stress | The Playdate Crashers

When Life Kinda Sucks

I'm thrilled to be able to share with you a guest post from Erin today! Look for more from Erin at her blog and hopefully here again in the future! If you'd like to talk about sharing a guest post here, send me an email! Hello. This is … Continue Reading

You’ll Make It

Last week, I was making dinner for our family. It was late afternoon and my husband was due home from work at any time. The boys were playing, alternately in the living room and in their new playroom. I wasn’t making a big special dinner, just … Continue Reading

Vacation, Vacation

Vacation 2010, Water Wrap by Go, Baby, Go!

I'm so excited! Today is July 1st, which means that we will be at the beach in 22 days! Our vacation always comes at the end of a very long summer. We will have already traveled all over the place, spent many days and nights away from home, but … Continue Reading

Regression Depression

Ever wondered why random "Wet Floor" signs pop up all over Wal-Mart? Wonder no longer.

"Oh yes, he's potty trained!" The moment those words escaped my lips, I was addicted. "Diapers? Oh no, we won't be needing those! He's potty trained!" "He'll let you know if he needs to potty. He's potty trained, you know!" Fast forward to … Continue Reading

Discipline Discussions – #18

Parenting Chit Chat and talking about discipline! Books we've read and used Time Outs Defining our discipline styles Our discipline struggles Spanking To spread the word about our show, tell your friends about The Playdate Crashers … Continue Reading

Change It Up!

CLOTHES PEGS © William Farquhar | Dreamstime.com

It's that time again! The snow is gone (here, anyway), the days are longer, and it's time to trade in our sweaters for shorts! I should be excited that my littlest one, who is just now really starting to take off walking (at almost 14 months, in … Continue Reading

Waiting and Wondering

PASSING TIME © Ben Goode | Dreamstime.com

I haven't said much about what's going on with my oldest son and I still don't want to share everything that's happening, but I'm ready to open up a little more. So here goes... For about a year, we have been struck by how quickly and naturally … Continue Reading

Mommy Gut

My mommy gut is bothered. Eventually I'll get into more specifics, but as for today, I'm emotionally drained from worry, anxiety, and guilt. The short story is that my husband and I have some concerns about one of our sons, developmental … Continue Reading

The Other Side Of Grumpy

"Oh, hello happy child! I've missed you!" My baby turned one last week. He also had his one year well child appointment on Tuesday and with that appointment of course came his vaccinations. He got three, including the chickenpox and Hepatitis A … Continue Reading

From the NICU to the Breast: Stage 2

This post is part 2 of a post series that I writing about my experience leaving the NICU with bottle fed preemie babies (twins) and our adventure transiting to exclusive breast feeding. Read about Stage 1 here! Stage 2: Well, unfortunately I … Continue Reading

It Doesn’t Last Forever

A running theme in my life is this: "It doesn't last forever. It's only a phase. You can do this." Whether it's the constant state of disarray in my house, the sleepless nights, or the repetition of 'round-the-clock feedings, it's helpful to … Continue Reading

Birth Story: Cole and Luke

The birth story of Cole and Luke began a whole month before they were born. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my obstetric history, it all began at 28 weeks when my water broke unexpectedly. The date was Wednesday December 22nd, three days … Continue Reading

Catching Up Is Fun To Do – #14

Breaking up may be hard to do, but catching up is fun to do, and that's exactly what we're doing on Episode #14! Jamie shares about how she is adjusting to being a mom of three, with twin newborns and an 18 month old at home! Krista tells about … Continue Reading

Prodromal Labor: The Purgatory of Pregnancy

Some of you may have noticed a decrease in my presence here and on Facebook. The reason is that over the weekend I managed to lose myself in what I am now calling the purgatory of pregnancy, more commonly known as prodromal labor (best identified by … Continue Reading

What’s For Dinner?

One of the motherly/wifely duties I struggle with staying on top of is menu planning. I always feel this pressure to come up with cute little meals that everyone will love, cleaning their plates and asking for more. As you can imagine, this rarely … Continue Reading

Mommy Miss Perfect

I knew I was crashing her playdate the first time I met her. I couldn't help but envy how "together" she looked and sounded. I overheard a conversation about her couponing skills and the money saved last week at the grocery store. I listened as … Continue Reading

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Parenthood

Ok, before I delve into this post let me offer this disclaimer. I am not a Sci-Fi nerd I swear, but if you are, you may appreciate my application of a simple truth that comes from the science fiction series, Douglas Adam's "Hitchhiker's Guide to the … Continue Reading

Preterm Labor Scare

Sunday is always a long day for our family. My husband works at a church and we've got two busy services on Sundays (one in the morning, and one a night). Last Sunday, I was thankful to work in a mid-afternoon nap during the first half of the … Continue Reading

Both Sides: A Case for Co-Sleeping

Jamie and Krista agree on many things, but sometimes they have different opinions on parenting. This is the first post in a two-part series on co-sleeping. Be sure to read Jamie's take on this issue, Resting Easier Rooming In I never intended to … Continue Reading

I will sleep again one day, right??

It will eventually happen? Because these days it feels like I will never get to sleep a full night's sleep ever again. I realize that is a bit of an exaggeration, but at quarter to 5:00am, when your 2 year old wakes up screaming in terror and … Continue Reading