Parenting Archives - Page 43 of 720

My life can be hair pulling and trying to herd cats kinda fun

So we had a little drama this evening and while it's not a huge deal, it perfectly illiterates some of the unique challenges I'm trying to manage. We have a Soda Stream and the kids use it to carbonate their water. We've pretty much removed most of the sugary drinks from our lives. Anyway, I had to swap out the CO2 canister yesterday and for whatever reason, Emmett went and swapped it out again. Basically, he swapped a full canister for a full canister. That's not a huge deal because I can just swap it back when this one is empty. The problem was that I found it on the edge of the table in the kitchen. These canisters are under pressure and while they're safe, you don't necessarily want…

0 Comments

February 15, 2021

6 Fun Ways to Celebrate Easter with the Kids This Year

Holidays this past year have looked a little bit different than anything we have ever celebrated before. Christmas was confined to immediate family only and New Year’s Eve was a casual affair. And with Easter quickly approaching, it seems like it will be the second Easter celebration in a row that will be kept to your close circle. However, just because we can’t celebrate Easter in the way we want to, surrounded by tons of friends and family, does not mean it still can’t be fun. You just have to think of creative ways to celebrate Easter at home! If anything, the pandemic has shown us how to make doing things at home more fun and meaningful than we ever thought possible. Here are 6 fun ways to celebrate Easter…

0 Comments

February 15, 2021

My thoughts

I gave myself 1 week to grieve

As you know by now, I finalized my divorce about a week ago. If you been following for any length of time, you know that this was an emotionally complicated experience for me. This wasn't something I wanted and I didn't understand what happened. Fast forward a year and a half, and I've accepted that my marriage was ending. I'm not happy about it but I do understand it's for the best. As I've said before, the person I married doesn't exist anymore. It's not meant to be an insult to her either. People change and she totally acknowledges that. One of the complicated things for me is coming to grips with this. It's been challenging for me at times and dealing with depression doesn't help. My whole point is…

0 Comments

February 15, 2021

My thoughts

I’m reprioritizing my daily life

I'm kinda pushing myself to get through today. Nothing drastic has changed but I'm feeling anxious and overwhelmed. I'm relieved that my life is finally moving forward and I can begin implementing some of the things I've been waiting to do. That's all positive. At the same time, however, I feel depleted and out of sorts. I slept pretty good last night and that's good. The problem I believe, is more about the years of stress, pain, and exhaustion that have culminated since 2014. All of that has finally reached its conclusion, and I don't have to be strong or stoic anymore for myself or my kids. I'm able to let myself feel these things now. I'm starting over and in order to do that, I have to go through…

0 Comments

February 14, 2021

My thoughts / Reviews

Buying this amazing puzzle helps support #autistic artists

If you've been following our story over the last year or so, You might remember how Emmett and I love putting jigsaw puzzles together. We've put tons of puzzles together over the last 12 months and really enjoyed doing so. I have to say that this latest puzzle we're undertaking is by far the coolest puzzle we've taken on. While we haven't completed it yet, we're working on it a little each day. The puzzle in question is by my friends at Zenaviv. If you don't remember, Zenaviv is a social enterprise, started by my friend Harish Bikmal. Harish is the father of a 19-year-old boy diagnosed with classic autism. Zenaviv is run by parent volunteers. They represent and support autistic artists. Each artist earns at least 66% of the…

1 Comment

February 13, 2021

Link / My thoughts / Sponsored Post

How to Prepare For a Family Road Trip

A road trip is one of the most enjoyable ways to spend time with your family. Thanks to the ability to drive to whatever destination you like, these trips can be a fun and exciting way and to expand your experiences, and bring your family closer together. However, there is no denying that long hours in a car can make parents and children cranky. To make your family’s next road trip a success, here are some tips that will help you prepare properly. Get Your Vehicle Ready Before you even think about going on a road trip you need to make sure that your vehicle is in proper working order. The best thing to do is to schedule an appointment with a mechanic. Photo by Dominika Roseclay from Pexels Make…

0 Comments

February 13, 2021

Gavin / My thoughts

A child trapped in a man’s body

My kids are driving me bonkers today. They're fighting with each other over stupid, pointless things. It's almost like they're fighting just to fight. I just defused an argument between Gavin and Elliott that was very quickly exculating. While this wasn't stupid or pointless, it was completely avoidable. Gavin had been doing something, on purpose, to annoy Elliott. Elliott had asked Gavin to stop half a dozen times and but he kept right on going. Elliott eventually got up and left the room. Gavin then proceeded to follow him and that's when Elliott finally began to lose his patience. This final confrontation took place outside my bedroom door, which is how I became aware of what had been happening. Elliott handled himself quite well but Gavin, not so much. Gavin…

1 Comment

February 13, 2021

My thoughts

Having reasonable expectations for myself

It's Thursday and that means the last day of school for the week. Fridays are deemed independent work days and that essentially means that it's a day where the kids get caught up on any school work they haven't finished. If they're current, it's a free day. I'm pretty sure both boys are caught up but I'll know for sure after they're done with school today. I went to bed in a not so good place and woke up feeling better. Emmett must have had a nightmare because I woke up several times because he kicked me. When I fell asleep last night, Emmett was safely tucked into his own bed and fast asleep. I'm not sure what happened. Either way, I'm glad I could be there for him to…

0 Comments

February 11, 2021