Happy 4th of July!
This Fourth of July weekend, I’ll be chasing this little guy around, spending some time at the pool with friends, grilling out, and playing with sparklers. I hope you have a safe and happy holiday weekend. Happy 4th of July!
When is the Best Time to Have a Second Baby?
I’m so excited! SheKnows recently accepted me as an Experts Among Us contributor. Published this past Friday, my very first article talks about how we decided when was the best time to have a second baby. As I’ve explained before, I’m not a baby person, but at the same time, I’m nostalgic that I’m done with the new mom…
How To Have The Most Stress Free Road Trip With Toddlers
When Willie Nelson wrote “On the Road Again”, I doubt he did a road trip with toddlers. I’m almost certain it wasn’t in a four-door sedan, with excited children asking, “Are we at the beach? How long until we get to the beach?” every two minutes. We are kid road trip veterans. My husband Sean…
Saying Goodbye To My Grandpa
My last living grandparent, my Grandpa Richard Vivian, passed away at age 86, less than a week before Giada was born. Yesterday was his funeral. Since I was not able to be there, I wanted to take a minute to say goodbye to my grandpa, to share what he meant to me, and what he taught me….
My Last First Mother’s Day
This Sunday is my last, first Mother’s day and I’m already nostalgic. This is my first Mother’s day having a daughter, and my last, first mother’s day, since we don’t plan to have any more children. As I reflect on what Mother’s day means to me this year, it dawned on me that there are now…
Etsy Gifts for New Moms
I recently met a new baby bib designer on Instagram. We got to talking about her new business and Etsy shop. After learning about her fledgling business, I started poking around on Etsy. I quickly learned there are tons of really talented designers, creators and crafters on Etsy. I bought a few things on Etsy awhile…
How to Make These Popular Italian Easter Cookies
Making traditional Italian food is one way I celebrate the holidays and my Italian heritage. I’ve made traditional Italian Christmas cookies before, now I wanted to try Italian Easter cookies. I was searching for Easter cookie ideas on Pinterest and found this recipe for Italian Easter cookies. That’s strange. My grandparents are from Italy and…
Sadness When You’re Done Having Babies
I’m not one of those women who loved being pregnant. My body was taken over by someone else, literally. I didn’t like the extra attention from strangers asking me when I was due, or telling me how pregnancy suited me. I counted down the days until I reached forty weeks. Maybe both of my babies…
Where Breastfeeding Advocates Get it Wrong
Have you ever wanted to give your child the best and couldn’t? What if the best was something that 99% percent of mothers could give but you couldn’t? For me, this happened very early on in motherhood: I couldn’t produce enough milk to feed my first child, my son Rocco. Only 16 months after my…
The Evolution of Parenting Advice For New Moms
I thought I had this baby thing figured out. I just had a baby 16 months ago, so the hours of research I did for Rocco should hold water, right? Then, this week, beautiful baby Giada makes her early appearance, and I’m back to scouring the interwebs. This time, I’m in search of information about…
The Maternity Hospital Bag Checklist for the Stylish Woman
I unexpectedly ended up in the hospital last weekend with early contractions. Luckily, my daughter decided to stay put (at least for now), but her near early arrival prompted me to hurry up and get my hospital bag packed. For my first pregnancy, I packed my hospital bag based on this The Bump list. A…