Sep
1
In September, walking the halls of any elementary or pre-school can be a gut-wrenching experience. Let’s be honest: No matter what the benefits might be, transition can be challenging at any age. So, after months or years of moms and their kids being attached at the hip, saying goodbye can be tough for many a little guy—and often even harder on moms.
When to begin preparing with your child for the back-to-school separation is a personal decision dependent on a million variables that differ from family to family. Further, although circumstances regarding readiness differs for everyone, this familiar scenario plays out annually each September to rattle bodily systems big and small. Even if you are secure in your parenting theory, have read hundreds of books brimming with empowering advice, and have reached out to dozens of friends and family members, the First Day of School is one of those events for which being fully prepared is always difficult. Read more
Aug
1
Nutrition Tips from Snow White
Filed Under Life/Balance | Leave a Comment
My daughter had never been so excited about a piece of fruit: “Mamakinz, you just have to try this apple!!!!” The school year was coming to a close. Summer, filled with yummy fruits and veggies, was waiting in the wings. I was thrilled that my daughter’s elementary school had decided to take the kids on a field trip to a local supermarket. The objective was to teach the children about nutrition, locally-grown and organic products, gourmet specialty items, plus the ins and outs of operating and working in a grocery store. What could be bad?
In my quest for greater life balance, I hoped to make changes in my children’s diet over the summer. The field trip was just the ticket to help drive home my ongoing campaign to minimize some bad eating habits that were often driven by convenience (leading me to suffer a nutritional guilt trip as well as the nasty behavioral consequences of kids jacked-up on sugar!). Read more
Jul
1
No Peanuts on Board
Filed Under Life/Balance | Leave a Comment
Travel is something we are very familiar with in our family. If not careful, you are sure to break your neck tripping over various sized suitcases strewn throughout our house. My husband travels so much for work that we have placed a large map near the back door where colorful, oversized push-pins are used as a tracking device to indicate where daddy is on business this week. Although taxing, his travel also adds many benefits to our family including geography lessons for our kids, plus the intermittent unique souvenir as well as opportunities to visit places our family would not likely explore. To top it off, my husband’s travel graces us with platinum hotel points and frequent flyer miles. This benefit has lead to invitations by my husband to join him (without children) and blaze the ever-dreamy, yet challenging trail of going away as a couple to reconnect with one another and ourselves.
When considering these invitations, I have had to embrace the enormity of preparation that goes into planning a trip where others are left behind to fill “Mother Hubbard’s Shoe”: everything in it’s place, important papers signed, information regarding drop offs and pick ups prepared, and all essentials packed, including comfort items Blankie and Blue (which at this point are regarded as our third and fourth child). Initially, this felt like such a magnitude of preparation that the effort barely reached the bonus of a three-day getaway. I could only hope the trip would be worth it. Read more
Jun
1
Thank Goodness for Goofy Dads
Filed Under Life/Balance | Leave a Comment
By June Grushka-Rosen
As an infant, she wouldn’t stop crying, and I was at a loss for what to do. I had tried every suggestion imaginable-feeding, walking, rocking, changing the environment, holding, burping, swaddling, lying her on her back, her side, her stomach-yet nothing seemed to work. After what seemed like days of attempting to solve the mystery of the fussy baby, I was desperate to tend to a few personal tasks. I placed my beautiful, but very cranky daughter in her crib to make an important call to my old boss. I had hoped that the call could be made without the incriminating howls of my new peanut.
Running down the stairs, I asked my husband to keep an eye on the baby while I placed my call. It was a nice break to touch base with work. After hanging up, I glanced at my watch; the house was still and quite and the call had lasted longer than I had expected. Unfamiliar to tranquility in our house since our new addition, I frantically ran to check on the baby.
I was stopped in my ever-loving mommy tracks as I reached the upstairs landing. My smiling spouse had the now very happy baby placed in the palm of his hand and was flying her some six plus feet through the air like a toy airplane! Part of me wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, “You don’t do that to a baby!” But the fact that he’d found a way to soothe our crying child gave me pause to embrace the delightful differences between mothering and fathering! Read more
May
5
Mother’s Day Comes Full Circle
Filed Under Life/Balance | Leave a Comment
By June Grushka-Rosen
Mother’s Day is a holiday I cherish for many reasons, the most important being that I happened to have had a great mother. Unfortunately, she passed six years ago from cancer, but our lives are blessed with sweet memories of her unique mothering. This includes the vivid memories of her on Mother’s Day rushing to prepare for extended family; with a bottle of auburn hair die in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other, she stirred whatever yummy dish was boiling over in the pot.
As children, we were unaware of the multi-tasking frenzy that occurred even on her special day. We were too busy secretly trying to wrap her $2 presents that were bought with money she’d given us. Considering all the extra duties she took on to pull off a nice Mother’s Day for our guests, it was crystal clear how she felt about the holiday. The rant was something like this, “Mother’s Day is ridiculous and phony! The whole world should appreciate mothers every day, not just once a year!”
Okay, so my mother was right. Not only because she was my mother, but because of the glaring reality of that only one square in May out of an entire twelve-month calendar existed to pay homage to mothers. For many, one Mother’s Day is sufficient. It serves as a beautiful ritual that I personally am glad to embrace. It’s a chance to let moms take a pause (which in itself is a rarity), as well as let ourselves pause honor mothers of the world, wherever they are on their journey. It’s also an inter-generational celebration; children honoring their mothers with beaded necklaces strung from macaroni, and mothers honoring their mothers with flowers and plants symbolizing their roots, and the intense nurturing they received to blossom and grow. Lastly, it’s a challenge, as moms unwilling to slow down, even on Mother’s Day. Moms need to take time off from their busy paths to focus on nurturing themselves, giving a well-deserved pat on their own back for the extraordinary role they play as nurturers and caregivers. Read more
Mar
1
Desperate for Respite
Filed Under Life/Balance | Leave a Comment
By June Grushka-Rosen
Exhausted, I stared at the burrito on the plate in front of me while holding back tears. I had just flown into Tucson, Arizona with my husband and two very young children for a long, overdue visit with my family, and tradition insists that immediately upon arrival you be whisked off to eat “real” Mexican food–whether you’re hungry or not. With cheese running down her chin, my (childless) sister began discussing the jam-packed itinerary she’d designed for our “vacation.” Left off the list, however, was the one thing they enticed me with to take this journey: down time for this exhausted mommy.
I had been feeling out of balance for months; back-to-back pregnancies yielded sleepless nights and the births of two beautiful but tireless children who were born only 15 months apart and exhibited a real preference for the nocturnal. My exhaustion level was at its peak and without family close by to help out I was pooped!
The trip only added to my fatigue. Besides having to coordinate my work schedule and arrangements for the house and cat, I had to prepare for the long plane ride: car seats, strollers, and hoards of organic snacks to keep a restless toddler and potentially screaming baby as calm as possible. What’s more, two sets of continuously “full” diapers only added to the pleasant flight. (Have you ever tried to change a diaper in an airplane?) And adding to the stressful situation of a plane full of unsympathetic passengers, my husband kept giving me that “I knew this was a bad idea” look. Oh, how I longed for a respite and thankfully, I knew that my family would be able to see and fill this desperate need. Read more
