I had the opportunity to visit Baltimore for a work trip earlier this month. We decided that we would jaunt over to DC before we headed back home, since it was just a train ride away. While we were in DC, we visited the Holocaust museum. It was a harrowing experience, but an event that needs to be remembered.

After reading and seeing the contents of the exhibits for the 3 hours we were in that museum, it seemed incredibly disrespectful to carry on with my usual posts. At least with out acknowledging the haunting things I witnessed, and express … Read more

My little guy is kind of a slow poke.

I don’t mean with running, because that kid is FAST. I mean he’s slow with developmental milestones. He was slow to crawl, slow to walk, and slow to talk. (But he was 9 pounds at birth, and got all of his teeth well before 18 months, so there’s that).

Like many naive new parents, I always thought my kid would be the fastest kid to learn new skills, and achieve milestones. He was going to be breaking records and just impressive all around. A Guinness book of world record baby … Read more

Before I had my son, I was the queen of productivity. I could clean the entire house in one afternoon. I would make a to-do list, finish everything on it and then some. If I wanted something done, I got it done.

Now that I have entered motherhood, most of what I can accomplish is limited to the small window of nap time. If I attempt chores any other time, they are constantly interrupted by tiny hands that need love and attention. On top of that, ever since becoming a mother my ability to focus isn’t what it used to … Read more

As you know or can imagine, traveling with kids is just a complete joy (Insert thick sarcasm here). They get thrown off of their routines, they don’t sleep well, and while they remain adorable through all of this they also become unmanageable little terrors.

We had the privilege of being able to attend my brother’s graduation at the end of last month. We’d struggled for the previous day and half with basically no naps for our toddler, and it had been physically and mentally exhausting. We were completely wiped out.

I finally got the tired little toddler to sleep. He … Read more

I had another one of those days. A day that didn’t turn out awesome. It started out fine, and basically went to crap as the day wore on.

I’ve become moderately obsessed with vinyl, and I was at the very end of a complex project, and I messed it up. It was a layered project and while putting it together I didn’t align it right, and I ruined the entire thing.

So I wasted my time (and wasted the vinyl). That was going to be my win for the day. A day that had been rough anyway, and the botched … Read more

I had a significant realization recently. About something troubling.

I complain about blessings. ALL THE TIME.

This sounds ridiculous, but it happens to most of us.

There is a beautiful, crazy, destructive, sweet, tiny human that entered my life almost two years ago. He is an ENORMOUS blessing, but sometimes I forget. Sometimes, I think more about the restrictions on my freedom that come with being a mother. The interruptions that happen with every task I try to accomplish. The inability to simply sit on the couch and rest.

What has been gained in exchange for those small inconveniences? … Read more

If you’ve been on Thoughts, Dots, and Tots before, you probably heard me talk about self-care before. And… I’m going to talk about it again. Its something that I absolutely cannot cover enough. It’s not because I’m out of ideas, or I’ve forgotten what I’ve written about before. This topic is simply so important that it bears repeating.

I’m going to give you a simple self-care challenge. It’s super simple. Super quick.

I want you to do one thing. Everyday.

The catch? It can’t be essential. It can’t be something that you HAVE to do.

Cleaning, working, making dinner? As … Read more

I’ve written about daycare on the blog before. About why I refuse to apologize for taking my son to daycare, and why I refuse to apologize for my decision to be a working mom. A list of tips for choosing quality daycare. In the broader scope of this topic, I even had someone write into the advice column asking about dealing working when they want to be stay home with their kids.

Why am I so stuck on this topic? Because daycare gets a bad rap. A largely unearned bad reputation.

Another reason is my relationship with the word “daycare”. … Read more

“You just need to get over it.”

“Stop wallowing.”

“Snap out it.”

“It could always be worse.”

A few weeks ago, I was talking with someone who was experiencing some significant struggles in their life, and they told me that someone close to them told them they just needed to “get over it”.

That ranks in my personal top 5 of worst advice to give someone. It’s not helpful, it’s not compassionate, and it does not portray understanding. Someone who really cares about you will allow you to grieve. They won’t force you to move quicker than is right for … Read more