How to Give Your Partner Agency as a Parent

March 7, 2016March 6, 2016George Miller

In most parental relationships, there is one parent who defaults to “primary” parent. Usually it’s whichever parent ends up spending more time with their child. Because this parent spends so much time with their child(ren), they know a lot of the ins and outs of what the little one(s) want or need at any given moment. It can be very rewarding to stay at home with your kids, or just spend every moment you can with those adorable little people, but this comes with some challenges. Primary among these challenges is making sure that your co-parent has parental agency. Read more →

8 Things it’s Okay to Want for Your Kids

January 11, 2016December 10, 2017North Coast Mamas

“I just want them to be happy and healthy” is the de rigueur answer to a number of polite(ish) questions about our children, and it’s really never the truth. There are so many things we want for our kids.

The problem is, there are a lot of things it’s really not okay to want for your kids. Read more →

Review: “Strengths Finder 2.0” by Tom Rath

December 6, 2015December 10, 2015Alexis Barrett

What a concept Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath has! Let’s change our way of thinking, the American way of thinking, into something more productive and less degrading. Let’s focus on maximizing our natural strengths rather than devoting hours/days/weeks of our lives trying to improve our weaknesses. I read this book and took this test as a team building exercise at work but I highly recommend this book for everyone in the world, not just the work world. Use this knowledge to help build relationships with your significant other and coworkers, even parents and children (if they can understand the questions). Read more →

How to Survive as an Introverted Stay-at-Home Parent

September 14, 2015October 24, 2015George Miller

So, after 9 months of blissful pregnancy, or hellish pregnancy, or something in-between, you find yourself with a perfect little baby. The baby is lovely and wonderful and … with you all the time. At first, it isn’t too bad. The baby is small enough that you can watch TV or read or listen to podcasts while you’re holding their adorable little sleeping form. But then they get bigger, and they need your attention … all the time. And if that wasn’t enough, you’re now trapped in your house with a baby that needs your attention all the time. Suddenly you find yourself in need of both alone time and time with other (adult) people and it’s almost impossible to determine which one you need more. So what do you do? Read more →

Navigating the Nightmare of Nanny Taxes, Part 1: Staying Square with the IRS

September 7, 2015September 19, 2015Stephanie Richards

7323033778_1a9e4ac3d4_k — *Photo by Peter Moons via Flickr*

So you’ve decided to hire a nanny – congratulations! Whatever the reason that you’ve chosen one-on-one care for your child or children, bringing a nanny into your home is infinitely more complicated than taking the kiddos to daycare. I hope that I can help demystify the ins and outs of legally hiring and paying your household employees. Read more →