter.