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Mom and Son Date Ideas Boys Love
Mom and son dates have become a really important part of our family dynamic. We have four kids, and it is really hard to make sure that each one of them gets some special one-on-one time with us that’s more than just homework help or music practice. One thing we have done to give each kid some special attention is take them on a special date with just one parent. Sometimes it is something that takes planning, and other times it’s a quick at-home activity. But whatever it is, we make sure that we set aside time just for that child and focus on them. According to fancy scientific research,…
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I Refuse to Drive a Minivan! And the 6 Reasons I Do Now
I will never drive a minivan! How many of you have said those words? I know that I did. Repeatedly. I vowed to remain a “cool mom” that would never even dream about driving one of those lame mom cars. And then you know what happened? I bought a minivan. Why you might ask? Why did I sell out and join the minivan club? Well, to be honest, it really is the best family car out there. Here’s why. 1. More Space = Less Fighting Anyone with more than one kid knows that as soon as you get in the car, they start fighting. One is touching the other, someone…
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5 Tips to Make You Enjoy Big-City Travel with Kids
Are you intimidated to travel with kids? Last week we took our kids to New York City for Spring Break. I think the phrase we heard most often from the local New Yorkers was “you are brave”. I suppose to most of the world, traveling with four kids sounds like a daunting task. For us this is just normal life. I mean, when you’ve traveled across the world twice, NYC sounds like a piece of cake! If you want to tackle Big-City travel, I’ve gathered … Five tips you can use to travel with kids, and enjoy it! 1. Bring hand sanitizer We all know that kids touch stuff. All.…
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4 Simple Ways to Fight Holiday Busyness and Burnout
Are you experiencing holiday busyness and burnout? While the holiday season can be one of the most magical and enjoyable times of the year, it can also be one of the most stressful. Gift giving, shopping lists, errands, parties, pictures with Santa, festivals, traditions, and family gatherings often end up becoming a to-do list that is almost impossible to complete. A time that should be filled with laughter and memories becomes tainted with a stressed-out mom trying to make sure that she doesn’t forget the cookies for this party and the gift for that teacher, forcing the kids to smile for a perfect picture as the people in line behind…
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The Surprising Ways Adoption Impacts Your Family
Every November I spend extra time being thankful for the things God has given me in my life. I know that this is true for most people, with the Thanksgiving holiday coming at the end of the month. For our family, November is also the month that we celebrate two of our four children joining our family through adoption. I have spent two Thanksgivings in China adopting two of our four children. On each of those trips I substituted our turkey and mashed potatoes for rice and what I hope was chicken. During our second trip I was really struggling with missing the comforts of home, so I wrote a…
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8 Things You Should Never Ask Adoptive Parents
Remember that Friends episode where Rachel tells Joey that her boss wants to buy her baby? Everyone is completely flabbergasted that someone would be so insensitive and ridiculous. No one actually asks if they can buy your baby! Right?! Well, as a mom of four kids with two adopted from China, I must say that I have been asked some equally ridiculous questions about adoption. When my kids were younger, it didn’t matter if people asked questions. They were too little to understand or care what I was talking about. But now that they are older, unsolicited questions that highlight their differences or make them feel like they are not…
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Dear Birth Mother, What You Need to Know On Mother’s Day
Dear Birth Mother, Today is Mother’s Day. A day when we celebrate women who love, nurture, care for, and pour into others. Today my husband and children will take care of me, shower me with love, and give me gifts. But you have given me the greatest gift of all, and for that I honor you. I will never know your name. I will never know your story. But every day I stare into the face of a piece of you. If I could tell you anything, it would be thank you. Thank you for deciding to give life to a child. Thank you for the sacrifices you made to…
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5 Reasons I Refuse to Buy My Kids Smart Phones
My kids are in elementary school and they are already asking for smart phones. A few years ago I would have thought they were crazy – no one gives their school-aged kids smart phones! Boy was I wrong. Apparently it is quite common for kids to have their own phone, as evidenced by the amount of students on their school bus with one! Every family is different, and has to decide what works best for them. Many families have great reasons for giving their kids smart phones. For our family, my husband and I have decided not to allow our kids to have smart phones until they are at least…
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How to Create the Perfect Family Mission Statement
It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten lost while driving. Probably since before the days of smart phones when I would print out faulty directions from MapQuest or accidentally leave them at home. Now I have step-by-step directions with map views at my fingertips to help me get anywhere and everywhere. Even if I know how to get somewhere, sometimes I’ll still get directions on my phone to see which way is fastest. If we rely on maps to go even to familiar places in our lives, then why on earth do we not use the same resource in parenting? We are hit with hundreds of questions that require…
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How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed and Unfulfilled
You Can Do Anything, But You Can’t Do Everything One morning at the bus stop I found myself nearly in tears as I described to a friend all that I needed to do that day. I was burned out, exhausted, falling short, overwhelmed and unfulfilled, and feeling like a failure. My wise friend looked at me and said “Erika, you can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” In that moment it became clear to me that in my attempt to do it all, I was not actually doing anything well. I spent the next few weeks taking an inventory of my responsibilities, reflecting on my priorities, asking myself some…
