Why Adjusting to 3 Kids Has Been Easier Than Adjusting to 2

Over the years, I’ve gleaned a few pieces of wisdom from other moms that I’ve learned the truth of firsthand myself now through experience. Two that have particularly resonated: “5 kids is as hard as 4, is as hard as 3, is as hard as 2, is as hard as 1.” My mother-in-law said this …

Surviving the “Why” Stage With Your Sanity Intact (5 Strategies I’m Using)

Before I was a parent, I thought the “Why” stage was funny—I imagined a 4-year-old thoughtfully asking simple yet profound questions (“Why aren’t there always rainbows after it rains?” “Why do I have hair on my arms?” “Why do your shoes have heels and mine don’t?”) that would give her parents pause, make them wonder …

Adjusting to Life with Two Kids: The Ups and the Downs

The Ups and Downs of Becoming a Parent for the 2nd Time

We are now almost two weeks into this whole parents-of-two business, and one thing is for sure (at least in our experience): The transition from one to two has NOT been quite the smooth sailing experience that everyone seemed to tell me it would be. Ever since I started paying attention, it seems that the …

When You Know You’re About to Leave Your Comfort Zone

Something I’ve been thinking about more and more as the time gets closer for Baby #2’s arrival is that we are quickly nearing the end of our comfort zone as we currently know it—a comfort zone that’s been solidly in place for around a year, if not more. With my daughter’s whole first year of …

Why It’s Sometimes Best Not to Expect Too Much

  Upon embarking on any venture in life, most of us have some kind of expectation attached to the outcome of that venture. I decided to make cookies yesterday…I expected they would be delicious. (They were.) I went to a kickboxing class last night…I expected it would kick my butt. (It did. I can barely …

Thoughts on Tantrums and Tree-Gazing (as a Distraction)

I think sometimes people (myself included) forget that even though you might have an “easy” (or a “happy” or “good-natured”) child, that same child is still entitled to her fair share of hard moments, toddler meltdowns, and general whiny-ness. And that those moments are okay. They are normal. They are part of growing up. As …