I first heard about Galentine’s Day from Parks and Recreation, where Amy Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope, made it a tradition to celebrate female friendships on February 13th. Honestly, she was onto something—because while motherhood is incredibly rewarding, it can...
As a full-time personal trainer, health and wellness are literally my career—I spend my days helping others prioritize their well-being. But even with all my knowledge and experience, I still struggle to practice self-care as a mom of a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old....
Hi. I'm Rachel, and I'm Ashlee. Welcome to the CapitalMOM Real Life Conversations. It's real life. Rachel’s December Glimmer We're going to start with our glimmer and our dimmer. And my glimmer for this month is Wicked. Have you seen Wicked? Because I saw it, and I...
For my kids, it’s truly the most magical time of the year! For me though, as a mom, it’s also the season of heightened mental load and sensory overload. I feel the weight of planning, coordinating and making sure every moment is brimming with holiday cheer. I want my...
Hi, I'm Rachel, and I'm Ashlee. Welcome to the CapitalMOM Real Life Conversations. Our Mutual Dimmer Let's start with our dimmer. We actually have a mutual dimmer. My middle kiddo started throwing up yesterday, and then threw up until about 3:00 in the morning. And...
The holiday season is always a busy and delightful one. I enjoy opening up our home to family members, their children and grandkids. Our grandkids are growing older, so several of them are seriously dating others, and we do our best to accommodate everyone. Almost 30...
Elvis once sang about feeling blue at Christmas time, and I’m here to tell you: It’s perfectly normal to feel that way. There are many reasons why your days may not be merry and bright around the holiday season. Jam-packed social calendars, deadlines at work, loss of...
Every year, kids across the country look forward to Halloween, mine included. It’s a night of dressing up in costumes and going door-to-door asking for treats. It's almost as much fun when I’m the one passing out Halloween candy to adorable little ones in disguise....
The start of a new year—an opportunity to start fresh, set goals and resolutions, and on and on and on. Somewhere, someone has already given up on their resolutions just reading this never-ending laundry list. Here are my recommendations for creating a New Year's...
The grief bubbles up unbidden. I never know when or where it will surface, but inevitably it comes when I least want it. My mom contracted COVID-19 six months ago. She nearly died of complications from the virus. The anticipatory grief I experienced was different from...
Nearly five years later, I can still vividly see my mom at her quilting machine. Perfectly piecing together different colors of fabric and swiftly moving them through the sewing machine. I can remember seeing my aunts’ watery eyes glisten when they opened a quilt...
It’s November 1 and the Walmart toy catalog has arrived. You look and see that things have already been circled and an entire page has a large circle around every toy. This is what happens every year. The toys wanted are circled with my kids’ names next to them, so I...
Generosity. As defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary: characterized by a noble or kindly spirit; having an abundance. As we begin this holiday season, this third season without my mom, I can feel the presence of my mom working through my hands and my heart....
The holidays are fast approaching, and with them, a question that has haunted me each of the past few Christmases: Will this be the year my kids stop believing in Santa? If they ask, how do I tell them the truth? And how do I tell them the true meaning of Santa? The...
It’s that time of year when the leaves are falling, days are getting shorter and finally it’s jacket weather. For those living with diabetes this can be a tough stretch ahead…the dreaded Holidays. Does this sound familiar? It’s much tougher to get that evening walk in...
I don’t need to tell you that this is the second Easter of the pandemic. It’s funny how I’m starting to keep track of events by connecting them to COVID-19. Many of our friends have received their second vaccine, but we're just starting to talk about getting together...
Valentine’s Day has always been special in our house. My mother’s birthday was on February 14th, so growing up my sister and I always had plenty of cake and presents in our house to celebrate both events. I remember giving out valentines to all my classmates in...
Ever since the grandkids were little, we've included them in the picture on our Christmas card. We don’t send many cards anymore, but we always try to send them to family members who live out of state and some close friends. Pictures have included cutting down our...
Eat healthy, lose weight, exercise—these are some of the things I think about when it comes to New Year Resolutions. But this year, I not only wanted to do these resolutions for me, but I wanted to include my family in some as well. Resolutions for the Family When it...
I love the fall and especially enjoy the Halloween season. When my grandkids were little, I volunteered to be the witch in residence at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Maybe I wasn't the witch in residence, but I read books to any kids who happened to stop by my chair.It...
I vividly remember how special my parents made the Christmas season, especially Christmas Eve. We had supper, went to midnight mass and then around 1:30 in the morning, we opened presents. Somehow mom managed to keep all the gifts hidden, and while we opened presents she had a story for each one.
On New Year’s Day, I mentioned to my grandkids that I was thinking about resolutions for 2018. They immediately wanted to know what those resolutions were. Being the old teacher, I put it back on them. What would they resolve for 2018?
Oh, the end of the year. The time where we tend to reflect over the past 365 days. Reflection gets to me every time. Reflecting upon the memories, the accomplishments, even the fears, but most importantly, reflecting encourages me to improve.
The holidays often are portrayed as a time of year that’s supposed to be filled with joy, family, friends, generosity and kindness. But for many parents, this is a time of year rife with emotional challenges and increased stress.
It’s funny how the older one gets, the more time it takes to do the simple tasks of preparing holiday meals, buying and wrapping gifts, and dealing with all things holiday. Why should I think this year would be different?
Our Thanksgiving meal has been eaten. My lesson plans for December are complete. Our Christmas tree is decorated. Everything about the holiday season is in full force.
Parenting is never smooth sailing. For the big problems, I seek guidance from my pediatrician or other professional advisors. But for the “how-to” questions or the non-emergency “glitches,” I turn to my parents or my parenting peers. My most recent question was a little tricky.
The Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy—these are just some of the lies we tell our children. Most children are raised to believe that their parents know best. Are we actually Pinocchio parenting or lying?
What goes up, must come down. It’s physics. The presents are unwrapped, the decorations are gone and Stuart the Elf went back to the North Pole.
This year, I got a tremendous surprise. I opened a small gift bag and the card said my birthday gift was outside the garage. I went out the door and saw a big red wooden box labeled “Little Free Library.”
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