There are so many statistics that surround the word bullying. Some of the more startling national statistics (taken from an article on the American Society for the Positive Care of Children's…

School is back in session!! I LOVED every bit of my summer with my 3 boys. But the routine I was craving could not have come soon enough. Getting back into the swing of things includes homework, sports practices, making lunches, and of course, feeding those hungry kiddos after school.

Making sure they have a healthy after school snack is important for a few reasons. They are coming off of a long day, and need to refuel. You also want to make…

Ask a kid if they want to go to the playground and you'll most certainly get a resounding YES. Ask the kid's parents the same question and you will most likely be able to actually see the stress build up behind their eyes. Because while a child sees a playground as a gigantic climbing utopia, parents often see…

As I think back to that fateful Tuesday, September 11, 2001, my life was in a very good place. My husband had just graduated from law school and I had taken a leave from my teaching job to pursue a master’s degree in literacy. My dad was still alive, we were living with him and we were trying for our first baby. We had so much to look forward to at that time…

After my husband took the bar exam, we rented a condo in Miami for six weeks. We…

As all parents of schoolchildren know, from September to June, there’s no such thing as an “off morning.” When your kids are depending on you to get out the door and off to school on time, there’s no room for sluggishness.

As a parent, it’s part of our job to be at our physical best every day. No excuses. For me, that starts with getting my body moving as quickly as possible—as early as possible.  …

Growing up, I didn't know a single person with food allergies.  

Not one. 

Now, it seems like more then half of the kids in my children's class have some sort of food allergy--mine included. My son was diagnosed anaphylactic to eggs, dairy and all nuts before turning one. His elementary school years were a constant battle between keeping him safe in the classroom and finding a balance socially so that he didn't feel left out of things like holiday parties.  

As a mom of…

Let’s be honest: transitioning back into the school year from the summer is hard, even for adults. Children on the spectrum sometimes have a harder time than most transitioning because they find great comfort in structure and familiarity.  The best way to get a child with Autism back to school in as stress-free a manner as possible is to start any and all transitions gradually and as early as possible. Also, try to create the same routines you will have on school days beforehand,…

As we were heading off the beach yesterday for the last time this summer, there was a lot of pouting and whining. Here is where I have to admit that most of it came from me. You see, today is not only the first day of school, but it marks the end of care free summer days and the start of school routines. While routine is not a bad thing, for some of us it is a hard transition in those first days. Here are a few tips to help get into the swing of things.

Prepare the night…

It’s been an unforgettable summer, but there’s little time for looking back as we charge full speed ahead into Back-to-School season. So how do we keep that momentum going strong?

It’s important to establish a school day routine that’s healthy and potent from the outset, and that all starts with proper nutrition. …

I know what you're thinking--I have enough to do before the kids go back to school.  But, here me out...

1.  Take five minutes to figure out what your weeknights will look like come September...

How will this help? If you know your son has soccer on Tuesdays, and your daughter has girl scouts and then dance classes on Thursdays, then you better dust off that crock pot. You can sit down Sunday and plan your weekly menu with ease if you know your schedule…

As a mom, I've never been much of a rule breaker (Don't ask me about my life before I was a mom, because that is a whole different story altogether). If my son isn't allowed to have a mohawk haircut in school, so be it. If my daughter has to sit on the…

Summer has a few different stages and they go a little something like this:

• Denial: OMG is school really over in a week and these buggers are about to be home full time? I’m not ready!
• Acceptance: Ok, we can do this. Bring on the fun!
• I’m over it: Summer is expensive, yo! These buggers want to be entertained and fed All.The.Time!
• Denial: Is summer really over and I have to face back to…

This time of the year fills me with a sort of dread and anxiety that I don't have any other time of the year. It's back to school season. Moms everywhere are in panic mode as we sort through supplies and clothes, dust off our alarm clocks, and attempt to replace some semblance of normalcy in our daily routines.

In addition to all of the above, I am frantically prepping to send my 9 year old type 1 diabetic back to school.…

How young is too young for real competition and being cut from a team?  It is always hard to witness your child in pain but how do you know when to protect them and what bruises and heartaches are necessary parts of life? I think it gets easier to have a better gage when your second and third child come along however, there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to your first.  Not to say you become a perfect parent with each subsequent child and you make all the right…

The weather is warming up, the days are longer and there's more time to be outside doing all kinds of fun things!

But if you're going to be out in the sun, especially on a hot day, you need to stay safe. Let's find out how.

Don't Feel the Burn

Even though the sun is hot, it does cool things. It keeps us warm. It makes flowers and plants grow. It even gives us vitamin D so we can better absorb calcium into our bodies for strong …

Even with all my obligations to the team – the traveling, the training, the hard work – my most important job has, and always will be, Mom.

We’re an everyday family in just about every way, and the needs of my daughters don’t change when we’re on the road. Traveling can be tough on kids,…

On the eve of my 43rd birthday I thought a lot about this quote from Primetime – a song I love by an artist I love even more.    While the all the lyrics don’t directly apply to my life (Jay Z and I have had slightly different paths) the message resonates.   I am in my primetime.

I will make the bold statement: I…

It’s the World Cup, and the pressure is on.

As team captain and leader, it’s my job to keep my teammates focused and in a winning state of mind by reminding them that we made it this far for a reason. We’ve been preparing all of our lives for this moment and it’s all about getting into a positive mental state. 

Whether it’s the World Cup or your first day on the field, success in every of aspect of life all comes down to a winning frame of mind.  

You can train your…

Today, after seven months of having all my children in school “full day,” I am trying to figure out what’s next. Having felt like I was shot out of a cannon back in October, no longer being responsible for feeding, changing, enriching, activities, and therapies during the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., I now feel like I am still up in the air, just hanging in this limbo. I have been taking courses, lunching, and trying to volunteer, but I just haven’t found anything that makes me…