Kids

What is Joining Mensa Like? Why Moms Should Join & What It’s Really Like

If you follow my instagram, you may have noticed a couple posts I made earlier this summer. Here’s one where I was dressed up as a pineapple. In the captions, I made a few vague references to a “nerd camp” “mom vacation“, “embracing the stigma“, and “finding my people“.   And then I didn’t mention the […] Read more…

TinkerActive Educational Workbooks Review – Educational Workbooks For All Learning Styles

Despite my occasional social media commiseration about how I’ve largely been ignoring my kids this summer in order to get this script finished – I haven’t actually completely ignored them. One cool thing I got to try out and do was this  TinkerActive educational workbooks review.  I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to […] Read more…

NEATLINGS – The Best Customizable Chore Chart For Kids

I discovered the chart system on Amazon a few years back. It looked awesome, but it was also expensive, and so I hesitated to buy it at first. But I eventually caved and I’m really glad I did. Yes, I bought this with my own money. This review is not sponsored (other than them providing the giveaway product). All words and opinions are my own. ? Read more…

Crated With Love & WeCraft Subscription Box Staycation Date Night & Kids Box

This month though – I had a surprise for them. Not only did I get a date night box for their dad and I to do, but I also got a box for the KIDS and I to do together! 

Crated With Love (one of my most favorite date night subscription box options) recently teamed up with a company called WeCraft to offer what they’re calling their “Staycation” package. For $50 you get BOTH subscription boxes – a Subscription Box Staycation ….aaand….wait for it…you ALSO get $20 in gift vouchers toward the two companies to use for future boxes! I do a cost breakdown at the bottom of this post so you can see how awesome of a deal this is. In the meantime, check out all the fun we had on our ‘subscription box staycation’: Read more…

How To Know When You’re Done Having Kids

Nearly a decade ago, KP and I become open to starting a family. It took us, however, 2 years of trying before I got pregnant with my first child. Once during that time, when my life was measured in fertility cycles and single pink lines, I tried to image myself in a future time of life, at the end of family building. If we were blessed to have any children at all, how would we know when we’d be done having kids? That stage of life seemed so far away, so impossible. There I was, deeply longing for the fulfillment of the fertility I believed I was supposed to have – how could I ever long for its cessation? The thought was impossible to imagine. 

But now? Almost 10 years later?
Now I have three kids. And I am D.O.N.E. 
I think?
No, wait. Read more…

Kids Night In Review – Spend Quality Time w/Your Kids Subscription Box

Yes, this is their NOVEMBER 2017 box. Yes, I know. Whatever. Ignore what month it now is, and enjoy this cool box offering that Night In Boxes have recently put together. I’ve reviewed their Date Night In boxes before, but they’ve also put together a line of subscription boxes to do with your kids called Kids Night In Boxes!

I know there’s other kid subscription boxes out there. We do some of the other subscription boxes, like Kiwi Crate, Little Passports and History Unboxed as well, but those are more educational in nature. Kids Night In boxes are geared toward quality time spent with your kids…kind of like a parent-kid play date. That comes in a box. So that you can just be an awesome parent without even having to try. 🙂 Read more…

Why Having Three Kids is Hard, Why I’m Losing My Mind…and Why I’m Ok With It.

Y’all, it’s been a summer. A long summer. Having three kids is hard. I love them a million times each, I do. But. Goodness gracious. 

A couple years ago, some friends of ours, who’d just had their third child, jokingly gave KP and I some advice. “Don’t have a third kid”, they joked.

They were probably only HALF joking.  Read more…

How I Home School the “Lazy Homeschooling” Way

There’s a lot of homeschooling blogs out there. The Screenwriter’s Wife is not one of them. While I might be homeschooling my daughter at the moment, I don’t really label myself as a “home school mom” either. I don’t know how long I’ll home school her or if I’ll also do so with the boys. I’m just doing what fits for right now. And right now, what fits is something I call “lazy homeschooling”. 

I dabbled in homeschooling last year for TK (Transitional Kindergarten, a program here in CA for kids who turn 5 from Sept-Nov.), and will be doing it a bit more formally this coming year for the “official” Kindergarten year. I’m mostly using 1st grade materials though. One of my favorite things about homeschooling (so far at least) is that I can teach my daughter using whatever materials I think are best for her to learn. Since my daughter’s on the cusp of the “official grade level cutoff” anyway, I like being free from this arbitrary constraint. Read more…

Freddie’s Home Birth Story – The 13hr Tale of Stalled Labor, a maybe Nuchal Hand, Cervical Lip, and Older Sibling Chaos

Something was different – and much more difficult – with this labor & birth than with my first two. I struggled to put my finger on it at first, but in the end, I realized that my labor turned out to be one huge summation of my feelings on the entire pregnancy. Because, see, unlike with my previous two births, I didn’t feel strong and womanly being pregnant this time around. This time I felt weak and anxious and awkward and just wanted the whole thing done with.

And apparently all that carried over into what became my most trying labor experience of all.  Read more…

Who Wants A FREE Essential Oils for Labor Printable? aka I Over-Research All The Things

Since I’m getting close to delivering my third child and planning another natural birth, I’ve recently been researching essential oils to use during labor this time around. Because why not? Right?

Turns out, there’s a TON of information out there to wade through as far as what oils to use in labor. And because I’m weird like that, of course I had to go on a whole fact-finding mission and search every. single. website. I. could. find. on essential oils in labor and compile all the information into an excel document so I could sort the best – and most popular – oil suggestions.  Read more…

How to Enjoy Las Vegas With Young Kids In Tow

We just got back from a quick 2-night stay in Las Vegas. Yes, with our two young kids. Yes, and while I’m pregnant.

Though Vegas might not initially seem the prime vacation spot in our given situation, it ended up being a perfect trip for us. And it could be for you too – just because you have young kids (or don’t or can’t drink) it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a Vegas Vacation and I’m here to show you how you can do it too!  Read more…

Do I Regret Having Kids? Here’s Why I Had Children.

As you may know, I’m currently pregnant with my third child. And oddly, I find myself questioning my motive for this pregnancy much more than I did with either of my first two children. I’ve been stumbling into articles about “why have kids?” or about the anti-natalism or childfree movements – and it seems there’s a lot of belief out there that parenthood, and especially motherhood, not only holds one back from a more ‘significant’ and ‘productive’ potential, but also leaves a person in denial of their regret over the loss of that once-childfree-potential. Instead, parenthood is consumed by the mind-numbing-ness of dirty diapers, tantruming toddlers, never-ending carpools, bratty preteens, and rebellious teenagers…when you know, they could actually be doing something meaningful with their lives otherwise. Many use this as a reason to remain childfree, a choice that they believe will allow them to lead better, happier, more fulfilling lives than if they had chosen to reproduce. Read more…

My Journey to Having A Third Kid

So I’m pregnant and having a third kid. I’ve already got a daughter and son. Why in the world would I want another kid? Here’s my journey to how I got here.

I’m the oldest of 6 kids. I grew up in a community where most families had at least 2 children, and families of 4 or more were fairly common. I always assumed I’d have my own kids one day because, well, it’s all I really knew. However, though I liked the idea of my kids having lots of siblings like I did, I also knew how much work kids were and I didn’t want to do the work of raising a bunch of kids myself, lol, so I figured my own family one day would be a bit smaller.

Fast forward many years to KP and I seriously dating. Read more…