Parenting Wisdom

  It might be time to register for your first baby, or you may have just received an invitation to a co-worker's baby shower – either way buying gifts for a new mom can be overwhelming.Our modern society has done...

With all those great "First Day of School Photos" floating around Facebook and Instagram, and all those new moms learning the drop-off morning routine, we felt like it was time to dust off this fabloulous post from the archives....

I have done this back to school thing for several years now and each one of my children has gone through the clinging, crying, "won't let me leave the building without having a fit" phase. As I gear up for my...

  "Back to School" is here again and it's time to think about UNIFORMS! No, I am not talking about heading to Target or Kohl’s to purchase mass amounts of khaki shorts and skirts with coordinating polo shirts in navy and white;...

A Back to School Letter to My Daughters: Our summer days with their minimal schedules and seemingly limitless time together have now come to an end. You are both going to start going to school, find your own way and...

A little inspiration can go a long way sometimes, especially, at the dawn of a new school year. Transitioning from the free-spirited days of summer to the routine of the school year can be exciting, but it can also be...

Stop for one second. Listen and look around you. How much "media" are you surrounded by? I know - it can be a lot, huh? Here, I'll go first: One son is playing on the computer, one son is playing the Xbox,...

After going through all the pictures on my phone and reminiscing over the good times we had over the summer, I realized the photos I posted on Facebook and Instagram weren't exactly showing the whole truth about my summer events. I know, I...

Our family moved to Phoenix from southeast Minnesota 1 year ago, making THIS our first full AZ summer -- and all I can say is Holy Moley. This desert dwelling thing is no joke! If you find yourself in Phoenix sweating summer...

Just had to re-publish this one from the archives... too true not to share it again!!! This is in honor of all our Scottsdale-mom sisters fighting the good fight to keep their families cool and their children sane this...

Introducing our newest contributor: Lindsay Beckman!  We are thrilled to have Lindsay on the SMB team! Enjoy her very first SMB Post {on a topic to which we can all relate!} Almost 5 months ago, I became a mother to...

We’ve all been there. Driving in our air-conditioned cars, coming from or going to our air-conditioned homes, and we see someone on a street corner, holding a sign asking for help. One part of me is cautious, being a female...

   We at SMB are excited about a new little feature we’ve added to the blog!  In addition to our regular lineup of awesome Scottsdale Mom contributors, we're including a monthly post by a LOCAL expert! We're covering topics from discipline to reading readiness...

It is well-known that motherhood brings many changes to a woman's body, but no one warns us about this one. I used to have normal-sized tear ducts; They were secure and more easily managed.  Then motherhood came and they got rearranged. I choose "Expanded" over...

 We at SMB are excited to announce a new little feature we’re adding to the blog!  In addition to our regular lineup of awesome Scottsdale Mom Contributors, we will be adding a monthly post by a LOCAL expert! We’ll...

The sun announces its arrival a little too early. Although the blinds are shut, there is enough light to allow several rays of morning sun into our room. It's only 5:45 a.m., but the day begins, even if I am...

1)     Your grocery runs are exciting! You have a shopping list with the following items: a) black fish-net hose b) red lipstick c) false eyelashes Hot date with your husband? Not quite! These are necessary 8-year old accessories...

We have a pool. If you don’t have a pool, then I know what you’re thinking: I’m lucky. I have a fun activity that’s perfect in the intense AZ heat … and it’s right in my backyard! If you also have a...

Hi mamas! This post about maternity leave on a budget is so timely for summertime in the Valley, and since we recently met a bunch of new moms at Mom's On The Move, we thought we'd make a few...

There was a season in my life where being busy seemed to define me.   My husband and I had built our family life in a way that left little room for...well, life.  My days seemed to be a series...

Ah, summer...  Here in Arizona, it's the magical time of year when we who so shamelessly boasted about our wintertime awesomeness Zip-A-Lip and hunker down with 1 hand in the freezer and the other on the ceiling fan remote...

Maya Angelou, an inspirational poet, writer, activist, and speaker, died last month but has left many words of wisdom in her wake.  Here are my five favorite Maya Angelou quotes, as they apply to the lives of moms. For a...

Local mom, Jenny Castle, shares her newest obsession. Jenny is the mother of three beautiful children and keeps herself busy with PTSA, catching up with friends in the carpool line, and driving her children to endless after-school activities. Thank...

Never trust a mommy with clean SUV or minivan. It means one of 2 things. Either she doesn’t let her kids eat in the car OR she vacuums her car daily. Both are scary propositions. Your mommy friends usually are...

I am so, so, so tired. Hi guys, it's Kirsten, Managing Editor here at SMB--- and I. Am. Tired. I know I'm not the only one. I've had too many conversations with moms just like me-- bags under their eyes,  Starbucks...

It’s that time of year with another class party underhand To give praise to the room moms all over Scottsdale land   They have navigated 20 + families, wrangled contacts and emails from the beginning-of -school fair Sign up geniuses are sent with...

I haven't been a mom very long.  Less than 18 months. When I joined the ranks as an At Home Mom, I aspired to maintain our home as a place of order and peace.  i.e.,  To keep it clean.  Then the baby...

If you’re tired and you know it clap your hands. Clap-Clap. If you’re tired and you know it clap your hands. Clap-Clap.  Okay, I’ll stop. But you see when I get tired, I start making cute little songs in order to...

February of 2013, we met a very special little redhead that we are now in the process of adopting. In October of 2012, my husband Brian and I decided to grow our family by adoption. We contacted an agency and...

I probably jinxed myself by writing my last post on the Valley's Pediatric Emergency Rooms. Within two weeks of publishing the article - and a week before she was set to be a flower girl in my brother's wedding...