PARENTING

I absolutely love today’s post which comes courtesy of Happify.

The study reported that kids with nurturing moms have 10% bigger brains, and other interesting facts.

Enjoy this.

This morning was a fun segment on Global TV. I got to share my Top Must-Have Mom…

Traveling during peak summer times can be frustrating: the lines are long, the planes are crowded, and it all can make for an uneasy travel experience.

As a mom of two boys, aged 11 and 8, I can appreciate how traveling with young children can feel overwhelming. My boys have surprisingly become wonderful travelers. Whether we’re flying to visit family, or driving on a road trip, they are generally cooperative and eager to behave.

It’s 9:15am Monday morning. I just finished a great ‘Beat Spin and Abs’ class, and I’m feeling good. A bit lonely, but gooooood.

Last week, I sent my boys off to sleepaway camp, together, for the first time. The people I have bumped into have asked me, “So? How does it feel to have both your kids gone for the first time?”

My answer? “On a scale of 1-10… 1,000,000!”

And they just look at me.

Who is this woman who so freely admits she hardly misses her kids and is celebrating her freedom?

The truth is, the first couple of days it felt like I had lost a limb. Like someone had literally cut off my right arm. But now? Now I have a sense of calm, baby. And perhaps even peace. I lie in bed in the morning sipping coffee flipping between The Today Show and Good Morning America. I went to a movie yesterday at 4:30pm. A Sunday afternoon movie that I wanted to see… not a kids movie! I’m hoping to go to the Jazz Fest tonight. I have dinner plans with friends this week. I don’t even feel tired anymore because just the emotional drain of raising children can be exhausting.

And I feel no guilt about my happiness.

My son was blue, limp, lifeless, silent… essentially dead. And then in five moments of interminable chaos, stress, hysteria and prayer, my daughter and I brought him back to life.

Throughout my teens and most of my 20’s, I prayed it wouldn’t happen. At 27, I thought I was ready, then the break-up came and I was glad it hadn’t happened. Then at 30, in a stable and happy relationship, I wondered if it would ever happen. Now, firmly into my 32nd year, married to the man who makes my world a better place, I’m starting to wonder whether I ever want it to happen.

Yep, you’ve guessed it; it’s babies.

So what changed?

Pressure.

If I believe the medics I have about 2.5 years to safely have a child without too much concern. After that, my risk of having a down-syndrome child or me bleeding to death on the delivery table grows exponentially.

So, if you’re a parent, maybe you wanted to know some of the hot parenting trends we’re seeing so far in 2015. Some may seem obvious and welcomed (getting back to old school values), others some may seem odd to you.

Since Monday is a great day to implement and start new regimes in your life, I wanted to reach out to all our mommy readers today. On last week’s Global TV segment, I talked about the ins and out of chores and our kids. Age appropriate chores by age, how to engage and involve them, get them started, etc.

Here we go…

We’ve had a big milestone in our house this week. Thank you to the lovely pharmacist in my area who suggested we use THIS. The time has come, the big teeth are growing in, we have a lisp we are trying to cure, and we don’t want those new teeth growing in buck. Thanks to this little number above, thumb sucking has ceased in the Diamond home. I never thought it would be possible.

He chucked the blankie too when he could no longer get his thumb in his mouth, but he’s feeling oh so proud of himself! I’m so very proud of him too. It was seriously like quitting smoking… agitation, difficulty falling asleep, etc… We’re only six days in, but hey, you’ve gotta start somewhere!