IT IS HURRICANE SEASON! We’re from the northeast (like the real north, where we get real winter, real cold, and real snow. And, real ice). One thing we don’t get much of is hurricanes. We got a little more experience with hurricanes when we moved to North Carolina ten years ago, but through various lucky circumstances we managed to out run a few of them purely by chance. We were in the Dominican Republic on vacation for one, in California at a friend’s wedding for another, that kind of thing.

Well, not so much traveling happens these days with two small children, so we’re staying put this year, and as luck would have it, a hurricane is headed right for us in Raleigh, NC!

Who is the boss of your body? The one thing that really brings out the mama bear in me is the thought of someone abusing or molesting my children. On the wings of the #metoo movement, and with all the sexual assault in the news lately, it makes me relive my own experiences as a child and strive to do everything in my power to protect my children from any harm or wrongdoing. This book “God Made ALL of Me” was recommended months ago in a Twitter conversation between a co-author and Beth Moore, and I bought it immediately. I wanted to prepare myself to protect my children long before there was ever a need. I wanted to be proactive, rather than reactionary or defensive. I didn’t want to wish I had read this book after something happened, or worry that it might be “too late.”

The Importance of Anchoring Your Furniture!

Did you baby-proof your home? I normally hate to overstep and tell a mom how to parent, but below is an email I received a few months ago from my friend about baby-proofing: a large bureau dresser fell on her son. A lot of times we (read: I) view these stories as examples of neglect, but I have known this friend for several years and she is a diligent, involved, aware mother who never leaves her kids unattended. She’s an ER provider and has seen the worst.

Thankfully her son is ok, but it made me rethink ALL of my reasons for not fully baby-proofing by anchoring some of our furniture (in our house, all furniture in kids’ rooms are anchored but not in our guest or master bedrooms because we were afraid of holes in the walls or wanting to move the furniture around eventually). When we think of baby-proofing, most of us think of outlet covers and door/drawer locks, but it is so much more than that!