I think I just had a true emotional breakdown. In car with Anderson. Not listening ad nauseam. Can feel my stress level reaching cataclysmic, desperate, absolutely miserable levels. I raise my voice, deep, gravelly, shaking—it doesn’t even sound like my own—desperately pleading with my 4-year-old to be quiet. I feel helpless and truly tortured. I have to leave the car.…
Author: Beth
Balancing Act: My First Year with Two
by Beth Morris What will I remember in the long run when I think back on my first year as a mother of two? I wonder if I’ll remember the nap schedules I have meticulously planned life around (I doubt it), or the silky soft baby thighs that jiggle like under-set Jello (I hope so). Or the countless times I’ve joked…
My Potty-Training Adventures
The third time we decided to try to potty-train our three-year-old, we sacrificed going to “Touch-a-Truck” in order to stay home and really “do this” – it was that serious. My husband and I practically bought stock in Hot Wheels cars (to be delivered freely multiple times a day as “rewards”), and any notions I had of “limited screen time”…
Help Wanted
As a PEPS leader and fellow mom of two young kids, I’m regularly impressed by the many things – big and small – that I see parents achieving, surviving, juggling, conquering and figuring out day by day, riding this tidal wave that is parenthood. The sleep, the food fights, the bottle battles, nursing strikes, potty training, sibling rivalry, remembering to…
Slippers or Stilettos? A Mom’s Search for Meaning In and Out of the House
Lately I’ve been the repeated victim of the most unfortunate kind of spit-up. This is not your normal “missed the burp cloth” dab of spoiled yogurt on your shoulder, or the stream of returned milk that ends up mostly on your baby’s own outfit. Nope. Recently my six-month-old has mastered the art of projectile spit-up that completely overrides any burp…
Oh, The Anticipation
Earlier this summer I had someone ask me if I was nervous about having a second child. Nervous? Hmmm. “No,” I replied (perhaps naively?). “I woudn’t say I’m nervous. Just mentally preparing for something I know will be hard at times.” In my mind I compare going into labor with standing at the starting line of a marathon. Ideally, that…
I’m Pregnant: It’s Like Deja Vu All Over Again
Being pregnant again is, for me, a flurry of contradictions: So familiar, yet so different. Easier mentally; harder physically. Less mysterious yet more out of my control. I own so many maternity clothes, yet seem to need all new ones (winter vs. summer baby). To quote Yogi Berra, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” See? My summary quote…
Friends After Baby
Having a baby, and especially being a stay-at-home mom (part-time, full-time, short- or long-term…), does interesting things to your social life. For example, to leave the house to meet up with a friend, I USED to breezily grab my purse, car keys and a pair of sunglasses. NOW, assuming my son is with me – I leave the house,…
Mama Drama and Humble Pie
When this mama drama infests these sites, it’s like a car wreck on the side of the road. Many people will anonymously drive by and observe what’s going on, say a little “glad it’s not me” prayer, and move along with their day. Very few will pull over and decide to get involved.
ALL ABOUT THAT BABE: The Case for Seeing Your Body as Your Baby Does
“Each individual woman’s body demands to be accepted on its own terms.” – Gloria Steinem I used to not get it. Like, really not get it. Even though I SHOULD have gotten it, because there was “that time when I was twelve…” But I’ll get to that in a minute. I grew up in a thin body, from a thin…