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A Million Little Pieces Make a Mother

Making my mortgage payments...Finishing a project at school/work by the impending deadline... My relationship with my husband...Equality...My environmental footprint...The results on reality show "x", "y", or "z"....

These are the things that I worried about before having kids. Not that I don't still worry about some of these things, and different things. I'll admit, I probably still sweat the small stuff a little too much.

But if you asked me at any given moment what I worry about the most, what's always on my mind to some degree, what can keep me up at night, the answer would be parenting.

I naively thought that once my girls were out of the baby stage I would worry less. What could possibly be more daunting than:

How Life Changes with a Second Child

Life changes (again!) when you have a second child. You constantly have to split your time between your child, and this can lead to some challenging moments. Over the past month, here are the challenges we’ve faced at home... hopefully, you can learn from my “mistakes.”

The (not so) Perfect Thanksgiving: Book Review

Pinterest, Facebook, magazines, TV shows, blogs, all of these mediums can provide parents with so many options on how to make the Holidays “perfect” it can be overwhelming. Many of us are just doing our best to get our kids to their activities on time, hope they are eating some fruit or veggies at some point during the week, and hope the underwear we just grabbed came out of the clean hamper and not the dirty hamper. The extra “pressure” to make DIY table settings, cook a flawless meal, and find coordinating outfits for the family can make most of us want to throw in the towel.

Free Intellidance Classes in Alberta!

Our new Level 1 Intellidance™ instructors in the greater Edmonton area are excited to share their love of movements, music and play with you! The following FREE trial classes will be happening throughout September:

Intellidance™ by Pam Mctavish

Date: Tuesday September 4

Class/Time: Intellidance™ Babies 10am and Intellidance™ Tykes 11:15am

Location: Family Fitness World, Sherwood Park

RSVP: Visit Pam's Facebook page event or email pammct@gmail.com

A simple way to stay connected

School is starting and for many families this means less time to relax together and more time apart. Parents with little ones departing for the first time to preschool or kindergarten may feel slightly sad or anxious about this big life change. Parents with older children can feel overwhelmed trying to balance full days of school and extra curricular activities with quality family time. It can be difficult to let our children go, knowing they will be experiencing many firsts without us. How can we be sure to stay connected to our children without hovering or imposing on their growing independence?

Summer Blogging Hiatus

I've decided to take a little break from blogging for the next month or so. But don't dispair! The reason for this hiatus is to take Intellidance^TM to the next level! I am busily preparing training materials for the first Intellidance^TM Instructor Certification this August, helping to bring the Intellidance^TM programs to a community near you. We have a wonderful group of instructors joining us.

What happened to the Awesome Moms?

Hot Mamas! Yummy Mummies! The MILF club! It seems like everywhere I turn there is a group, website, club, or network for moms flaunting how “hot” they are.

Case in point? This morning as I went through my normal “work at home” morning routine (chai latte on the couch, puppy snuggling beside me, surfing Facebook), this popped into my newsfeeds:

There’s a mixed message when celebs are paid millions to lose the baby weight after pregnancy…

This was the status update for Erika Ehm’s Yummy Mummy Club linking to this article about Jessica Simpson’s pregnancy weight gain and her recent 4 million dollar deal with Weight Watchers to lose her baby weight in a year.

Jessica's Picks: Mermaid Island, a cooperative board game

Playing board games with young can be challenging. Many children have difficulty waiting for their turn, may have trouble playing games independently if the rules are too complex, and naturally want to win. Losing can lead pouting, crying, or anger. This is amplified when playing with a sibling or peer who may not be a "gracious" winner. I have often found Bria and Malia in a full on catfight due to a "disagreement" over a board game.

But board games have so many benefits for children! Alvin Rosenfeld explains in his article, The Benefits of Board Games,:

What Turning 6 Looks Like: Littlest Pet Shop Party Ideas

I can't believe it. Tomorrow I am going to be a mother to a six year old! Wasn't it just yesterday I was taking a 5lb baby home from the hospital weeks before we expected her? As we have learned, that early entrance is very typical of Bria, who is very driven and looking forward to the next thing.

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