A couple of days ago, Barack Obama delivered his farewell address. During his speech, as Obama thanked his wife and children for standing by his side, Sasha Obama’s absence became apparent. There was even a trending Twitter hashtag were people speculated as to where was Sasha.

Well, apparently Sasha was taking a science exam. When I heard the reason that she missed the address, I first thought, surely she could have gotten an excuse from school for that. At any rate, that is a decision that the Obama family made concerning Sasha’s education, and while I respect it, I would not have made the same decision for my teenage daughter.

Don’t get me wrong. As parents, my husband and I hold school work in high regard. So, I encourage my daughter to excel in school; however, school is not the end all, be all. There are some experiences in life that are just more important than achieving an A+ on a test. My daughter’s experiences out of the classroom, such extracurricular activities and family vacations, can be just as important as what she learns inside of a classroom. Through sports activities my teenage daughter has learned the value team work, good sportsmanship and perseverance. Through her musical activities, such as violin and orchestra, she has learned to engage an audience and overcome her fear of performing in front of a crowd. She’s learned to be a good friend who exhibits kindness and compassion just by making time for her friends outside of school. Lastly, by attending family get-togethers and outings, she’s learned that family comes first.

What are your thoughts? Should education be prioritized over everything? Please like, share, and comment.

This morning was rather eventful to say the least. One of the twins woke up with her eyes clamped shut with mucus and the other twin channeled a scene from ‘The Exorcist’ as she decided to throw up on me twice while prepping for daycare. By 7 o’clock it was very clear: these babies were not in shape for daycare today.

As my husband dipped out to work so fast it would make your head spin, I was painfully aware that it was Mommy’s turn to take the ‘L’. Contrary to popular belief, staying home from work with a sick child is not a leisurely day. Or at least my sick baby wasn’t. My day went as follows:

• 7am –ish: Call Nurse triage and explain my babies’ symptoms to get an appointment scheduled for both kids.
• 7:30am: Call daycare and work and explained we would not make it in.
• 8am: Go to acute care clinic.
• 9:00am: Finally see doctor, who apparently overslept and ran late.
• 9:30am: Wait for Emergency Room pharmacy to fill the twins’ prescriptions.
• 10am-ish: Finally make it home. Administer meds, change diapers, and feed the babies.
• 11am-ish: The twins finally fall asleep. Lunchtime.
• 12pm: Disinfect playroom and some laundry while babies are asleep.
• 2pm –ish: Babies wake up. Administer more meds, change diapers and feed the babies again.
• 3pm –ish: Order pizza, because I am not cooking tonight. Pull out the newly disinfected toys, because the babies are now closer to being their active little selves again.
• 4pm: This is the time I would usually get off work and head to the gym (not happening today). Needless to say, I am exhausted. Hats off to stay at home moms. I don’t use nearly this much energy at work.

What are sick baby days like for you? Please comment, like and share below.

       Truth: When I first had the twins, I was reluctant to let Dad do anything. Seriously, it was pretty ridiculous. Although we attended the same parenting courses and doctors’ visits, somehow I was under the false impression that there was a special way that I made the bottles and changed the diapers that the twins could recognize. What in the heck was I thinking?

            Now, I have definitely recognized the error in my ways. There comes a time when, despite how much we want to be everything to everybody, us moms have got to learn to delegate. Thanks to much trial and error, I am now very much accustomed to delegating certain unwanted tasks to hubby.

Here’s my fun list of tasks that hubbies are more than capable of doing:

1. Changing out the bags in the diaper pail (Oh yeah. You can have that one.)
2. Making and warming bottles (Seriously, a monkey could do that.)
3. Changing the baby’s clothes (Maybe not picking out the outfits, though.)
4. Keeping an eye on the babies while you cook, clean, wash your hair, etc.
5. Changing poopy diapers (Dads can definitely do that).

Basically, what I’m saying is that we are not living in the 1920s anymore. Dads can do and are expected to do anything a mother can do (with the exception of breastfeeding). So Dads, get to work and give Mom a break!

Please comment with your thoughts below. Remember to like and share!

Today, I saw an interesting video that has gone viral recently. In the video, there is a mother who is hiding from her children simply so she can enjoy a Twizzler. It made me think. In not so recent society, having children was a means to an end. Parents chose to have larger families, because they needed the help earning income. Today, thanks to child labor laws (which are a good thing, by the way), children do not have the same earning potential as they did back in the day.

While I agree unequivocally that child labor laws should exist, how did we to the point in society where parents feel the need to hide from their children? Also, if this poor mother feels that she has to hide from her two-year-old child, what in the heck is going to happen when this child becomes a teenager?

Look, parenting is hard. Some days, it takes all of the strength within to muster along to the next day. I get it. But don’t get so caught up in being the ultimate parent that you feel you can’t say no to your child. If there is ever a day where I have to hide from my child in order to enjoy a treat, then something has gone horribly wrong.

Children are joy and they love to be around their parents when they are young. I mean, check out the picture of my older daughter following up behind me when she was younger. With that being said; parents, it is okay to give yourselves a break. Don’t let your children make you feel as though you have to hide in a pantry in order enjoy a snack.

Please like and comment with any thoughts that you may have about this article. I would love to hear from you. Remember to share!

All around the country, here in the United States, children are either out of school due to inclement weather or anticipating being out of school on Monday. This means that parents around the country are calling in to work and staying home with energetic children who don’t want to be cooped in the house. What to do?

Well the obvious answer is play in the snow! And boy, I cannot wait! Back home, in Kansas City, MO, my daughter and I would have a blast. We would make snow angels and snowmen. And for some strange reason, at the age of eight, my daughter loved shoveling the snow. The only bothersome part of our snow days was getting her to wear snowsuit. For some reason, it was always hard to get her to dress warmly, no matter what the temperature.

As the evening wore on, we would go back indoors to cuddle up and enjoy some hot cocoa and chili. For when the weather is dreary, you need something warm to soothe your soul.

Getting to hang out and watch Disney movies with my daughter is the best! For that reason, I look forward to this upcoming winter storm headed our way. Be safe out there, though!

            I hope you enjoyed this shared experience. Please like and comment with your favorite snow day activities. Remember to share!

So, here is an interesting story. A while back, when our twins were newborns, they had acid reflux. In the middle of the night, after their nighttime feed, and being rocked to sleep in our arms, we would lay them in their cribs. There, they would grunt…all night long or until they woke up.

            As an overly cautious mother, who was already on high alert due to witnessing our daughters’ experience Bradys episodes (short for bradycardia and apnea) in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), I could not get to sleep while hearing our daughters make sounds of discomfort all evening long. Bradys is when your infant’s heart dips abnormally low. This is usually associated with premature babies in NICU, because they sleep with heart monitors on their little feet. Due to all this, I felt extremely uncomfortable sleeping too far apart from the babies. And to my husband’s chagrin, the babies have been sleeping in the bed with us for the last nine months, with a few rare exceptions here and there.

            This is probably our biggest fail as parents so far with the twins. Now, getting them to lay in their cribs at night is a huge endeavor. Or at least, it was tonight. I am proud to say we got it done, though. It only took a bath with rubber duckies, a lavender lotion massage, and bottle feedings and lots of off key lullaby singing, but we got it done. Now, let’s all cross our fingers that we can keep the babies in their cribs for the year 2017. This is my most important resolution.

            Please like and comment with any tips or suggestions that you may have on getting babies to sleep through the night in their cribs. I would love to hear from you. Remember to share!

Here in the United States, society has told us that women can have it all, but let’s face it; your average parent is pulled in a million different directions at once. From scheduling piano lessons and attending children’s basketball games to working full-time, while attending college on the side, juggling work and family can be a struggle. As a mother of a teenager and twin infants, I am often asked how I manage it all. Here are a few tips that help me get through the day:

1. Make Lots of Lists

I am an extreme list maker. In fact, my list game is so deep; I will make a list of lists that I need to make. I never go shopping without a shopping list. I use lists to manage my bill payments as well. I like to start my day with a list of tasks that I would like to accomplish for the day, which includes everything from calling the cable company to working out at the gym. I like to prioritize my lists by level of importance, that way if it is impossible for me to accomplish all of my tasks in one day, then the least important task gets put off to the next day. This brings me to my next point.

2. Don’t Procrastinate

I know you have probably heard this a gazillion times before, but do not put off for tomorrow what you can do today. This is a wise statement to live by. I personally try to complete tasks that take less than three minutes to finish right away. Why wait?

3. Learn To Say No

This step was very hard for me. Being a people pleaser by nature, I hate saying no. But not wanting to say no can lead you to doing a lot of things that you don’t want to do, which leaves very little time for the things you actually would like to do. It is that simple. After a long, hard day of working and accomplishing my list of tasks, all I want to do is wind down with my family and watch the twins in their playroom. This means someone has to hear the word no. Whether its extended family or co-workers planning an outing, if I’m not there mentally, there is no point in my physical presence anyway. So, when it comes to saying no, go with your first instinct. If you don’t want to do it, then don’t.

I hope this post was helpful. Please like and comment with any tips that you have for working parents.  Remember to share!