When I first starting writing about life as a parent years ago the topic of family stress and getting along with your in-laws was the one most people asked me to write about. But adjusting to life with someone else’s parents comes into play long before you are a parent yourself.   Somehow, though, when kids are in the picture it all becomes much more difficult, stressful and, dare I say, maddening. You want to see your family, and you want your kids to spend time with your family. But between the irritating quirks, special diets and their blatant disregard to your no bird policy, you …

Growing up in a family with four kids with ages ranging from four to 11 years apart can create a challenge when the family wants to do things together. A 4-year-old and a 15-year-old certainly do not want to do the same things. What’s a parent to do? Get creative for one thing and enlist the help of your older children. I know there has been a lot of talk about independent play lately and, while I agree with its benefits whole heartedly, I also love structured family play time. And when you find what works -- we call it our family play time sweet spot -- you can all have fun together …

  I was a shy child, which might be hard to believe if you know me now, so when I saw the same trait in my daughter I starting working on fostering her independence immediately. It wasn’t easy and it took time but now, at age 6, she is far from shy and my work is done. Well, not really. Actually, not by a long shot. My mom was over the other day and gave my husband and I the gift of sleeping in and started helping the kids get their breakfast. I couldn’t help but eavesdrop and wonder what in the world she would make for them. I heard lots of, “We can have chocolate for breakfast” and held my …

  As I was cleaning up the house the other day I found yet another holiday decoration that I missed. Cursing all the way to the attic, I realized it was about that time again, time to find the perfect summer camp for my kids. Wait, could that be right? It was still cold out and my front light still goes on at 5 p.m. every day. I am not one to prolong a process, but I do believe there are a bevy of summer camp open houses now and the most popular ones can fill up pretty quickly. After I packed up what I hoped was the last holiday decoration, I jumped online and started researching my options. …

Yes, I am “that Mom” who asks people to take their shoes off when they come over. From my friends I get quiet compliance with some acknowledgements of similar requests. From the generations before me (read: parents and in-laws) sometimes I get rolled eyes, requests for reminders to bring slippers or flat out refusal to cooperate. So I asked my own mom who diligently brings her slippers to my house or borrows mine but does wear her shoes in her own home why the cold shoulder to my "No shoes in the house" rule. In return, I got a list of reasons, but sore feet and a disbelief that it really …

I started talking about Valentine’s Day with some friends recently and the looks I got could have wilted a rose. Turned up noses, snarky comments about husbands dropping the ball and a few shrugged shoulders was about all I got. I realize that we have all been bombarded with Hallmark and Ferrero Rocher chocolate commercials the past few weeks, but I am determined to turn this holiday from superficial to super fabulous. At least at my house.  For starters I thought of my official answer for “Mom, what is Valentine’s Day anyway?” My answer, drum roll please...“It’s a day to celebrate Love (yes…

A few weeks ago and friend and I drove over to the Fenn School in Concord to see Dr. Anthony Rao, author of 'The Way of Boys,' speak about raising happy and healthy boys. Between the two of us, we have four boys and thought it might be time well spent to listen to a professional on the topic. I have done my fair share of reading on the subject of boys (and girls too, for that matter) but heard something that stayed with me when Rao spoke about this generation’s mass migration indoors. As I sat in the theater and listened to all of the ways being outside benefits human beings I became sad at …

  As a parent we think of everything we can to protect our children. From before they are born we ponder every decision in hopes it is the right one. American parents have gotten a bad rap for their over protectiveness and, while I have seen it go to the extremes, I think all any parent wants is a safe happy child. So we baby-proof, toddler-proof and tween-proof their lives, hoping we don’t get to know the local ER too well. But I was thinking the other day as my Mom came over to watch the kids that maybe they are ready to learn just what to do if all of my “proofing” doesn’t keep them from …

  We all have fond memories of our favorite toys growing up, and some are still packed up in boxes waiting for the next generation of little ones to love them. But none seem to stand the test of time like good old fashioned LEGOS. I saw this in action just last week when my husband’s father sent several boxes from home filled with childhood toys, trophies and pictures. Needles to say, the pictures gave my kids a good laugh and the trophies impressed my son into saying, “Dad you were really good at a lot of things when you were little.” But what they were most enamored with where the LEGOS. …

  Outdating disposable diapers, pacifiers and all of the oh-so-trendy baby gear we all thought we couldn’t live without, play dates have been a part of childhood since ….well, a long time. They are good old-fashioned fun for little babies, preschoolers and now thanks to the evolved parent can also be fun for the whole family. But is that it? We all know exposing children to their peers through play dates is a great way for them to learn social skills, get exercise and give Mom and Dad a break (unless you are hosting, that is). But what I have found since my daughter started elementary school …

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, per say, but I do like to set goals for myself and my family several times a year. In addition to exercise, health and career goals, I also set parenting goals. Nine times out of 10, these goals bring me back to the parenting basics that most of us know and strive for. Sometimes, we all get off course and this time of year -- with all of the holiday parties, school vacation and general rule bending -- can be the worse time for model parenting. That being said, now that the holiday craze is over, why not wipe the slate clean get back to basics and set some …

  The evolution of my New Year’s Eve would make for a very funny comic strip, one that most parents could appreciate. From a kid wanting to make it to midnight, to an adult acting like a kid at midnight, to a parent falling asleep in front of the TV two hours before midnight, how we celebrate New Year’s Eve reflects our life at that moment in time. So now that I'm a parent who still wants to celebrate the year’s end and not take out a small loan in order to pay for it, I am becoming creative and flexible. Nearly every town has a First Night celebration these days, and those are always an …

  I like things neat and organized and I don’t apologize for it. I am by no means compulsive about it, but a messy house gives me hives. So, when I had kids, I was told that this would all change and that at the end of the day I would be so tired that I would take one look at the disaster area called my living room and walk away. Hasn’t happened yet but I am starting to understand the urge. Luckily, my family room has a huge closet that begs for toys, games and other kid paraphernalia to be stored. When my kids were younger, it was easy to sort toys and donate them because they just didn’t …

Now that you have your holiday shopping under control (insert laughter here) and your stress level is manageable (more laughter) you can start to think about taking your kids on the plane this holiday season. I am sure, like everyone else, you have read the many articles about air travel with kids and feel that you have it under control to some degree. But if you are like me and not only want to travel with your kids but also want to actually have fun, you will need to read on. I say this because there is traveling with kids, and then there is traveling with kids with style and sanity. I …

Every parent wants to give his or her children a wonderful holiday season filled with fun activities, family and gifts. And I am no different. But, when I give my children gifts, I want to give them gifts that will not only make them happy but will also teach them something. After all, why would you give your child a gift with no value other than the initial wow factor? So, as I started looking for gifts this year by searching for the latest and greatest (according to various websites), I was shocked and saddened when I saw it was Justin Beiber’s tour bus and stage. Really? I get that is what…

I saw a car with a Christmas tree on it today and suddenly felt a cold sweat build. Was it later than I thought? Why were people getting their tree already? Was else hadn’t I done to prepare for this all important time of the year? I don’t even know the first day of Chanukah (we celebrate both). My husband looked at me with his ever-famous calm smile and said something about people not appreciating the holiday that is right in front of them. I quickly realized that I wasn’t behind the times and my cold sweat turned to a warm appreciation of our family’s ability to take it day by day during …

I don’t know about you, but Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year. With the Nor’easter, Halloween and both kids birthdays, I am halfway into the month and just starting to think about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is such a great time to talk to kids about being thankful because there really aren’t a lot of distractions to this holiday. You have turkey and family, and that is about it. No gifts, no big man in a red suit, no lighting candles for eight nights (we celebrate both Christmas and Chanukah) and no weekends filled with parties. Thanksgiving is pretty basic when you think about it -- and …

Everyone remembers learning to ride their first bike. Little girls proudly peddled their pink wheels with streamers on the handles and the little dudes zoomed back in forth in the driveway, already dreaming up jumps and obstacle courses. It’s a rite of passage, a mode of transportation and a great way to spend time with your kids and get some exercise. We started our kids on balance bikes when they were 2-years-old. Balance bikes are very simple two wheeled bikes with no peddles. Kids used their feet to push themselves around and learn about steering, balance and stopping. Our kids used …

Living in New England means living with our ever changing weather. As Mark Twain once said, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, just wait a bit.” But snow this early in the season seems unusual even for New England. So when this week’s Nor’easter came and we were without properly fitting snow boots, our hats and gloves were still packed away from last season and the power went out for days, the kids started to see life a little differently. What I mean is, well, we all take a lot for granted. I started to improvise right away by having the kids use their rain boots, since their …

I love Halloween. Aways have. And I find that I like it even more as an adult. The idea of being someone or something else for an evening is appealing. But I also love carving pumpkins, drinking hot cider and dressing up the front porch. I love the neighborhood camaraderie and--yes, I’ll say it--the candy! I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so this time of year really calls on all of my willpower, which is limited to begin with. But now that I am a parent, and one child has my sweet tooth, I have to reel it in a bit. While I have only caught my daughter sneaking chocolate from her Advent calendar…