Make Every Day Mother’s Day

MediaMom May 13, 2013 Family Life, Health & Wellness, Healthy Family, Holidays

Yesterday was no different from a host of other Mother’s Days. We celebrated mom. Put mom first, gave her breakfast in bed, or flowers, or a day at the spa, or jewelry, or relieved her of her parenting responsibilities for a few hours. And it’s a big deal. Americans will spend an average $170 per mom this year, for a total of $20.7 billion dollars. Why? Well, because moms, whether they are working outside the home or not, whether their kids are six weeks or six years, 16 or 60, are overworked, overtired, and always sacrificing big things and small for their kids. And that’s the nature of motherhood. But I think moms this year need to give themselves a gift.

Think about all those things you have done for your kids and ask why you wouldn’t have just done that for yourself alone. Maybe it’s simply embarrassing yourself with failed attempts to hula hoop in the front yard, or actually wearing a bathing suit in public so your kids can enjoy the pool. Or, maybe it’s something bigger like getting potentially life-saving weight loss surgery like Governor Chris Christie (yes, I know he’s a dad, but it still holds…), or finally breaking out of a house of horrors like Amanda Berry.

Kids give us courage to do things we wouldn’t otherwise do. And that is one of the most wonderful things about parenthood. But all moms, and dads deserve to be silly, and confident, and bold, and brave, just for ourselves too. And while the roses, and cards, and chocolates and massages are all nice — living life to the fullest is a gift we can only give to ourselves.

Mother's Day

Picture of Mother’s Day

RookieMom May 10, 2013 Holidays

My husband has been asking me for weeks what I want to do for Mother’s Day. Do I want to go out for brunch? Breakfast in bed? A day of pampering? What could he and Liam do to celebrate? The truth is, I don’t really need or want much fanfare. I’m not a huge fan of “hallmark holidays” like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. Sure, I still celebrate them, but to me other than major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, there are now only two occasions a year that truly deserve some serious planning and celebration — Liam’s birthday and our wedding anniversary. Still, I knew he wanted to do something for me for Mother’s Day and I think I realized exactly what I want.

A few weeks ago, I found myself looking through the thousands of pictures we have taken since Liam was born — there are just so many cute ones. Pictures of Liam by himself, with various grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins, and family pictures of the three of us. It struck me how few pictures I had of Liam and me, the last of which was months ago, a long time in this little guy’s life. I guess I’m so frequently the one taking pictures that I’m not often in them, and when I am it tends to be the more formal family or group shot. The most recent one I could find is below — Liam had just turned one! So for Mother’s Day this year what I want is simple — a mother son picture that I can frame and put on my desk at work. I think it just might become a Mother’s Day tradition.

What do you really want for Mother’s Day this year?

Mother's Day

Day in the Life of a Working Dad – Part 1

Caty, Blog Editor May 09, 2013 Family Life, Family Routine, Infant, Toddler, Work/Life Balance, Working Parent

Editor’s Note: Andy is a Bright Horizons employee and working dad of a toddler and infant twins. We’re excited to welcome him to the blog and share in his adventures as he navigates the challenges of working, parenting three children under age three, house-hunting, and finding time to sleep…

3:30 a.m.
“Cole’s screaming!” For the life of me I still have no idea how my wife knows which twin is crying, but it’s my shift and those words mean I have to get out of bed with our five month old son who is not sleeping through the night yet. Sure enough, Cole is hungry. He’s a good little guy and once he sees that I am doing what he wants – prepping his bottle – he’ll give me a few minutes. After a feeding, burping, and diaper change, I put him back down.

4:00 a.m.
Now comes the decision moment. Laying sound asleep in the basinet next to Cole is his twin sister Claire. Do I wake her and feed her? Or, do I let her be with the hopes that this will finally be the night she sleeps all the way through? Today I am an optimist and decide to let her sleep. I crawl into bed, fire up the Kindle Paperwhite (I love this device!) and read until I can fall back to sleep.

4:30 a.m.
Well, you guessed it. Tonight is not the night that Claire sleeps through. So I repeat the process with her, except that she does not give me the luxury of those few calm few minutes to prep her bottle. Claire prefers to scream in my ear as I hold and bounce her. Ah, my little princess. She is, however, a faster eater than her brother. Now I am faced with the decision of staying up or going back to bed only to be rudely awoken by the alarm. I choose a few minutes sleep, and it is wonderful, until the dreaded alarm.

6:15 a.m.
The alarm goes off and now my day has “officially” started. Did I mention there is also a toddler in the mix? Grey is 2 ½. He’s a great sleeper, but can be a bit cranky in the mornings. I jump out of bed, shower and it’s a mad dash with my wife to get the kids dressed and out the door. Did I mention we are in a two-bedroom apartment in the city? We are finally coming to terms with it being time to move to the suburbs. My toddler goes to one child care center while the babies attend another, so my wife wheels Grey one way and I head in the opposite direction with the twins.

7:15 a.m.
Just getting the twins into the car is an adventure as three car seats do not fit easily in our SUV, so every morning is a bit of a wrestling match. We continue to fight the obvious solution…a mini-van. But, more on that another time.

7:30 a.m. (Yes, my morning commute is great!)
I won’t go through the details of getting the twins out of the car and into the center, putting away bottles, and storing the stroller and car seats. Even though I seem to forget one of those steps every day, I have yet to forget the actual bottles – but we all know that day is coming. It’s comforting to know that Target is right down the road from work.

Now in my office, I can get coffee and start the work day. It’s 8:00 a.m. and I’ve got to run to my first meeting!

Dad Twins

A Keepsake Mother’s Day Activity – 2013

NourishMom May 08, 2013 Seasonal Activities

Every year on Mother’s Day my mom would tell me and my siblings that all she wanted was “peace, love and happiness.” We couldn’t understand why she didn’t want a new bathrobe or something else cool like that. As a mom, I finally get it.

Peace, love and happiness is just about the perfect mom’s day gift. That and a little recognition that maybe – just maybe – I am doing okay as a mom. That’s why I love this fun Mother’s Day activity I’ve been doing the past 3 years with Olivia (age 6).

I love going back and reading her 4 year old answers and 5 year old ones compared to this year. I’m surprised at how some answers have persisted – she really loves my spaghetti sauce – while others have resurfaced from two years ago.

If you want to do this activity with your own child, I created a Mother’s Day Activity template so you can print it and either you or child can fill it out. You can just call me…awesome. *grin – see answer 1 below*

Mother's Day Activity

My mom is…awesome.
I really love it when my mom…cooks.
My mom likes to wear…yellow.
My mom always tells me…I love you.
The best thing she does is…puts me to bed.
It makes her happy when…I kiss her. (still so true!)
My mom loves to relax by…the tv.
I like it when she…plays with me.
The best thing she cooks is…spaghetti and meatballs.
When my mom shops she likes to buy…cereal.
My mom’s favorite household chore is…nothing. (finally she got this one right!)
My mom’s favorite TV show is…Top Chef.
If she could go on a trip, she would go to…Hawaii. (sign me up!)
I love my mom because she loves…me.

Share your answers on our parent community board – Fun Mother’s Day Activity.

Mother's Day Mother's Day Activity Mother's Day gifts

The Backyard Swing Set

ProgressiveMom May 07, 2013 Family Life, Seasonal Activities, Uncategorized

We’re on the hunt for a backyard swing set. You know, the cliche wooden one with swings, a slide and some other type of climbing component that lines the backyards of every neighborhood it seems. I’ve been scouring Craigslist, sales at local stores and even asked my neighbor with an older daughter if she’d want to sell us hers. Once we find one, I’ll know we’ll buy it so my boys can spend their after-school hours climbing, swinging, and taking fantasy adventures on their teeter-totter spaceship/school bus/train/horse.

Something that I keep thinking about though is whether we really NEED one. We’re not walking distance to the playground like we were at our old house, and the boys have lots of fun on our current old metal set left by the previous owners. I like knowing they are playing safely in the backyard where I can hear and see them while I make dinner or wash dishes.

The reason I’m second guessing though is because if you stand in our backyard and look to the left, you see this:

And if you look to the right, you see this:

See what I mean? If these were the good ol’ days, all three families would just share one swing set. The kids would run happily from yard to yard until their moms rang the dinner bell or until it got dark – whichever came first. Now, we’re all so siloed that within several hundred yards of each other, there will soon be three giant wooden structures and three families worth of kids playing by themselves. I’m wondering if I should skip the purchase and just make friends with the neighbors.

I’m reminded by a post written by blogger Jennifer Seiderer. She shares the same feelings I do about neighborhoods and kids playing together. In fact, she rounded up her boys and canvased the neighborhood inviting people over for a Playborhood party. I’m thinking the same thing might be in my future….you know, once the playscape is up.

neighbors playborhood playscapes swing sets

Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Well Aware Challenge

Caty, Blog Editor May 06, 2013 Exercise, Health & Wellness, Healthy Family, Mom to Mom Challenge, Nutrition

We all know that being physically active and focusing on good nutrition are important priorities. But knowing this and doing something about it are two different things. With all the demands in a busy parent’s life, it can be hard to find the time to exercise and cook healthy meals. To combat this, our bloggers will be committing to healthy lifestyle changes in our latest Mom to Mom challenge: Well Aware Challenge.

In this challenge, named for the Bright Horizons Well Aware curriculum (which fosters positive attitudes toward healthy living, physical activity, and nutrition), our bloggers will set healthy lifestyle goals that they will work to achieve throughout the month of May. Each mom will share her results early next month.

Well Aware Challenge Goals

Rookie Mom: My goal is to train for and run in my first ever road races (yikes!). I’m training for a 5K that I’ll be running for Horizons for Homeless Children on May 18 and I’ll also be running in a marathon relay the following weekend.
Progressive Mom: My goal is to set aside at least 30 minutes, five days a week for some kind of exercise. Playing with the kids, going to the playground, etc. doesn’t count. It needs to be something just for me and strenuous enough to count as cardio.
Nourish Mom: My goal is to incorporate better healthy eating habits into my family’s daily routine. In particular, I plan to educate my children on the importance of eating the food pyramid and being conscious of portion control.
Media Mom: My goal is to find ways to incorporate more exercise – even if it’s just walking – into my weekly schedule.
Organized Mom: My goal is to eat Paleo for 30 days. Sure, I have the extra incentive of this being a part of a CrossFit competition, but I’m looking forward to trying new recipes, maybe developing some new habits, and decreasing weight while increasing strength.

To our readers: What health, fitness or nutrition goals are you trying to achieve this spring? Participate in the Well Aware Challenge along with us! Post your goal and join in as we cheer each other on throughout the month of May.

Fitness Healthy Eating

Toddler Speech: Look Who’s Talking

RookieMom May 03, 2013 Development, Language & Literacy, Toddler

I like to think of myself as a laid back mom. The kind who doesn’t worry about every little thing, doesn’t compare her child to others and just enjoys her child for who he is. The mom who doesn’t sweat the small stuff and trusts that things will eventually work out. While sometimes I am that mom, at nearly 21 months along, there have already been some notable exceptions. The first was with rolling. I’m not sure Liam ever truly rolled or at least not until he was walking, at which point it no longer really mattered. In the grand scheme of things it seems so minor, but when you’re reading the baby book and getting those development update emails telling you “your child is likely rolling by now” and that kid appears more likely to break dance than roll over, it can be unnerving. Was everything okay? Of course it was, but still it had me rattled.

Next, and far more substantial, was with talking. At 18 months, Liam had a handful of words. And that is with generously counting the words he’d said once or twice and never said again. I was a little freaked out. We talked to our pediatrician. She was very reassuring, but even she said it was something we should monitor over the next few months and potentially take action on if we didn’t see an improvement. So we monitored. Closely. One good and bad thing about Liam being in a group care setting is that it is just so easy to compare. His class is made up of toddlers born within a few months of one another, so it’s pretty easy to tell where your kid fits on the spectrum relative to everyone else. As far as talking was concerned, he was definitely toward the lower end of spectrum but joined by several other boys (the girls in his class seem to be ready to recite Macbeth…what is it with boys?).

At 19 months things weren’t looking (or sounding, I suppose) much better. He had a few more words but almost none he used consistently. I was officially nervous. Was this part of a bigger problem? Should we look to start speech therapy now? On top of this, it was clear that Liam was frustrated by not being able to tell us what he wanted. Join the club, kid.

Then a funny thing happened. All of a sudden, he just started talking. Within the past month, we’ve been amazed at how quickly his vocabulary has grown. It seems like every day he’s got something new to say and all the months I spent nervously worrying now seem crazy. So, maybe I’m not that laid back after all. Either way, what I’ve gleaned from all of this is the importance of patient vigilance when it comes to parenting. Trust but verify, if you will. These are the first in a series of infinite things I’m sure I’ll worry about when it comes to Liam, none of which I can control. I refuse to let them turn me into a total helicopter parent but that doesn’t mean I can’t quietly be a little anxious, right?

Are you a laid back parent? How do you keep from stressing about the little stuff?

At the zoo. Subtitle: Where monkeys?

Couples Dating

OrganizedMom May 02, 2013 Family Life

Note to readers: This story is about a year old, but in order to avoid harming the “dating” experience, I waited to tell my story.

It was time. My husband and I were ready to venture into the world of couples dating. We had moved to a new town several years ago but despite my heavy involvement in the local moms’ group, we had not met any couples. There was a really nice mother and father at our child care center who I thought we might try “dating”. Let’s call them the Johnson Family. We had a kindergartener and preschooler and they had a kindergartner and preschooler. Our kids often played with each other at school, but we had never taken it beyond the friendly exchanges and chatter at drop-off/pick-up or at center events. It’s not that we don’t have friendships with other families, but all of our friends are at least 30-minutes away and in no instance do the ages of the kids match up as perfectly as with this family.

And then it happened. The father suggested we get the families together, outside the center. The Johnsons invited us over for an early dinner which would allow the kids to play a bit while we got to know each other.

I found humor in the evening long before we even got together, starting with figuring out what to bring. I offered an appetizer. I had an inclination the family had healthy eating habits (the kumquats and grape tomatoes they sent in for their kids’ school snacks gave this away) so I opted for chips with homemade salsa and guacamole. I went to a local farmers market that grows their own tomatoes so the salsa would be extra special and picked up whole grain tortilla chips. While at the market, they had beautiful flowers so I bought a couple batches of these as well. As the date neared, my husband and I each tried on several different outfits. We didn’t want to overdress or underdress!

Dating

Dove Real Beauty Sketches: You are more beautiful than you think

NourishMom May 01, 2013 Healthy Family, In the News

Have you seen the Dove Real Beauty Sketches video yet? It came across my Facebook feed a couple days ago and I can’t get it out of my mind. It hits home for me – as a woman and as a mother.

As a woman, I judge myself in my head more than I would ever admit out loud. My hair has too many grays and curls in a messy, uncontrollable way. Growing up, some kid made fun of my big nose. I forever live in my chubby prepubescent body despite outgrowing it in high school. I often wish my lips weren’t so small. My almost 40-year old face is now home to wrinkles. I don’t dare say these insecurities out loud because I’m not supposed to care. But I do.

As a mother, I want my children to see how beautiful they are and not what society tells them is attractive. I also want them to know they have so many wonderful traits that go beyond skin deep. That they are unique and one of a kind.

So how do we lift ourselves and our children up? I am shocked that the answer might just come from a soap company. One that I have used for years without much thought because I can buy it in bulk at Costco.

I tell you, as a marketer, this project and resulting video is brilliant. And, as a woman and mother, it’s the important message – #WeAreBeautiful – that needs to be shared.

So, if you haven’t seen it, grab your tissues.

daughters moms Mother's Day

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