Festa Italia (Isthmus)

Are you game for a spaghetti eating contest?

For those of you local to the Madison area, be sure to stop by Festa Italia this weekend at McKee Farms Park in Fitchburg. To learn more about the event, as well as the group behind it (the longest-running Italian Workmen's Club in the nation, I should add), read my article in the Isthmus.

Brava Magazine: Eating Disorders and Motherhood

I'm proud to share my feature article in April's Brava magazine! I want to thank everyone who contributed to the article and made it what it was. I hope other women can find inspiration in these three women's stories and how hard they have worked to overcome their illness in the face of motherhood.

The Joy of Now

As a parent, it can be so easy to get caught up in the yesterdays and tomorrows: What are we going to do to keep the kids busy this summer? Remember when Johnny was just a baby, and we could cradle him in our arms? 

As a parent in today's world, it's even easier than ever to distract yourself from now. Mobile devices make it possible for a person to distract themselves any second of the day, no matter where they are at that moment. And while we can all make the argument that we are using these devices purposefully ("I'm just shooting off an e-mail for work." or "I'm checking our calendar to see if we're free that weekend."), it's not surprising that research shows that these behaviors are having damaging effects on our children.

Eleven Signs You're a Parent

There are some things in our pre-parenting lives that we just didn't appreciate the way we do now, and that really are unavoidable upon entering the parenting realm:

11. You can almost never finish something you've started (not in one go, at least).
10. You realize there truly is a difference between "G," "PG" and "PG-13" rated movies. A BIG difference.
9. Many lyrics in many popular songs don't seem so "cool" any more.
8. You've got to be a lot better about hiding certain things, be it your secret chocolate stash or something else...
7. You no longer think it's gross, but can understand the importance of doing post-bathroom spot checks well into elementary school.
6. Chuck E. Cheese is your new nightmare.
5. Your wardrobe = functional over stylish.
4. You now find the hilarity in the noise of the adult voices on Peanuts movies.
3. You're in by 10, out (as in "lights out") by 10:30.
2. You embrace the minivan as very practical and functional--everything you need in a family ride!
AND...the one you probably really held out on for as long as you could...
1. You do find yourself referring to your spouse as "mom" or "dad"

What perceptions have changed for you with the onset of parenting?

The Joy of the Sun (or Sun Salutation)

It's a challenge to stay mindful and present during this cold, hard winter. All I can think about lately is when spring will come. I know I'm not alone. But there is one constant with us through every season (even though it may hide behind the clouds some days): the sun. If you're feeling down about the weather or you can't keep yourself in the present moment because you're too busy thinking of spring (or even jumping ahead to summer!), why not try to bring yourself back to the present with an ancient practice known as a sun salutation?

The True Meaning of Valentine's Day

So I realize this post is a bit outdated as Valentine's Day was four days ago, but in my Procrastinator's Handbook the section entitled "Better Late than Never" says you can make up for your untimeliness if you have a reasonable argument for why you don't need to do something on the actual date. Here goes...

ITM: Morning Routine

Oh, how I long for those days in early September when going to school was novel and fun and the kids jumped out of bed to get ready. Then, as the days got shorter and the darkness got longer, things started to slow down. Throw subzero temps into the mix and an erratic schedule of actual school days and I feel like I should just throw my hands up into the air and give up!

At one point, when I asked my kids why they thought we'd started running behind in the mornings and having to rush, my oldest admitted "Because we were really excited about school at the beginning of the year, and now we're not." You have to appreciate a seven year-old's simple truth.

The Joy of the Dentist

I had a not-so-fun dental procedure (forgive my redundancy) done today, and you may be wondering from my choice of post titles if it included any laughing gas. It didn't; however, I'm choosing to view it as a positive experience because of the opportunity it offered me to enrich my mindfulness journey, believe it or not!

The Art of the To-Do List

You may remember in my New Year's post I talked about setting goals as opposed to resolutions for the year, and that my primary focus was to work on my time management issues (ahem) challenges. I will be doing a series of posts throughout the year, which will include techniques I am trying and changes I am making on this organizational journey, which will be dubbed "Integrated Time Management" or ITM (you may have heard of "Integrated Pest Management" or IPM--a method used to solve pest problems while still being as forgiving as possible to people and their environment? I'd like to think of this as very similar methodology.)

Mindful Parenting in Isthmus

I am very excited to announce my first article "in print" since my reintroduction into the writing world. Of course, like all things today, you can also access it electronically by clicking here. 

Isthmus gave me my first big break (and several thereafter) when I started writing years ago, so I am happy to be working with them again. It is a great weekly newspaper that isn't afraid to tackle some big issues. After you check out my article, look around some more.

Happy reading!!

The Joy of Bedtime

Oh, yes! I want to convince you to think about bedtime in a positive light if you don't already. Something that can seem akin to a nightmare can actually be one of the best parts of your family's day.

Thankful Parenting

I know it's cliché, but this is a great time of year to step back and consciously sum up what you are thankful for. Everyone has something, regardless of your situation. You just have to find it.

Thankfulness is also an important lesson to instill in your children, as it is not a skill that comes naturally. In fact, we know that young children are naturally egocentric until about age seven, which is about as far off from thankfulness as you can get.

The Joy of Leaf Raking

This past weekend we saw most the leaves come off our trees in one fell swoop. On Monday, after sending the kids off to school, every time I looked out the window I would consider going out to rake. But it was windy, and I just couldn't get myself motivated.

Miley Cyrus Parenting

A few weekends ago, I was watching SNL. Miley Cyrus was hosting. I spent much of the show shaking my head in dismay and having an internal "mom"ologue that went from "What on Earth is she wearing?" to "Thank goodness I have boys!"

Working Toward Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a topic I find myself more and more interested in, especially how it can carry over into my parenting. I think it can be a very useful tool for parents to have in their "belt," especially during those moments where you feel like either: a) screaming at the top of your lungs or b) walking away...far, far away. (And I do advocate walking away in the heat of a moment at home with your kids, but not far, far away and definitely not when walking away might compromise their safety--i.e. the public domain).