These waffles are so great and easy and dare I say pretty healthy for our family. They melt in your mouth and can be used as pancake batter as well. What a great way to get those sleepy kids out of bed on a Saturday morning! PUMPKIN SPICE WAFFLES 1 1/4 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 cup milk 1/4 melted butter 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 TBSP pumpkin spice mix 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 eggs 1/2 tsp vanil ...

When my oldest son turned a year we went all out on his party. He was our first child and we wanted to celebrate in style so we fed everyone and we fed them well. We had a barbeque for the adults. We had chips and cake and biscuits and sweets for the children. Looking back I can’t believe that we had so much sugar on offer for one year olds! I blame it on being young, ignorant parents. When you start planni ...

Do you ever just look at your children and think, "Wow, I have awesome kids. I am so lucky?" Do you ever just stay up late and pillow talk with your spouse about how glad you are that you have your children and not someone else's? Do you ever just smile at your children because you are so proud of how individual they are? I probably think about how much I love my children everyday . . . well, okay . . . how ...

Parents often ask me, as a former piano teacher, when they should begin their child in piano lessons. When I recommend no earlier than second grade, they are amazed. Part of my answer comes from my experience teaching young children and finding that second grade is the earliest most children have the ability to sit still to practice. The other reason I suggest second grade comes from what I've learned as a ...

As a parent, it is nearly impossible to never have an occasion where you have to leave your child with a babysitter. If you’re one of the lucky ones, you have parents or in-laws in town, making this much easier. But for those who have to find a qualified babysitter, someone who isn’t a trusted family member, the task can be very daunting. After all, you don’t want to leave your most cherished treasure with ...

The wonder and innocence of childhood is a fragile and fleeting thing. The turns and tangles of the world beyond their parent’s arms can be harsh and complex. The cultural pressure on children to abandon their innocence, grow up fast is enormous–and wrought with countless trials and tears. Self-esteem is the consequence of how we cope, what we believe, how we were raised and, most importantly, how we live. ...

I think sometimes we forget that being a mom can and should be FUN. Why is that? Is it because of never-ending dishes in the sink, piles of laundry, or a floor that never stays clean (my personal pet peeve)? Yup, I think those are definite reasons. But I think there's more to it than that. I think we often live in a "what's in it for me?" kind of world. We aren't given a weekly paycheck to be a mom. We aren ...

Over the last 3 years, I have replaced most processed and prepared foods from my family’s diet. It wasn’t and isn’t always convenient but it definitely has changed our health for the better! We used to eat all the wrong stuff! Everything I bought was ready made out of a box, can, or freezer. If you’ve ever read the labels on a box of Hamburger Helper, it doesn’t even sound edible or tasty! I have four very ...

Being a parent means that you need to teach your children healthy eating habits. Which, sadly, means I can't toss my children frozen nuggets and Easy Mac every night. But it also means finding slightly deceitful ways to get my children to ingest vegetables. Introducing Turkey Veggie Meatloaf - which we tell the kids is actually steak (because that's what fancy princesses eat at restaurants). And I also don' ...

With this month being Autism month and with all the work I do with children with Autism, I felt it was fitting to write about these truly amazing human beings and give you perhaps a new understanding of the challenges these children face. A woman brought her son into my office and within minutes, he started moving his hand, making waves in the air above his head. His mother saw this and said, “You see that ...