Textbook parenting that works in real life! Look forward to personal perspectives, musings on motherhood, and some "been there, done that" tips or tricks to make motherhood better for you and your child (age 0-6). I'm an educator and mom of 4... so I get it, and I'm in it too!
how much are you worth?
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I flew in and out of the state last Sunday to attend my sister’s bris. By myself. Without kids. That’s a vacation in itself, even if I got the middle seat both ways. 3 thoughts on this: 1. My husband watched the other kids, but I got a babysitter just for the baby. He’s 7 months old, has a schedule and is super easy. Just to physically replace my presence for a few hours to care for one child—after leaving instructions, a packed diaper bag, and labeled bottles and solids—cost over $100. → If you had to replace yourself, what would it cost? Reminder: the stuff you do all day that nobody notices (except when it’s not done) is work. It has value, even if you’re not paid for it. 2. Between exclusively nursing and not wanting to leave my babies overnight, I've never traveled without kids. My newborns have accompanied me on planes and cars, to weddings and even a funeral. A getaway with my husband included the 10-month old. I skipped a girls’ trip with my sisters-in-law because my baby then was 14 months old and still nursing: too old to shlep around, too young to wean by leaving behind. These are my choices, but I still feel pretty tied down. This opportunity to leave for just one day (5am-10pm but whatever) at a stage that worked for my baby (nursing less frequently, accepting solids, not yet mobile enough to refuse the stroller) was like a little pocket of time that I grabbed. → If you feel stuck in your current stage, know that it won’t last forever. 3. If you come to the airport half an hour before your flight… you will miss it. → PSA: check in—even for domestic, with TSA pre and no luggage—is now 45 minutes before a flight. Who knew? (Not me, clearly) ps - if you want the manual your baby should have come with, I have a course geared for ages 0-3 that is packed with everything a mother (first or fifth time) should know. You can check that out here. For one-on-one help, I have limited coaching spots available - hit reply if you're interested. |
Parenting for Jewish Mothers
Textbook parenting that works in real life! Look forward to personal perspectives, musings on motherhood, and some "been there, done that" tips or tricks to make motherhood better for you and your child (age 0-6). I'm an educator and mom of 4... so I get it, and I'm in it too!
Man, today* was a lot. Of money. And sensory overload. And too much time sitting in traffic. What happened: my oldest son, who’s a Benny Friedman superfan, really wanted to go to his concert. His younger brother, who wouldn’t have enjoyed a minute of it, insisted he was also old enough to attend. So now, in addition to 1) finding a nearby attraction 2) to which I could easily take three kids solo, it had to 3) be cool enough that the 5 year old wouldn’t feel like he was part of the younger...
The one response I consistently get to this letter to a mother staying home on Yom Kippur is: I cried reading it. I teared up writing it, so words that come from the heart, and all. But that's not why it makes you cry. It makes you cry because it so deeply validates your experience as a mother. Nobody tells you that after you have a baby, you're going to have an identity crisis. You wouldn't understand it even if they did. You're too busy keeping yourself and a new baby alive, trying to be an...
“Hey! I want a cupcake!” said Mr 4 (turning 5). Oh man. He was in quite a mood, and I’d finally cajoled him into sitting at the supper table. Now he saw the last banana muffin, which Mr 3.5 had just put on his plate. This could go really bad, really quickly. Lucky for me, I had a few tricks up my sleeve. (I’ll star * and explain at the end, so you can learn them too!) “Two boys and one cupcake, what should we do?” I said. * “Cupcake? I want a cupcake!” called Mr 7 from the living room. Great....