Amanda Hauser
Simply Put, I Love You
I love you. Why is the world so stingy with these three little words? They don’t cost a thing. And yet, they may be the most valuable commodity any of us possess. In an...
The Never-Ending Dinner: Surviving Meal Shifts
The upcoming sports season has me feeling less like a mom and more like a hobbit: breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, supper … I twitch just thinking about the rolling, multi-stage...
Paper Plate Mom
The irony is not lost on me that as I type this article, it is over a month late. An article about making life easier, about tackling small, manageable tasks in order to achieve...
The Art of a Vision Board
What do you get when two firstborns marry and produce an army of little (and now big) humans? The answer sat huddled, cuddled, and smooshed in piles of tangled limbs on our living room...
Mom, What Your Adult Son Wants You to Know
There is no shortage of parenting advice. From well-meaning grandparents to influencers to therapists to pediatricians, you can fill volumes with accounts of “good” parenting and still barely scratch the surface. What is interesting...
Stay Present: Advice From Future Me
On outfit number twelve of tonight’s living room edition of “The Pink and Purple Fashion Show,” I pull the plug on production. “WHOA! Someone, PLEASE tell me all these outfits are getting hung back...
Mom Hacks: Go from Surviving to Thriving this Summer
Maybe it’s the eternal child in me; maybe it’s the teacher, but when summer rolls around, I am literally giddy: no more lunches to pack, a chill vibe descends upon the house, and I have...
Alternative Education: The Choice Is Yours
Today is exactly the kind of day that reminds me why our family has periodically sought alternatives to public education. It’s a spring Tuesday, a school day, and at 11:00 AM, our daughter is...
Mona and Me: A Lesson in Relationships
Motherhood can be lonely. It’s ironic when you think about it because our days are jam-packed with our people and our schedules. Even though most mothers pine for a little “me time,” a respite...
Growing Your Family’s Financial Literacy In The New Year
Many of us reflect on goals and opportunities in the new year. Lose a little weight, read a few more books, find the perfect job. And, after the arrival of December’s too-expensive VISA bill...
No Participation Trophies Here
I stand in the playground parking lot with my inconsolable four-year-old. My shirt sleeve is a web of snot and drool, a gift from the blubbering daughter perched on my hip and draped over...
Tragedy, I See You
I sat down to write about something else this morning. Something that now seems embarrassingly trivial and petty and ultimately inconsequential. But, like tragedy always does, ambushing the unsuspecting between sips of coffee or...
A Forever First Time Parent
I came to a rather obvious conclusion this week. Never, will I ever, NOT be a first-time parent. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure it out. I guess I...
Chaos Coordination: Tips for Managing the Family Hub
Head Domestic Engineer. Executive Household Coordination Expert. Magician. Take your pick. No matter the title, mothers are scrambling to meet the demands of their unofficial jobs. But the start of school marks new beginnings,...