Nicole Perry ← Mommy Warriors

Spring Break Your Back

Apr

2013

Who ever came up with the term “Spring Break” clearly wasn’t a mother. We are 1 week and 2 days into our Spring Break, and it’s anything but a break. In the past 10 days we’ve gone to the movies 3 times (nothing I particularly wanted to see), made 3 dozen cupcakes (of which I ate too many), played endless rounds of championship “Go Fish”, gone for 6 bike rides (up hill both ways), broken up a dozen sibling knock-down fights (got clipped in the jaw in the process), cleaned up after countless art projects, chased after a lost dog ...

Homework without Tears

Mar

2013

I used to think I was the anomaly, that some how my 9 year old was the only kid who cried over having to do homework. I used to think that I was doing something wrong, that I was somehow creating more stress for him or putting too much pressure on him. That all changed when I was reading the latest “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” to my daughter the other night and saw a blurb about how Gregory’s mom had a reward chart on the wall that was entitled “Homework without Tears”. What’s this? I’M NOT ALONE!!!! Okay, albeit I ...

MW Weekly Meal Planning – Saving Time While Making Better Dinners

Mar

2013

Like most moms, I have a very busy schedule, but I also like to make great dinners for my family. In order to do this, I have to plan. So every Sunday, I sit with my schedule and my cookbooks and figure out what days I’ll cook, what I’ll cook, and what I’ll need. I then do most of my shopping on Sunday so I’m set for the week. It saves me time and it means I don’t have to try and figure out what to make each night. I plan the whole week in one sitting. My friends are ...

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 ...

Do We Compliment Our Kids Too Much?

Jan

2013

When I was growing up my mother was a big complimenter. “Honey, you did such a nice job. You did great. You’re so smart. You’re so amazing…” My dad, on the other hand, rarely complimented me. “93%? Why wasn’t it 100%? Are you satisfied with that? Is that really your best? Not bad. Now what are you going to do?” In the end, my dad’s reaction did a lot more to push me to try harder than my mother’s compliments. My husband’s boss is one of three brothers, all of whom are at the top of their field. One brother ...

Why God Created Parents – Reason #1

Jan

2013

There is a reason why God created parents. Because if kids were left to their own devices, they’d never take a bath, brush their teeth, do their homework or eat a balanced meal. And I have scientific proof of this. Just take a look at the plate my son made for himself at a buffet dinner when we went to a friend’s house. Doritos, bread and chocolate. Need I say more? Stay tuned for more reasons. I know there’s going to be more! www.mommywarriors.com

My Daughter’s Insatiable Curiosity

Nov

2012

My 8 year old daughter was very curious last night while I was tucking her into bed. “Mommy? How do you get a husband?” “Well, when you’re a grownup you meet a man who you like, who you think is handsome and smart and funny, and maybe he thinks you’re pretty and smart and thoughtful, and then you decide you want to spend your life together. “ “Do you have to make a baby if you get married?” “No, you don’t HAVE to.” “Does it hurt?” “You mean to make a baby?” “When the baby comes out.” “Yes, it can.” ...

Teaching Our Kids to be Someone Others are Thankful for

Nov

2012

As I prepare for Thanksgiving, I was planning on doing our usual tradition of going around the table and asking everyone to name someone or something for which they are thankful, until I read the article, “What’s Better than Gratitude,” at PsychologyToday.com. The article reports on two studies conducted at the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania where they took a group of people and randomly assigned them to list either things they were grateful for or things that they had done that others might be grateful for. In follow up behavior the latter group showed more signs ...

When It’s Time to Confront Your Child’s Weight Problem

Oct

2012

It’s a shocking statistic, but over 31% of American children are overweight, and almost 20% are obese. That is 1 in 5! Despite the statistics and the plethora of information on healthy diet and weight loss, the numbers just keep going up. And with young kids, the people ultimately responsible are the parents. It makes you wonder, what is going on? Are these parents in denial? Do they not care? Are they not strong enough to say “no” to their kids when it comes to another helping of food? It is easy to simply label parents of overweight kids as ...

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. ...