Words of Wisdom ← Mommy Warriors

When the Kids Don’t Want Family Time

Mar

2013

My husband and I woke up Sunday morning, after an evening of cooking and entertaining sixteen people and decided we wanted to go out for breakfast with the kids. I rolled out of bed and walked down the hall to the playroom where they were all hanging out playing video games. “Kids, Dad and I are taking you guys to breakfast. Can you all get dressed, make your beds, brush your teeth. We’ll leave as soon as you’re ready.” But as appealing as it sounded to my husband and me, it was the antithesis of appealing to the kids. “I ...

Eventually, We All Become Our Mothers!

Feb

2013

It rears its head slowly at first. We might catch ourselves saying something our mothers used to say. Or we might experience déjà vu with our kids and realize we’ve acted the scene before, 25 years earlier, but we were the kid and now we are our mother. Eventually, no matter how hard we try to fight it, we all become our mothers. I remember when I was young and I’d borrow my mother’s jacket she’d always have wads and wads of tissue in her pockets. “Mom! Why do you always have so much Kleenex? That’s gross!” Flash forward…my pockets ...

Family Bonding Through Community Service

Oct

2012

We’ve started a new “thing”. When I say we, I mean my family, and when I say “thing” I mean activity. Our new thing is a monthly day of family community service. It changes month to month, and the kids can decide which “thing” they want to do, but the requirement is that we ALL do it and that we do it together. The kids weren’t thrilled with this idea at first, I must admit. My daughter declared immediately, “I’m not doing it.” I just ignored her. When she makes proclamations like this she’s usually just looking for a debate. ...

The Kids Are Getting Bigger, Now What?

Oct

2012

I speak with many stay-at-home moms who tell me the same thing. “The kids are getting older and don’t need me as much, and I’m starting to get bored.” There are only so many errands to run and closets to clean out. Eventually, these women realize they need something else to fulfill them. But finding that “thing” can be really hard. Some of these women consider getting more involved in charity work or volunteering, but as much as that helps fill one’s time, it doesn’t do much to fill one’s sense of value, let alone pocketbook. There usually isn’t much ...

Renewing Your Family Bond 2

Oct

2012

I just returned my from annual “Weekend with the Girls” trip. Once a year I go away for the weekend with my 6 or 7 closest friends from college. We live all over California and come together leaving kids and husbands behind for a few days of relaxation while we talk about our lives and where we’re all going. There are often tears as one or more of us talks about the things that are causing stress. Sometimes it’s money, sometimes it’s other friends, but usually it’s the family. There is lot’s of advice tossed around. We rally and ...

Our Mommy-Daughter Diary

Sep

2012

I have an 8 year old daughter who is not terribly verbal. When she has a difficult time at school, she often avoids talking about it. When something is bothering her, she finds it hard to open up. And as she matures and has more complex emotions, she is struggling to express things to me. This has been bothering me, so I was searching for a way to help her communicate. Then my friend told me about her mother-daughter journal and I knew I had to try it. Here is how it works. You get a small journal or diary. ...

Raising Kids to Be “Richer, Smarter and Better-Looking” Than Us 4

May

2012

If there is one subject that I think should be a required course in high schools it’s personal finance. I wish as part of high school curriculum kids were taught how to balance a check book, how to file tax returns, how to apply for a loan, how to set up a retirement account and how to avoid financial pitfalls, such as acquiring debt. Some schools offer it, but do you honestly think a 16 year old is going to choose an elective on personal finance over robotics? I know there are probably techno geeks who would scream out loud ...

Letting our Tweens Spread Their Wings

Apr

2012

I’ve always thought “tweens” was a great term for middle school kids because that is exactly what they are. They are in between being a kid and being a young adult. But it’s not only the children who are in this “tween” stage, the parents are as well. I’m speaking from experiences as a mother of a 13 year old. When your kids are in elementary school, you know there are certain boundaries that have to be maintained. Kids are not allowed to go walk to school by themselves. They cannot roam the mall alone. They cannot freely browse the ...

Our Amazing Low-Tech Adventure with the Kids

Apr

2012

The kids had Monday off, and with any day off of school, I was freaking out over figuring out what to do with them. You know the feeling. Holy Pizza Pie! I’m going to have the kids home ALL DAY with no school, no camp, no scheduled activities. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!!!??? Think! Think!! THINK!!! There must be something we can go do! I ran thru the usual list of options. Disneyland? Too expensive. Beach? Too cold. Movies? Too short. Museum? Too cerebral. Besides, they were going to the museum the next day on a field trip at ...

7 Mommy Musts for a Healthy Food Culture

Apr

2012

When I was right out of college I worked for an Italian family as a nanny in Italy where I cared for their 4 year old daughter and newborn son. Since that time, I have often remarked on how America is lacking a “food culture”. Hence why I was so happy this morning when I read the article, “Why French Parents are Superior in One Way” in the New York Times today, which makes the same observation. When I lived in Italy, it was clear that the family I worked with had certain cultural rules when it came to food. ...