Marybeth Bock
Marybeth Bock is a native San Franciscan, who spent 13 years living and working in two European countries and four U.S. states as an Army spouse. (Faves: Germany and Hawaii). She’s been enduring the heat of Arizona for 14 years now with her husband, two adult-ish kids, and one crazy coonhound. An alumna of UCLA (Go, Bruins!), she has a Master’s in Public Health and loves to research and write about all health topics, particularly the mental and physical health issues of adolescents and women. Her writing can often be found on the Grown and Flown and Blunt Moms websites. As a new empty-nester, she is thoroughly enjoying the role of “College Mom”, and is finding more time for crafting, hiking, Happy Hour and travel. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
Spring Cleaning with Kids: Getting Them Involved and Making It Fun!
Spring in Arizona brings some of our best weather, stunning wildflowers, and the perfect opportunity to clean inside and outside our homes before it gets too hot.
Getting your kids motivated to be involved in...
What’s “Niksen” and Can It Help You Be a Better Mom?
Are you currently feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or exhausted?
Perhaps the better question for any Mom right now, as we reach the one-year anniversary of pandemic lockdowns, is “Are there any of us not feeling...
You Really Can Make Macarons at Home
I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who didn’t like macarons, those delicious French, meringue-based cookie sandwiches. I also don’t think I’ve ever met someone who says they make them at home all the...
Helping Kids and Grandparents Stay Connected This Year
It may be a new year, but for many of us, keeping physical distance from extended family members is still a thing. As parents, we may have been challenged with how to come up...
Where to Find the Best Local Holiday Desserts
Maybe your holiday celebrations will be looking a little different this year, but that’s no reason to forgo enjoying some special desserts. And, if you’re like me, dessert has been one of your go-to...
When It’s Hard to Be Thankful: Focusing on the Good
November is traditionally the month when we focus on trying to be thankful.
For all that is good in our lives. For the people that we love. And for the things that bring us joy...
Safe Ways to Trick-or-Treat this Pandemic Halloween
Parents, kids, and teachers all love a year when Halloween falls on a weekend night, and no one has to get up early for school the next morning suffering from a candy-hangover.
Well, as luck...
What Our Stressed Teens Need Right Now
September means that our teenagers are back to school, but this year, school for them is anything but normal. Some of them may be learning in actual classrooms wearing masks, some of them may...
How to Celebrate National Beach Day in Arizona
If it seems like there’s a national day for just about everything now, you’d be right. In the month of August alone, we can celebrate National Days for mustard, oysters, and even cherry popsicles....
The Benefits of Letting Your Kids Be Bored
That universal whine of childhood: “I’m bored.”
As parents, we’ve all heard it countless times, and have all struggled with how to respond. Handing your kid some kind of screen is so tempting, with its...
Helpful Ideas for Creating a Covid Care Basket
It’s not just a normal Arizona summer this year, where our primary concerns are sunburns and scorpions. The unfortunate reality is that if it hasn’t happened already, some of us may be getting a...
Escape This Summer with a Great Book {Fiction Edition}
While many of us may not be embarking on the travels we had hoped to take this summer, there’s still the quintessential way to escape reality during the long, hot days of summer– book...
Family Friendly Ways to Celebrate Armed Forces Day
Among the many things that living through a global pandemic has taught me, one significant realization has been that it is important to celebrate – pretty much anything. Big occasions, little events, half-birthdays, you...
What You Need to Know About Valley Fever
Valley Fever, also known as Coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by the fungus Coccidioides, which lives in the soil in the southwestern US, parts of Mexico, and Central and South America. People, and house pets, can...
A New Way to Help You Balance Your Kids’ Technology Time
If you’re not familiar with Common Sense Media, they are a non-profit organization which was founded in 2003. Their mission is to ensure digital well-being for kids everywhere, and they are a leading source...
The Holiday Cards Dilemma
Holiday cards.
To send or not to send? That is the question. And it’s been a bothersome one I’ve grappled with every winter for the past five years.
When I think back to the holidays of...
What to Expect When Your Kids are Grown and Almost Flown
In today’s world, the minute a woman finds out she is pregnant for the first time, she has a vast array of helpful resources at her fingertips. There are books, websites, and online support...
This Mom’s Ode to October
The fictional character Anne of Green Gables said, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” And I couldn’t agree more.
As a desert dweller, October is finally the month when...
Fostering Healthy Family Technology Habits
We’ve all done it. In the course of running late, and gathering up kids, their stuff, and our keys, we’ve driven off and 10 minutes later have realized we’ve left our phone at home....
Be Sparkler Safe This 4th of July
For many Americans, it wouldn’t be a proper Independence Day celebration without watching a fireworks show or setting off a few fireworks of your own. Here in Arizona, like many regions in the southwest U.S....
Flip Flop Wreath {a Fun and Frugal Summer Craft}
The long, hot days of summer have arrived, and so has the daily search for fun (but not too pricey or complicated) activities to do with your kids. Flip flop wreaths are a great...
How to Avoid Summer Brain Drain
Parents of teens: Raise your hands if you can’t wait for the seemingly endless days of kids sleeping until noon, daily requests for money, hours of video games, wet beach towels on the floor...
Encouraging Diversity in our Children’s Friendships
Have you ever looked around in your child’s classroom, or at their friend group, and wished that there was more ethnic and cultural diversity?
Sometimes parents can feel a bit awkward about this situation, and...
What Can Parents of Younger Kids Take Away from the College Admissions Scandal?
The details of the college admissions cheating scandal have been trickling out in the news for more than a few weeks. Parents with kids who have applied to college in the last several years,...
Prepared Childbirth Tips for the Teen Years
Many years ago, after my first child was born and I became fascinated with the whole birthing process, I became a certified childbirth educator. I loved helping couples overcome their anxiety about birth and...
Giving Thanks for Special Friends
None of us could survive motherhood without our friends.
Spanning all the way from the fellow sleep-deprived Moms in our toddler playgroups to the other spirited parents on our kid’s high school sports teams, we...
Why Herd Immunity is So Important in Arizona
Discussing childhood immunizations can sometimes become a rather heated topic.
Parents are faced with making important decisions about their children’s healthcare from the minute they first find out they are having a baby. We consult...
The Only 3 Phrases You Need When Your Kids Play Youth Sports
We’ve all seen them. We’ve definitely all heard them. Perhaps on occasion we’ve even been one.
I’m talking about the loud and obnoxious “Sports Parent.” On the mild end of the behavior spectrum, they’re the...
A Heads Up About Kids and Concussions
Summer in Arizona. Also known as the “Desperation Months” when we parents attempt to keep our kids busy so that we can maintain at least an ounce of our sanity. Often, this means our...
The Dog Park of Today is the Playground of My Past
One of the many reasons I wish we had smartphones when my kids were little is that I would have liked to log the number of hours we spent at the playground. Both my...