Mommy Mondays

Mommy Mondays: 9 Things I Did Right as a First-Time Mommy

September 3, 2013
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I had kids early compared with most of my friends. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now my circle of peers are beginning to have their own children, many of them for the first time. One advantage of this wave of new babies is that it has prompted me to reflect […]

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Mommy Mondays: Best Laid Plans

August 20, 2013
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I wonder sometimes whether most of parenting success can be attributed to not taking things too seriously and to laughing at yourself. I’ve always found coordinating childcare to be stressful. It seems to take tremendous emotional and mental energy to make the phone calls, coordinate spousal schedules, send the emails, and do all those other […]

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Mommy Mondays: Holding What’s Sacred

August 5, 2013
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Following the religious definitions, in the very last entry, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “sacred” as “highly valued and important.” My children and I have these little rituals, these interactive patterns of engagement through which we are letting the other know that he or she is loved. I have different rituals for my son and different […]

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Mommy Mondays: Initial Reflections from a Pseudo-Single Mom

July 15, 2013
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My family is not yet finished with our current mommy’s-getting-a-PhD adventure when we have decided to embark on our next big adventure . . . we’re moving to Miami. My husband has accepted a position as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies in the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. And while we’re […]

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Mommy Mondays: My Mommy Guilt

June 17, 2013
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I have never doubted my decision to be a working mommy. I firmly believe that working makes me a better mommy and that being a mommy makes me a better professional (I also firmly believe that this choice is my own and it doesn’t work for everyone). But the so-called “mommy guilt” kicks in occasionally. […]

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Mommy Mondays: Get a Job…?

June 10, 2013
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It’s amazing how the most innocent questions can sometimes generative the most thought. It happened this morning. My son and I had a lovely 15-minute conversation that started with a single question: Momma, how can I make money so that I can buy things? My first instinct (which I think is a rather natural one) […]

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Mommy Mondays: 9 Tips for Surviving Travel with a Preschooler

June 3, 2013
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Nine days, 3 states, 5 plane trips, 1 rental car, 2 carseats, 5 airports, 7 car trips (90-360 minutes each), and 1 lake later . . . I have survived a mammoth family trip and have lived to blog about it. There’s no doubt that traveling with kids is much more mentally exhausting than traveling […]

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Mommy Monday: Rituals and the Caregiver-Child Bond

April 29, 2013
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A fellow graduate music therapy student recently defended her master’s thesis. The defense itself was amazing, but what was even more amazing was her research—a heuristic, grounded theory study that explored how community-based music groups support bonding and attachment in adoptive families. Her research is worth a blog series and more . . . but, […]

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Mommy Mondays: The Art of Being Present

April 15, 2013
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I found myself at the park with my children yesterday. It was one of those perfect spring days, my favorite jeans, t-shirt, and sandal weather. And on this perfect spring day at the park with my two perfect children . . . I found myself completely preoccupied with thoughts of work. I first associated this with […]

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