Family

Working moms who are also teaching your kids at home – I see you. Stay at home moms who are also now homeschooling your kids – I see you. This year has been a challenge for all of us moms. Prior to this year, we were used to wearing a lot of different hats and juggling lots of responsibilities. But this year, taking on the role of teacher or teacher’s aid has been a major hurdle a lot of us never planned to face. That’s why it’s more important than ever that we focus on finding balance. I thought it might be helpful to share 5 tips for how to take time for yourself – whether your job is at home or outside of the home.

Halloween may look quite different this year, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be special. Halloween doesn’t have to be canceled this year, we just need to shift our focus. My kids won’t be trick or treating in our neighborhood, but we are still going to make an at home Halloween extra special this year. I pulled some of my favorite Halloween ideas so you can make your family’s Halloween special too.

Since we are spending so much more time at home, a lot of us are also spending more time in the kitchen. If you haven’t baked or cooked with your kids before, it’s never too young to start! As early as toddler and preschool age, your kids can join you in the kitchen and start learning some really important skills. There are so many benefits to baking with kids, I’m going to share 8 of them.

My children are obsessed with watching YouTube lately. Every time I turn around, it seems like they’re watching another video where someone is making slime. I get it. I loved slime as a kid too. Recently, they watched an episode with a bunch of different edible slime recipes. I finally caved in and told them we’d try it. So if you ever wanted to know how to make edible slime, this post is for you.

To say I’m a busy mom would be an understatement. With my kids at home so much more, and telecommuting for my job, I’ve had to work a lot harder to stay organized so I can manage my busy mom life. Many people have asked me over the years how I manage a full-time job as a university administrator, a full-time blogging business, and all of my duties as a mom. I’m not superwoman, and I promise you, it’s not always pretty. There are many days when I fail at one or more of my jobs. But, I keep trying, and learning as I go, to be as productive and happy as I can be. I bet you’re really busy too, so here are some tips on how I manage my busy mom life.

What are your biggest concerns related to COVID? Of course, I’m concerned for our health, but my bigger concerns are actually about my children’s development. I worry that they are not interacting with their friends. I’m concerned that they aren’t at school, learning from qualified teachers. I am also sad that they have not been able to see their family and friends for months.

I’ve seen so many friends, influencers, and acquaintances posting online lately. They want to know how to be an ally in #blacklives matter.

Yesterday, the day when many people chose to be silent in solidarity and to amplify Black voices, I spoke out. It’s not that I don’t support Black voices, I absolutely do. I will be sharing Black voices on my social media and blog now and moving forward. However, as a white mom to bi-racial children, I feel I must be vocal. My kids’ futures depend on it.

It’s been almost 5 weeks that I’ve been home with my kids, homeschooling them and sheltering in place, as mandated. None of us had any idea 2020 would bring such a drastic change to the way we live our lives, but not everything about COVID-19 has been bad. I actually think a lot of good things are going to come out of this difficult time. I’ve been contemplating a lot about my life before COVID and my life right now. I’ve had a lot of time (clearly) to reflect and here are the 7 things I’ve learned from COVID so far.