Month: April 2016

11 Struggles Only Type-A People Will TRULY Understand

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Some people may find “Type A” people too high-strung or overachieving, but the fact is, Type A people are brilliant, too. Yes, we may end up with heart issues before Type Bs, but the pros to being a Type A include:

  • We get sh*t done.
  • We don’t stop fighting for what we believe in.
  • We hit every nook and cranny.
  • We remember what you say and listen.
  • We play hard and party hard.

Of course, being a Type A, there are certain struggles we experience in our bold, high-achieving and sometimes stressful lives that other folks simply won’t get.

Read More: 11 Struggles Only Type-A People Will TRULY Understand

Pajamas? NO WAY,

Laura

8 Safety Tips You MUST Read Before Dating Online

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When I heard the news about the murder of Ingrid Lyne, single mother of three children and Seattle resident, I was floored.

It could have been me.

Not that I know that monster who killed her or live in Seattle, but that I am a single mother looking for love online. It wasn’t the first date. The news reports states that they had been seeing each other for six to eight weeks. A new romance gone completely and utterly, devastatingly wrong. Should I then, single woman, step away from the dating apps and sites? My paranoia says yes — run away! But the reality is that monsters exist everywhere and anywhere and so, if women want to online date we must keep our heads about us and make smart choices when meeting strangers for the possibility of true love. Here are some tips to keep in mind after you’ve swiped right and decided to meet, face-to-face.

Read More: 8 Safety Tips You MUST Read Before Dating Online

 

Be Careful,

Laura

8 Signs You’re the Worst Mother Ever

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1. You’ve said “no” to your threenager 

Threenager (n): A tiny person of three years of age who is moody, unpredictable, demanding and similar to its older peer, the teenager.

Your threenager believes that marshmallows and puffs are the dinner of champions but you as the mother put the kibosh on the sweet treats for dinner and instead, provide a meal that encompasses all four of the food groups. Survey Says? You’re the meanest most awful mom to ever exist, according to your threenager, that is.

2. You can’t Pinterest if your life depended on it, and according to your kid, it does

Your child wants you to make Star Wars-themed cupcakes for the class party.

“Can’t you make Yoda-looking cupcakes like Sophia’s mom?”

Read More: 8 Signs You’re the Worst Mother Ever

Congrats!

Laura

4 Mistakes Every Mom Makes With the First Child

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It’s your first child . . . ahh! Everyone, break out the hand sanitizer before you come within two feet of my kid.

Remember that stage? Remember wishing you could put your baby in a bubble? Remember attempting to build said bubble? As a mom of an only, I watch parents with their second and third children and I see a clear difference between how they handle the kids and how I handled my first. The fact is the first child is in many ways, the guinea pig and the showstopper of our parenthood. By that I mean we are testing out everything as we gain our motherhood legs. We’ve never been mothers before and despite what people told us, it isn’t quite what we had thought. It’s better and sometimes, it’s worse than had we imagined. The first child grows with us. The first child learns lessons because we didn’t know better. The first child has our attention, 24/7. We focus on them and we put on our “very best parenting hats” because let’s face it: the more kids, the more tired you are. I am the youngest of four girls. I stand by that statement. As long as I was breathing, all was right with the world.

To all the first children out there, you got the best of us as parents and in some ways, the worst of our learning curve. We apologize in advance, but it’s just life, kiddo.

Read More: 4 Mistakes Every Mom Makes With the First Child

We’re Learning With Our First Kid,

Laura

Why Divorce Made Me a Better Mom

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I know there are plenty of naysayers on divorce. No one said it was an easy choice or that it is “easy” for kids. It’s a hard choice and can be tough on kids. It doesn’t mean, however, that a divorce has to ruin you and your kids’ lives forever. Can it temporarily and intermittently be stressful? The answer would be yes, but like many women who chose to divorce, for a long time I felt as if I were a terrible mom and parent for deciding, along with my ex, to split. I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel for my daughter’s sake until finally, there we both were, standing in the light. The relief flooded me.

You could call me a glass-half-full kind of lady but as hard as the divorce was, it has also made me a better person, a better woman, a better future partner and a better mother. It has pushed me to limits that I realized were not limits. Divorce placed me in the hardest of situations and each time, I got myself out of the slippery knot a bit stronger, a bit smarter, a bit more positive, and a lot more confident. Divorce made me:

Read More: Why Divorce Made Me a Better Mom

It Can Make You a Better Parent, If You Let It!

Laura

16 Struggles of Being a Divorced Mom

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Being a divorced mom has its pluses and minuses. There are times when the idea of being married again makes you want to jump a bridge. You are grateful for your single-mom life postdivorce. Then there are other days when you just want a partner right then and there and you wish you could hire a helping squad and have a friend pick your best match out of thin air! Parenting after divorce certainly has its rough terrain and learning curve. It’s almost as if you’re learning to reparent again and acquire a new way of viewing just about every single thing in your life. So it takes a little humor and a lot of chutzpah (that’s balls and guts for those of you who don’t speak Yiddish) to get through and make your life even more amazing as a divorced mom!

1. Where Is Everything?

When you’re a divorced mom, nothing stays at your house. It somehow always ends up at the other house. You will swear you bought your kid X amount of clothes and new sneakers, but somehow they’re either at your ex’s house or somewhere in purgatory.

 

Read More: 16 Struggles of Being a Divorced Mom

Pros & Cons,

Laura

5 Reasons I Love Being a Single Parent

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Being a single parent isn’t easy, but neither is rocket science, finding a guy who knows the difference between “your” and “you’re,” or surviving an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhousewithout wanting to strangle yourself to death. But even though single motherhood may have its cons and downfalls, there are so many wonderful things to embrace about being a single mom.

More of the Love

No kidding! Even though my child’s father is an active parent, when my daughter is with me, I get every inch of that love! Our bond is so very tight, and we have gotten the chance to develop a close relationship, because when it’s “Mommy time,” it’s “Mommy time,” and that means all of the kisses and hugs, too. How can anyone not cherish that?

Read More: 5 Reasons I Love Being a Single Parent

Love the Life You’re In,

Laura

Dear Daughter: Why You’re an Only

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Dear daughter:

I can’t tell you this today. You are only 5 years old. There are some things you have to wait to understand. But lately, you keep asking me for a baby sister. It’s always a sister. On occasion with some of your friends who are boys, you’ll request a brother but for the most part, the menu is: baby sister, baby sister, and more baby sister.

Last Summer, one day as we ate our dinner outside, you asked me if I could make you a baby sister. When I told you it “didn’t exactly work that way,” you then tried to offer your own services to carry “one baby brother” and me “a baby sister.” When I tried to explain to you that it still doesn’t work that way, you offered grandma’s services. Too bad that it still doesn’t work that way.

Read More: Dear Daughter: Why You’re an Only

While You’re Planning, Life Happens,

Laura