I get this question all the time, so I thought I would share our story and first “ah ha” moment we had when we realized our son had “more” personality.   My craving to learn about spirited kids, kids who challenged us, who seemed harder to parent came about after my first son was born almost 8 years ago. I came into motherhood with a pretty wide skill set and knowledge, and real world experiences about kids. I taught infants through young kids and went to school for 6 plus years learning about child development and family systems. Then, my son came into the world, and WHOA….I was not p ..read more

I’ve been parenting alone while Matthew is traveling all week for work. This week, I’ve had to ask my older two boys to step up and help me more.    It hasn’t been going well…it almost felt foreign to them that I was asking them to make their own toast, or grab pajamas and a diaper from upstairs for their baby brother. It was foreign. It is often just easier to do things myself rather than try and maintain my calm when they start whining, negotiating, or getting distracted….ya know?   I had an “ah ha” moment when I asked my almost 8 year old to help me sort piles of clean lau ..read more

A few weeks ago, we took the day to teach our 4 year old how to ride a 2-wheeled bike. We crammed as much practice into one day to: Save our sanity, and backs (being hunched over while your wild child pedals with fury hurts after a while). Take advantage of his eagerness–he has no fears!  He had been on a balance bike since he was 18 months old, so he had the balance down on his pedal bike, but had never practiced pedaling. His 2-wheeled bike has hand brakes on both sides of the handlebars, and it also has a kickstand. Our biggest struggle was constantly pedaling and steering at the s ..read more

  We have now traveled to every Hawaiian Island with kids! Many people have asked us what our favorite island is for family vacations and I can’t give an answer because each island is so breathtaking and different in so many ways.  Living in the PNW, we are only a 5.5 hour flight to any island (which also feels like an eternity when we travel with a child under 3 years old). Traveling to Kauai was not a direct flight for us, but the island hopper flights through Hawaiian Airlines was so much fun and under 30 minutes.  Kauai is a smaller island that is known for it’s kind peo ..read more

If you google “delaying kindergarten”, you will find polarized opinions as well as polarized research backing both sides. Some argue that an extra year is a “gift of time” and other argue that an extra year is a “theft of opportunity”. It would be so much more helpful if the research was clear across the board, so we could quickly and confidently make a decision for our children. Just like so many other parenting decisions, it’s very muddy and also very nuanced based on so many factors: How many years of preschool has your child attended? Are they neurodivergent? What is their birth order? Wha ..read more

If your child has dropped their nap, or is about to drop their nap, you might know the sinking panic that sets in once you realize your afternoon schedule is going to be very different. What if she becomes cranky by 4pm? How am I going to survive the afternoon with a toddler who doesn’t nap? What if quiet time backfires and he comes out of his room every minute? When will I get some down time for myself?  Here’s are the two takeaways I want to share about quiet time:  Research shows us that quiet time is a form of rest that is healthy for brain development and nervous system regul ..read more

Keep reading because this story doesn’t end as you would think! When we found out we were pregnant with our third baby, our boys were 3 years old and 5.5 years old. Immediately we started thinking of where we would want the baby room to be, with Matthew and I both working at home. We decided that we would transition the boys to a bunk bedroom soon because of a few factors: 1. Jackson (3) was having a hard time staying in bed because he wanted us to lay with him each night. We thought that the fear of sleeping alone would resolve with two kids in one room. 2. If you follow my Instagram, you kno ..read more

Matthew and I were generously gifted two luxurious nights at The Independence Hotel in Independence, Oregon! If you enjoy wine tasting, hiking, kayaking, biking, or eating your way through vacations, this place is for you!  We are so thankful to live right outside the Willamette Valley that is full of charming small towns, where wineries are abundant! Although we travel locally often, we had never ventured down to the wineries surrounding Independence, and we are so glad we did! The Van Duzer Corridor AVA has 6 wineries within minutes of the hotel, and many more to explore in the Eola-A ..read more