Jill
A 4 Gift Christmas :: How to Simplify Gift Giving
When you have 5 kids, Christmas can get out of hand easily.
I quickly get overwhelmed by the number of gifts I feel like my kids "deserve." Maybe this is more my desire to keep up...
I Am The Mean Mom at the Pool This Summer
I know you see him. That boy who had to change out of his swimsuit right after he screamed at me at the pool. Yes, we just got here. BUT this is the time...
Children with Special Needs :: The Early School Years
Raising children with special needs is challenging. Our little guy has a handful of attachment and trauma based diagnoses. His brain developed differently as a baby due to what happened to him when he...
Five Reasons I’m Keeping my Gray Hair
My son was overwhelmed with emotion when he decided to brush my hair the other day and he saw all the gray hair I have acquired. He was worried I was going to die. So...
“Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful?”
My youngest daughter cries. A lot. Like substantially more than the average child. She has had quite the childhood - having four homes before she was three years old. She cries about people looking...
Answering the Adoption Questions
My husband and I entered the journey of foster care with the hopes of adopting someday, but little did we know that we would adopt five kids in less than five years of being...
Teaching Responsibility Even When It Hurts
“Mommy! You forgot it?!”
With five kids - three kindergarteners, one second grader, and one third grader - last school year, I was constantly all up in their business. Each day I was sure they had...
‘Twas the Night Before School Starts
'Twas the night before school starts, and a mom sipping wine
Was counting notebooks and folders to make sure there was nine.
The backpacks were full, hung by the front door with care
In hopes of avoiding...
Why We Moved to the City
About four years ago, my husband and I decided to pick up our family and move. It was time to live in the heart of our city.
I grew up as a little white girl...
Transitions Are The Worst
Its been almost three years since we went from a family of four to a family of seven overnight, so I feel that I have the authority as a mom to explain why transitions...