Parenting Wisdom

Everyone knows that being a working mom doesn't mean that you don't put your kids first. It doesn't mean that you love them less or that you don't WANT to be home with them full time. I AM a...

So apparently when everyone tells you that time flies once you have a baby, to soak it all in because its over before you know it...well, they aren't lying. My sweet baby boy, who was just born yesterday {right?!}...

Scottsdale Moms Blog co-founder Steph Flies announced her pregnancy here on the blog during our pregnancy week back in September, and we're thrilled to officially announce the birth of her third sweet girl! Audrey Mae Flies February 27th, 2013 3:55 am 7 lb...

Remember Riverdance? The energetic music, the long rows of dancers moving with such precision, the graceful soloists? Admit it, you (like me) danced around trying to figure out the moves in your family room after seeing the show on...

For many families, homeschooling is becoming an option on the table of discussion when it comes to educating our children.  Even though there are more families considering homeschooling, there are doubts and fears surrounding what may feel like a...

It's easy to say, that on any given day I can create a Facebook status of the things I've accomplished that will leave someone picking their jaw up off the floor.  They will think I'm super-mom.  While there are...

I am proud to admit that I will be beginning my thirty FIRST year this July. I was never afraid to turn thirty, in fact, I EMBRACED it completely. My twenties were amazing, horrible, wonderful, painful, thrilling, and devastating all at...

This year has been a bad year for RSV. Respiratory Syncycial Virus is “a virus that causes a respiratory tract infection. It can cause respiratory tract illness in patients of all ages, but children under the age of one are...

Let me start by saying that in no way is this a post to condem those who are not/able to breastfeed. This is simply for those who are breastfeeding and wanting to build up an extra stash. I have been blessed...

          A few weeks before my first trip to work with orphans in Haiti, I had an encounter that would mark my heart forever. We were celebrating my daughter’s birthday dinner at her restaurant of choice, Red Robin. When they saw...

I joyfully share my heart with another woman. When my husband and I began our adoption journey about a decade ago, we felt led to pursue international adoption. Although it was not THE reason for choosing this route, the...

It's getting warm outside.  Thanks to Mother Nature we got a little teaser a couple weeks ago to remind us that summer is just around the corner.  For me, that means it's time to break out the summer clothes...

Even though I’ve always dreaded summers in Scottsdale, that dread seems to have multiplied tenfold after having children. Maybe it’s because I worked inside a cool office for the lion share of my pre-kid days or because I grew...

I have three children. I also have three baby carriers (babywearing contraptions, if you will). Like my children, each of the carriers has qualities that I love and other attributes that are, shall we say, challenging. For any of you...

guilt /gilt/ Noun The fact of having committed a specified or implied offense or crime. Ever since I had my baby girl I have been ridden with guilt: for not breastfeeding long enough, for not giving her enough attention, for not parenting correctly, for working...

"There's an app for that." -Apple Inc.  It's true, you know.  Whenever I've wanted to do, find, research, shop, see, organize or track anything in my life, there's a app for it.  Be it Android or iPhone, my guess...

Everyone loves a good vacation. You plan the trip months in advance by selecting the perfect accommodations, shopping around for the best price on a flight, purchasing a Frommer's guide at your local bookstore, making reservations for Zagat rated...

Remember earlier this summer when it felt like almost everyone here at SMB was expecting? Remember how we decided to celebrate with a Pregnancy Week Series? Remember all those fun pregnancy posts? Remember all the beautiful maternity photos taken...

I have a few friends who are about to give birth to their very first children this week.  And this week my first born turned eleven. ELEVEN!?!?! Needless to say the conversations, advice and trips down memory lane have...

I watched my daughter open up her cards and gifts we got her for Valentines Day yesterday and saw the joy in her face and love in her heart!  What a great thing to feel loved! Why not make it Valentine's...

I am not sure if any part of culture impacts my little girls like Valentine's Day.  Well, all that Valentine's Day represents--from film to TV to songs and cupid. It romanticizes love into solely an emotional (and usually shallow)...

When our daughter, Sophie, was 6 months old (and I was actively taking birth control pills) the last thing I expected to see in our home was a positive pregnancy test!  I mean, we wanted to have a third...

I was the first of my friends to have kids. I hadn't made any pregnant friends. Subsequently, I had a really hard time when my first son was born. I read about postpartum depression and it sounded like a...

Taking time to take care of yourself now that you're a mom can be SO challenging. Isn't it so easy for this to be the first thing that flies out the window when you become a mamma? You’re exhausted...

I met a new friend today.  She is a mom in my son’s Kindergarten class and we volunteered on a project together.  We chatted for a while talking about raising boys and whether or not her son was signed...

Last week I threw out some of my daughter’s Barbie dolls. To be clear, I was selective about which dolls took a trip to the big recycling plant in the sky. Barbies that looked (I’ll let you insert your own appropriate...

It's rampant right now. It seems that the Valley's lovely winter cold front brought some mighty germs with it. Every third facebook post and half my twitter feed are friends posting about sickness. I love my...

Today, as we honor the risk taking, culture changing man Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, I am wondering about his mother. How did she raise a man who was not afraid to resist what is acceptable, and live an uncommon...

It was Monday morning and my house was bustling with activity, as everyone rushed to get our teeth brushed, clothes on and stomachs fed.  My daughter was going to her first day of preschool. I strapped my daughter in her carseat, with...

All three of my children have birthdays in January. So I feel like a little bit of a birthday party expert this time of year. Then the rest of the year, I breathe a big sigh of relief that...