Arizona Mama

It’s the little moments that count with our kids and I am trying to be very intentional with our time together.  I make sure that I am playful with him even when I am trying to work or clean house.  He can help me in his own way and he feels valued. Our family is [...]

The cost of raising a child from birth to age 18, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is upwards of $225,000. The spending starts right away with the need for diapers, wipes, bottles, formula, blankets, and clothing, just to name a few of the essentials. Fortunately, there are simple things you can do to [...]

If you’ve not met Dr. Sheldon Cooper and his friends yet, you have missed out on the television show “The Big Bang Theory”. It’s a hysterical comedy that centers on a group of friends, each with their own neurosis. One of the main characters, Dr. Sheldon Cooper, shares some characteristics with my 9 year-old son, [...]

It comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me: I love this time of year. First of all, both my sons play baseball, so this is prime time for a little “cheese.” Also,  Arizona is blessed with some amazing weather this time of year, the kind of weather other states envy. But most of [...]

  So what is it about little boys and the dentist?  Daniel, my youngest, just had his semi-annual visit to the dentist and, no big surprise; he’s not brushing well.  Which means that Daniel has earned himself another trip to the dentist, this time for a filling. In Daniel’s defense, he’s not afraid to go [...]

During this time of high unemployment two Arizona child care companies, Sunrise Preschools and Tots Unlimited, are offering their support to job seeking parents. They have created a program called Interview Care which provides up to four hours of free licensed child care while parents go to job interviews or fill out applications. It is [...]

  Ninety-seven per cent of the time, I pack my son’s lunch for school. I try to balance it out; a juice box; a salami or bologna or turkey sandwich on wheat; maybe a cheese stick or pickle. I’ll include carrot sticks, or grapes, or sliced apples or non-sweetened apple sauce, if I’m in a [...]

  There once was a show on TV called “Kids Say The Darndest Things” first hosted by Art Linkletter in the 1950′s and ’60′s and later by Bill Cosby in the late ’90′s.  Many of the children on those shows made some pretty funny observations, however, I think my son, Daniel, would have been the best contestant. One [...]

You’re older and wiser. You have years of life lessons learned in school or the School of Hard Knocks. When you had a baby you expected to do all the teaching, passing down your knowledge to the next generation. One thing about motherhood is that it’s full of the unexpected. It’s not always an explosive [...]

Last night’s dishes are in the sink. Yesterday’s mail is unopened. Toys are strewn throughout the living room and hallway. The sliding glass doors have fingerprint smudges and doggy nose prints. Piles of dirty clothes are overtaking the laundry room. So much work to be done and the little one refuses to nap. These are [...]