Blog Posts
A Coronavirus Guide for Parents and Kids
This is a guide for parents to learn the facts about coronavirus, how to stay safe, and the tips and resources you need for talking to your kids about COVID-19.
The Best Things to Do in Lincoln, NH
If you are looking for the ultimate outdoor playground in New England, look no further than Lincoln, New Hampshire. With a walkable downtown, a ski mountain right in town, fantastic restaurants, and hiking galore, Lincoln is a day trip or vacation destination that should be considered in every season. And there are so many things to do in Lincoln, NH!
How to Help Teens De-Stress
There is more pressure than ever on teens today between academics, after-school activities, sports, and social media. It is essential that teens learn to unplug, relax, and reset for both their physical and mental health.
The MTHFR Gene and Pregnancy
With the advent of inexpensive and easily accessible DNA testing opportunities for the general public thanks to companies like 23 and Me and Ancestry DNA, questions about various genes and their mutations have become familiar and commonly used. One such gene is called MTHFR, and it is of particular interest to women who are trying to conceive and women who are pregnant. This is what you need to know about the MTHFR gene and how it can impact pregnancy.
Halloween Food Allergy Guide for Parents
Halloween is a time filled with spooky fun, but for children with food allergies and their families, there can be a true element of fear surrounding this holiday. Many Halloween candies and treats can be frightening to some families - and for good reason. Fortunately, with careful planning, communication, and education, you can reduce the risk of a food allergy scare accompanying your family’s Halloween experience.
A New Study: How Sleep and Exercise Affect New Parents
A new study shows that sleep and exercise affect new moms and dads differently. My perspective here is that stereotypical gender roles and expectations run deep and are the x factor at play here.
How to Survive Parenting with a Chronic Illness
Parenting is never easy, but it can be especially challenging when you have a chronic illness. Here are three manageable steps you can take to yourself along the parenting journey.
Three Ways to Help Anxiety in Children
Anxiety in children can leave parents feeling heartbroken and helpless. Here are three ways that we have found to help anxiety attacks in children.
One Year of Pandemic Outdoor Living
Today, I was reflecting on how routine lulls the brain to sleep. Getting outside of our comfort zones is important to rediscover wonder, joy, and adventure, and that completely represents our past year.
Since I have high risk health issues and the four of us were primarily home all year long, we would have truly lost our sanity if we hadn’t focused so much on adding outdoor adventure into our lives. Being outside was our freedom, stress-relief, and inspiration.
Watch the video and read more below!
Sometimes our outdoor life meant family soccer in the yard, or a bike ride on the trail by our house, or a walk through a neighborhood that wasn’t our own to switch things up. Other times, we drove to different states for true adventure. We hiked, walked, skied, snowboarded, biked, scavenger hunted, explored, and whatever else we could find outside to maintain our sanity.
Of course, this wasn’t easy. Though I recognize with true gratitude the mountain of privilege we sit on having the choices to stay home and be able to spend time outside the way we have, it hasn’t been all smiles as our pictures show.
Our daughter developed some extreme anxiety issues during the pandemic. Almost every time we left the house this past year, it was hard for her. Not hard like taking on a small challenge, but hard like extreme panic and tears and emotional meltdowns. It was so sad for us to watch, and it also was frustrating and patience challenging and just another storm of emotions for each of us on top of everything else that everyone has experienced this year.
Everyone’s had their own hidden struggles as is always the case, but this year held up a massive magnifying glass for every person to sit with their darkest feelings. It’s been a year that shook all of our foundations. We’ve all learned to recognize the everyday heroes of our world in a way that we may not have been able to see before. We’ve learned to embrace highs and lows and worry and fear. We’ve all found our own way - with everyone comfortable on different paths of their choosing - to make our way through hard things.
I love watching this video because it reminds me of all of the smiles and the little braveries and how choices to push outside of our comfort zone can help us take tiny steps through big things. We’ve all made our way through this pandemic and through the hard things in general that we all face that remain away from the public eye in different ways. This video doesn’t capture the stress, tough choices, sleepless nights, hearts missing loved ones, and much of what I agonized over and spent the majority of the pandemic doing, but it’s one piece of this year’s truth, and I know I’ll be holding on to this tiny piece in future hard times and for always.