Parenting

This is where I write about the joyful, exhausting chaos of motherhood. If you’re looking for advice, you’re in the wrong place!  Go ask someone who’s figured it out. If you’re looking for a little commiseration and to feel a little more normal…come on in.

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Family Traditions that Stick

I love family traditions. So I’m here to offer my best advice on building them. Tips #1-10: Keep it simple!!! Christmas is magical all on its own. Your traditions should make the holidays better, not more stressful.

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The Case for Pre-Reading

I think we’re teaching preschoolers to read the wrong way. We’re so caught up in our kids knowing their letters and sounds that we’re skipping over the pre-reading skills that are going to make our kids lifelong readers and learners. Join me up here on my soapbox, won’t you?

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O’Dell Pinterest Experiments, Vol. 1: Rockets and Lava Lamps

Welcome to a new series on the blog, where the kids and I try and out some ideas from Pinterest and see how they work out for us. We started off with “science experiments” because that’s what the kids chose and when you let kids choose, you don’t have to make decisions or take responsibility if it’s a bad idea.

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Desperation Games

In theory, I believe in letting kids create their own fun. Sometimes it even works. Most of the time, in desperation, I come up with activities that are actually too ridiculous to be called games.

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Mom Scouts

At Mom Scouts, we get together, serve chocolate, and hand out badges for surviving the little things in motherhood. We wear those badges proudly so the world knows we did, in fact, accomplish something today.

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Things Change

Learning As You Go

I thought I knew what I was doing when I became a mom. I thought I would parent all of my children exactly the same. I thought I was a sane, reasonable person. I was wrong.

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