Parenting Wisdom

My mornings look a lot different than they used to. It’s not because I suddenly discovered the secret to getting my kids out the door faster, or because they somehow, miraculously, grew listening ears and peacefully walk their little...

Living and raising children in a world that is seemingly growing scarier by the day, I know many of us can agree that it’s so easy to get caught up in the stress and worry and anxiety of life....

 Last month we started this series on caring for ourselves as moms; body and soul. You can read the first post here in case you missed it. Today we will be talking about our actual skin. Do you ever...

Every year we try and think of a thoughtful, yet inexpensive gift to get all the people in our lives like teachers, dance instructors, neighbors, and friends. The list is usually long, so we've learned that if we make...

Boy, has it been hot and sticky or what? We are trying to stay inside as much as possible, unless we are in the pool of course!  My almost 2 year old is becoming bored with our inside activities...

It was two days before my due date. My belly swollen, feet tired, and that anxiety that only the last few days of pregnancy can bring, I was ready for Elijah, our second born child, to arrive. I had...

We are officially back to school -- at daycare! Like most daycares, our school had a little break between summer and the start of a new school year.  After having had my son in daycare for the last year (he...

School is out. It’s hot. I’m feeling lazy and my kiddos are restless. What’s a mom to do? I can only allow my kids to melt their brains with YouTube for so long before I start having Phoenix-Summer mom...

If you’re feeling overwhelmed about the amount of information coming out about COVID-19 and the speed at which it’s coming, you are definitely not alone. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and associate program director...

I know, I know what is a holiday without all the lights, food, music, and gifts giving?! Not a holiday that is worth remembering if you ask me. Well that is what I would have said before this last...

    Before I had children and thought of being a mother, I had all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings about how I was going to parent my children. Most of those daydreams were filled with love, nurturing, tender affection,...

Dear Man that told me “boys will be boys”, I get it, kids do things that embarrass us. I am not blaming you for your son jumping on top of mine in an effort to steal his new Hotwheel car....

We are in the midst of an unprecedented health crisis. Life disruptions and uncertainty related to the COVID-19 outbreak have us understandably anxious. If you or your children are feeling stressed, these resources will help. Talking with your child about...

Image via As most of us local Phoenix moms have heard there have been a couple of cases of children with sudden deaths and this has sparked the question, "Has enterovirus reached Phoenix + the West Valley?" We posted about first...

Can you picture your life without social media? I was in a 5th grade classroom the other day and the students were having a discussion about how different life is now compared to life during the Colonial Time period. They...

When I was a child, I grew up smack dab in the middle of Phoenix.  We had a small backyard, a couple of dogs, and a couple of cats.  No farm animals.  Never in a million years did I...

I like to consider myself a medical moderate, that's a new term, I made it up.  But let me see if I can explain.  I had a home birth, because I wanted to do everything to avoid a c-section...

Some really disappointing news about the well-being of Arizona’s children came out this week. Our national ranking, which was among the lowest in the country already, dropped another spot from 46th to 47th place. The annual KidsCount Report ranks just...

Finding Purpose Leads To Longer Lives  Do you ever ask yourself what motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?  Having a sense of purpose just might be extending your life. A new study by JAMA, the Journal of...

I can’t quite believe it’s that time of year again. . . . Back to School! First day jitters can affect everyone. . . children, parents, and even teachers. This year is especially bittersweet for me because my little...

The irony that this blog post on procrastination has sitting in my "ideas" file for months, just waiting for me to put the final touches on it is not lost on me. Other, more pressing topics have caused the...

Now that my girls are in the 2nd grade we are finding out that some kids tend to be plain mean. I'm not saying when they were younger kids weren't mean, but now it seems to be more often....

Learning how to read is a really exciting time for children and parents. Although most children start to learn how to read in elementary school, there are several pre-reading skills that they will need to develop before then. Parents...

I've talked about this before, but I thought this would be a good time for another friendly reminder...wear sunscreen! It is so important to protect your skin, the biggest and most visible organ, from sun damage.  It is no...

Today we are highlighting a great group that meets in the NW Valley in Vistancia. We are so looking forward to starting our Vistancia MOPS 2012-2013 year! We are so excited to DIVE IN and get this year started. We...