Posted Thursday, Nov. 11, 2009 by Jackie Morgan MacDougall

Picture this: A crowd gathers 'round an outspoken and animated storyteller to hear a descriptive low-brow tale of toilet humor, complete with play-by-play of vomit, feces, or a combination of both. The growing audience laughs uncontrollably, waiting for their own turn to share their TMI tale; each trying to one-up the last.

Sounds like a scene from the latest sophomoric bromance to hit the big screen, right? But it's not. These are actual stories told by the very people who've lived through it - moms.

Ever since becoming a mother and enduring my first plane ride with an explosive 2-month-old (and I mean physically explosive), I've noticed that moms LOVE to share their own personal accounts with bodily fluids. If Judd Apatow, the director of Knocked Up and 40 Year Old Virgin, is looking for poop scenarios for his next comedy, he should look no further than the… Read More

Posted October, 29, 2009 by Jackie Morgan MacDougall

There are some parenting debates that will never go out of style. Spanking, breastfeeding, and public or private school are just a few hot-button topics that can make even the most sane parents get a little nutty.

Now here we are, smack-dab-in-the-middle of the age of Facebook, Twitter and blogging. While they're useful and helpful online tools, they're also responsible for the latest battle.… Read More

Every February, May and September, a situation presents itself which forces me to answer a very complicated question.

What should I do for my kid's birthday?

Seems like a pretty simple dilemma. Unless you're a mom. Then it becomes like the onion of parenting decisions, each time a choice is made, there's another deeper, stinkier, tear-inducing layer. Party of no party? At home or a kid-requested location? The whole class or close friends? If left unchecked,… Read More

Posted on Thursday, October 15 by Jackie Morgan MacDougall

Just picture it, Massachusetts in October; autumn foliage, outdoor fairs, and hot apple cider on the hayride... it's a magical time. So when we discovered my kindergartner would be getting a week off for fall break (something I had never heard of - ever), we jumped at the chance to head back east to see my family, smack-dab-in-the-middle of New England's fall glory.

But the bonding family… Read More

In all my free time, I came across a post written by a blogger sharing her frustrations with family dinners. While I subscribe to the "do what's best for your family" theory, the comments in the post were so nasty, so mean, that it reminded me of a time when I too, was the judgmental one.

Let me start at the beginning...

I was the best mother to ever grace the earth. I made organic baby… Read More

Making friends pre-kids was a simple task. She liked what you liked, was fun to be around, and you could trust her with your life. It was all about the connection. After having kids, it goes nothing like that. You find yourself hanging out with new people based on geographic location, common kid ages or a mutual disinterest in mommy and me classes (or is that just me?).

But on the rare occasion you're lucky enough to still spend… Read More