by Kira Hazledine | Breastfeeding, Health
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine Oh, the joys of breastfeeding. I had it pretty easy with Hallie. Her latch was good, she ate plenty, and I didn’t have any run-ins with mastitis. I took to clogged ducts with a hot shower and an iron first on the rare occasions they...
by Kira Hazledine | Making Memories, Parenting, Toddlers
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine I’ll own up to it. Last year, I took my infant daughter trick-or-treating. She was a whopping 6-months old, and I shamelessly collected candy for her. However, this was not just about the candy (which was delicious). This was a golden...
by Shadra Bruce | Kid Safety
Getting Real with Shadra Bruce We have a very curious toddler in the house again, and that means we are babyproofing again. Our home, which has for years only housed teens, tweens, and adults, is nothing more than a giant danger zone for our granddaughter. So while...
by Megan Gregory | Parenting, Pregnancy and Your Newborn
Getting Real with Megan Gregory I know there are many lists out there of things you absolutely need when you have a baby, but here is my compilation after having my two children and learning what is actually necessary and what just takes up space. When I was pregnant...
by Kira Hazledine | Making Memories, Raising Healthy Kids, Toddlers, Work at Home
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine Hallie was about 3 weeks old when I realized her interest in music. She was crying hysterically one evening, and I was trying to get her to sleep. Normally we prevail, but tonight nothing could save us. My dad, being the good Papa that...
by Kira Hazledine | Kid Safety, On Motherhood, Parenting, Raising Healthy Kids, Toddlers
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine Now that I’m thinking about it, a lot of people asked me a very weird question when Hallie was first born. “What is Hallie going to call her parts?” Uhm… what? I must have been in a newborn baby stupor to not respond with more sass. I...
by Shadra Bruce | Let's Talk, Parenting, Teens and Tweens
Getting Real with Shadra Bruce No teen is a fan of curfew, and it comes as no surprise when they start pushing back when you set limits on their adventures. Your teen may try negotiating the point, but curfew is just one of those things that parents shouldn’t...
by Kira Hazledine | Creating Balance, Self-Improvement, Stress Management
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine Self-care is important, especially as a mom. You can’t possibly devote all the necessary energies to your kids if your own tank is measuring empty. As much as I try to repeat this mantra to myself, I must admit that I suck at...
by Shadra Bruce | Creating Balance, Stress Management
Getting Real with Shadra Bruce Our family has been trying to simplify our lives. We’ve always tried to focus more on experiences than stuff, but even so, when we went to make our last cross-country move, we could have easily filled two moving trucks. So we...
by Megan Gregory | Travel
Getting Real with Megan Gregory Remember that post I wrote about traveling with my two-year old son? Well, get ready, because I just went on a trip with my six-month old daughter. Things have changed since I last went on an airplane – which was a year-and-a-half ago...
by Kira Hazledine | Healthy Eating, Raising Healthy Kids, Toddlers
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine Given my previously mentioned tendency to make claims about a child that I hadn’t met, I think this is also why I clung harshly to a single rule. Every parent has their vice, that one standard that they said they would NEVER do and,...
by Shadra Bruce | Education, Family, Parenting
Getting Real with Shadra Bruce Reading to children, before they are even capable of reading themselves, has shown to promote healthy brain development. Children exposed to books from an early age are often more successful academically, and they are also able to better...
by Kira Hazledine | Family, Keeping Marriage Strong, Love
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine My husband, Louis, and I are no strangers to long-distance. We met when he lived in England and I lived in the U.S., which could be a 5 to 7 hour time difference depending on what coast I was on. Until he could get his green card, he...
by Shadra Bruce | Making Memories, Travel
Getting Real with Shadra Bruce We’re doing it again. Headed out on another road trip. This will be our sixth getaway this year with the younger kids and our second with our older daughter and granddaughter along for the ride. We used to be able to cram it all...
by Kira Hazledine | Health, Stress Management, Toddlers
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine Let’s give some back story here. I used to love going to the gym. The workouts felt great, I felt great, and I was happy that I was doing something for my body besides shoving ice cream down my throat. The gym was my go-to stress...
