My son was 10 when we relocated to a new city and state. And with that move came some new vocabulary as well.

Right away, child-of-mine picked up on the fact that his new classmates were saying, with some frequency, the word “crap,” a syllable I’d strictly forbidden from crossing his sassy little lips. And when he first heard a teacher shamelessly utter the expression, right there in front of her students, he decided we needed to have a little chit-chat on the subject.

Using his powers of persuasion and logic—which are both impressive and infuriating—he convinced me to let him try out this previously banned four-letter word. But I wasn’t thrilled about it—and he knew it.

And so it went. Naturally, he had a very hard time suppressing his newfound fascination with the pseudo-swear. “Crappity-crap-crap-crap!” Suddenly, I was cohabitating with a pint-sized, PG-rated sailor.

“That’s crap!”
“What the crap?”
“Holy crap!”

So we had to set some ground rules. Those three expressions above, yeah, they were nixed immediately. When I proposed he could try “what the heck” instead of “what the crap” or “holy moly” instead of “holy crap,” he guffawed at my old-lady ways, and I glimpsed the teenager he would most likely become. Whether I was uncool or not, he had no choice but to relent to the Mommy-in-Charge.

And so, thank goodness, he began to dial it back. “That’s crap!” transformed into “That’s junk!” (Sigh. Is that really any better?) And we came upon a consensus: No “crapping” in public or in front of family. And no excessive “crappity-crap-crapping” just because you have working vocal cords.

He knew this was a test of his maturity—possibly even a gateway to other privileges—and fortunately, treated it as such. In fact, he’s managed to find a palatable balance among all this crap, and he now only sparingly uses the once-controversial expression.

However, there was one unforeseen hiccup I should have seen coming a mile away. But nope. Oh no. I walked right into it. Just days after this new idiomatic freedom was bestowed upon my child, we had friends over for dinner. Gleefully, he announced to everyone in attendance: “My mom lets me say the C-word now!”

This post originally appeared on Samiches & Psych Meds.

I'm a freelance writer with a background in journalism and corporate communications. My musings focus on living abroad, special needs, my puppy dog and everyday mom stuff. I live in the Midwestern USA with my husband, two sons and rescue mutt. For privacy, 

 

 

Heading to Target with a tot in tow can be a blast for them; especially if everyone makes a pit stop for a cake pop (and a latte) at Starbucks. But for one lucky three-year-old, these two iconic stores took on a bigger role in her life. Read on to see how this little girl from Milwaukee got a big playroom makeover.

Target Playroom

Ariah, an adorable 3-year-old from Milwaukee, loves her trips to Target so much that her mom, Renèe Doby-Becht decided to create a shopper’s paradise in her playroom. Complete with a Target checkout station, stocked shelves, and even a pint-sized shopping cart, this retail wonderland even has its own Starbucks. 

Target Playroom

Doby-Becht did not expect the photos of Ariah’s playroom to go viral when she posted them on Facebook. 

Target Playroom

“Ariah’s favorite store is Target and of course Starbucks are in most Target stores. Although this gift was really late, I wanted to do something different for Christmas this year,” Doby-Becht wrote in the post. 

Target Playroom

Since Doby-Becht shared the photos a little over a week ago, the post on her personal Facebook page has gotten more than 5,000 comments and over 9,000 reactions and shares.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Photos courtesy of Brigette Doby

 

RELATED STORIES

Starbucks to Ditch Disposable Cups For Good. Here’s How Your Order Will Change

What an Awesome 3-Year-Old Birthday Party Looks Like

10 Tips to Make the Ultimate Playroom

 

I recently met with another female CEO. Like me, she’s 32 years old. She wanted to meet with me because she wasn’t sure if it was possible for her to continue to run her successful business and also start a family. She felt she had to choose. She especially felt pressure from her investors, some of whom directly told her not to have a child while running her business or raising capital. They advised her that if she was thinking about a family, she should first think about an exit. Apparently there’s some well known phrase that circulates in VC land: “Exits before babies”. Well, I missed that memo!

This was just one woman in the tech industry in a string of many lately who have been reaching out to me about starting a family. Women in tech, especially founders and aspiring founders, are apprehensive about starting families because they don’t think it’s compatible with a successful career. Egg freezing is more popular than ever and many large tech companies now offer it as a standard benefit to their employees. I don’t know how I fell into this role but some combination of having a baby, starting a company, and dealing with my husband having cancer have made me the poster mom for a twisted version of “having it all”. Women have started looking to me to tell them whether it’s all possible. Can you start a company and also start a family?

Before I share the answer, let me share my story. Six weeks after giving birth to my daughter, I went back to work at the tech startup where I had been working. I liked my job running the product team for a growing company. The job was close to home and didn’t require travel. The company I worked for had even created a mother’s room for me to pump in. It wasn’t a bad gig.

But at the same time, my job wasn’t great either. The company I worked for strongly encouraged long hours in the office and attending Friday night drinks after work each week. There were very few other parents and I felt like my desire to get my work done and go home for the night was frowned upon. People couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to take long lunches and instead wanted to grab a quick bite at my desk so I could leave work earlier to see my daughter. Some co-workers complained that my mother’s room for pumping had taken away their valuable meeting space.

I left my tech company job and started Winnie because I saw an opportunity to build a product for parents that didn’t exist in the world. I also left because I saw an opportunity to build a company that would allow me—and the people working for me—to “have it all”. My cofounder Anne Halsall and I, both moms, decided that we’d build Winnie in a way that didn’t consume our entire lives. We’d have reasonable office hours, a flexible environment so we could work from home when we needed to, and the ability to spend time with our families at night and on the weekends. We decided that instead of seeing those things as a disadvantage, we’d use them as our secret weapon. We’d use our flexible environment to recruit world-class engineering talent who didn’t want to burn out at a traditional tech startup. We’d use that fact that we don’t spend 24/7 in the office to force ourselves to prioritize and focus on what is really important to our business. We’d use time with our families to relax and reset.

This secret weapon of a family-friendly work culture has served us well. Fast forward one year and now Winnie is a rapidly growing platform that over 25,000 moms and dads across the United States depend on regularly.  We’ve grown to become a place to find unique insights on everything from keeping the spark alive with your partner to the best daycares & preschools near you. Winnie exists because as parents, we saw an opportunity that all the techbro founders had never seen. We truly get this market that so many have failed to tap into because we are parents ourselves.

So to all the women out there wondering if they can really start a company and a family, the answer is YES! Not only will being a mother make you a more productive worker, it will make your company better. It will help you see opportunities because you will have a new perspective on the world. It will help you have more empathy for your employees because you now will know what it’s like to have things going on outside of the office that matter too. It will help you ruthlessly prioritize to focus in on what’s most important for your business.

Stop waiting until the timing is perfect. Stop worrying about what other people think. Stop wondering if you can manage it all. The answer is yes.

This article originally appeared on LinkedIn.

Short mom to tall kids. CEO and co-founder of Winnie, a leading marketplace for daycare and preschool helping millions of parents across the United States. Still getting the gist of this whole parenting thing.

Keep Portland Weird! It’s the slogan locals have come to know and love dearly. But why is Portland considered to be so weird? We’ve put together Portland trivia that will drop jaws, elicit gasps and make your young Portlanders giggle. Read on to find out exactly which Portland facts have earned our city the reputation we’ve all come to embrace.

Akima H. via Yelp

Portland has the smallest park in the world

Located near the Willamette River in downtown, Mills End Park is the smallest park in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. Tell your kiddos not to expect a swing set or slide, this grassy area has a diameter of 0.6 meters and a total area of 0.29 square meters. The park was originally intended to be the location for a light pole, which fell through so Oregon Journal columnist Dick Fagan planted flowers in the hole. It was recognized as an official city park in 1976.

Portland also has the largest urban forest in the country

Unlike Mills End Park, Portland's Forest Park, just northwest of downtown, offers families tons of room to run and play. Stretching for more than 5,200 acres and offering visitors breathtaking views of the Willamette River, Forest Park is the largest urban forest reserve in the US within the limits of a city. This beloved park is perfect for hiking, with more than 70 miles of trails. 

There is a dormant volcano in the city

Portland is one of only two cities that has a dormant volcano within the city limits. Mt. Tabor is located in SE Portland and one of Portlander's favorite spots for picnics, hikes and watching the sun rise and set. It even is home to a park where kids can play and an outdoor amphitheater.

Portland holds an annual World Naked Bike Ride

Our beloved city is all about body positivity and biking, so it's no wonder that it holds it's annual naked bike ride as a part of a worldwide protest against oil dependency every year. There's no clutching of pearls as decorated bikes, and dressed up moms and dads make their way through the city streets on two wheels in an effort to save the environment. This event is almost 16 years old!

Heyde Cirico via flickr

You can find miniature horses all over Portland

The sidewalks of Portland are peppered with metal rings. As a part of the "Portland Horse Project," people leave tiny toy horses attached to themso they can be used as a catalyst for people to realize the beauty in the details of our city. Your kids will love finding them around town. Buy some toy horses that your little one can attach to a ring for someone else to find!

Portland is home to the largest independently owned bookstore in the world

Chanced are you've visited Powell’s City of Books in the Pearl District. But did you know that it has been named the the largest independently owned bookstore in the world? Families and children of all ages love walking through this giant shop, and even spending time flipping though their favorite books, while they decide which ones to buy.

The Rose City's name was decided by a coin toss

Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove, two of Portland's founders, couldn’t agree on how to name the land they had acquired, so they decided to flip a coin. The winner got to name the place after their hometown. Pettygrove, a native of Portland, Maine, won the toss. Had Lovejoy won, the city would be called Boston, like his Massachusetts hometown.

Portland is ranked one of the best places in America for vegans and vegetarians to live

Portland has always been know for being health oriented (it's often been rated the most bikeable). It's also famous for its fantastic eateries and top-notch chefs. So it should come as no surprise that in 2020, Forbes rated it the best city in America for vegans and vegetarians.  You can find a list of some of the best vegan restaurants here.

Brian K. via yelp

The International Rose Test Garden has over 500 types of roses

This four-acre garden is home to some of the most beautiful roses in the world. Its four acres holds over 500 types of roses? Who even knew there were that many types?

The Simpsons was born here (kinda)

Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, was born and raised in Portland and attended Ainsworth Elementary School and Lincoln High School. Groening began animating The Simpsons in 1989 and named several of the characters after famous Portland streets and landmarks, including Flanders, Lovejoy, Powell, Quimby and Kearney. Now is the perfect time to start watching with your kids!

Home to the Wiley Unipiper

Chances are, you've likely heard of the Unipiper. He rides around on a unicycle dressed as Darth Vader (and most recently, other characters from Game of Thrones and Pokémon), playing flaming bagpipes! Brian Kidd, also known as The Unipiper, is a unicyclist, street performer, musician and local celebrity who calls our city home!

Portland has the largest roost of Vaux's Swifts in the World

If you head up to Chapman Elementary School in September expect to see a sight that will take your breath away. As the Vaux's Swifts migrate, the fly into the school's chimney to nest for the night

—Annette Benedetti

RELATED STORIES

Fun Winter Activities in Portland 

Rainy Day Activities for Portland Kids

Winter Vacations Ideas in Portland

Busy school night? Pizza. Tired and don’t want to cook? Pizza. Have a major craving? PIZZA.

Because of American’s all-out love affair with the savory pie, Expensivity.com decided to find out the average price of cheese/plain and pepperoni pizza across the the United States to give hungry folks all the info they need to satisfy their cravings. Researchers not only discovered the cheapest pizza around, but they also found the average price by city and the density of pizzerias per person!

photo: Expensivity.com

Some of the key findings were that the cheapest cheese pizza can be found in North Dakota and will only set you back $6.64. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a cheese pizza in Alaska means you’ll be forking over $9.21 per pie.

If you want to head to the city with the cheapest pizza, make a trip to Virginia Beach, or check out Rhode Island, the state with the most pizzerias per person!

If you fancy pepperoni, Expensivity also found that Utah has the cheapest at $6.49, while Oklahoma is going to wreck your budget at $15.56 for one pizza! Want to scarf down more deets on the U.S. Pizza Index? Head to Expensivity.com.

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: David Fedulov via Unsplash

 

RELATED STORIES

You Can Buy a Cheez-It Onesie & It’s Only for Adults

The BEST Pizza in Every State (& D.C.)

‘Za Best: 15 Pizza Recipes for Family Meals

When I sat down to write our story, I didn’t know quite where to begin. The feelings and emotions are still very raw. 

In July of 2016, my husband and I were blessed with a beautiful, healthy, and incredible baby boy. As our son grew, we knew this was a life that we had been blessed to have. We couldn’t imagine our life without our son. When our son turned two years old, we wanted nothing more than to add to our family and give our son the sibling he deserved to have.

This journey to another baby was not like our first. After two years of trying on our own, we decided to seek the advice and the help of a fertility doctor. We fell in love with our fertility doctor from the moment we met with her, and we knew we would be in good hands. We decided to start with a less invasive approach and tried Intrauterine insemination (IUI). Well, after two failed IUI attempts, we were left with that same feeling of being discouraged that we knew all too well. What was next for us?

Well, COVID-19 hit, and that was when our fertility journey was put on hold for a little bit. It wasn’t until the summertime that we decided to go through In vitro fertilization (IVF) after speaking with our fertility doctor. I was scared and upset that we needed to get to this point to conceive a baby. This reaffirmed to me more than ever that our son was a miracle. With all of that, I put on my big girl pants and didn’t look back. My poor husband was injecting me with shots every night while my son stood by and held my hand. He didn’t know what was happening but wanted to be supportive and with his mommy. It was in November that I had my first embryo retrieval. When I was leaving the surgical center, the doctor was hopeful and told me that she was able to get seven follicles. I was elated! Seven follicles meant that there could be seven embryos. Which would mean we had seven chances at having a baby.

That evening, the nurse called to let me know that only 1 of those follicles had made it. I couldn’t help but cry. All of those nights of injections for one follicle just made me start to lose hope. The nurse informed me that the doctor would be in touch in a few weeks to ensure that this embryo had passed all genetic testing.

I was so anxious waiting for that phone call. Then one afternoon in November, that call finally came. Our fertility doctor called to let me know that we had one embryo, and it passed all the genetic testing. She asked me if I wanted to know the gender of the embryo, and of course, I couldn’t wait. It was a girl! I immediately hung up and called my husband to tell him the news. We were set for our embryo transfer on December 23rd. This was the Christmas miracle I had dreamed about. I went for early morning monitoring on January 1, 2021, and it was that morning, I found out that I was pregnant. My husband and I were beyond excited and couldn’t believe that we would be parents to our beautiful son and now a baby girl. We talked about all of the fun experiences we would have as parents to both a boy and a girl. We felt like our dream was coming true…until it wasn’t.

At the next appointment, my husband had to wait in the waiting room due to the COVID-19 protocols. I asked if they could use the doppler to hear the heartbeat. She obliged, but when she struggled to hear the heartbeat, she ushered me into the ultrasound room. Naively I thought, at least I will get to go home with some pictures of our baby girl to share with our family and friends. At this point, I was 15 weeks and four days. As I looked up on the screen during the ultrasound, I realized something wasn’t right. The ultrasound technician told me she was going to get the doctor. 

In that instant, I texted my husband that something was wrong. The doctor came in to tell me that they couldn’t find the heartbeat. I insisted they needed to do an internal exam to get a better view. How could that be? The doctor assured me that it wasn’t necessary and that the baby was measuring two weeks smaller than predicted. At that moment, I, too, felt lifeless. The doctor brought my husband back to me, where we both just sobbed. We had worked so hard to get to this point and now our dreams of our little family of four were shattered. Our two-hour drive home felt like 10 hours. I just cried as my husband held my hand and assured me that everything would be alright. We drove right to my parents’ house to pick up our son, who immediately knew something wasn’t right. We explained to him that there wasn’t a baby in mommy’s belly anymore. He immediately hugged me and told me, “It’s alright, mommy, the baby is in heaven now. She will be our angel to protect us!” What a smart little boy. 

Somehow the wise words of a 5-year-old and his bear-hugging hug were all I needed to help comfort me through our loss. I don’t know what is next for our family, if we try again or if we continue to be blessed with our beautiful family of three. This loss has made me even more grateful for my husband, my son, and our family and friends who have been there for us. I am now part of 1 in every 4 women who suffer from a miscarriage. We are strong. We are brave. We survived the unimaginable.

RELATED STORIES:
How to Support a Mama Grieving Her Miscarriage
Miscarriage: A Story of Hope

Melissa Christopher
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

My name is Melissa. I am a mom to an incredible 5 year old boy. My husband, my son, and I live in the same town that I grew up in. In those 5 years of being a mom, I have learned a lot about myself and can't wait to share it with you. 

You’ve made the big decision to add a pet to your family and now it’s time for another important choice: What kind of animal will you get? Once you’ve narrowed your choice down to cat or dog (or bird, or lizard!) you’ll also need to figure out which kind of pet best fits your family’s lifestyle. We’ve teamed up with Hill’s Pet and five moms to see how they decided on what kind of pet to add to their family:

See how Hill’s science-backed nutrition can give your best friend their best life.

 

As a mom to two tiny humans and two dogs, Nashville Wife Styles has her hands full! When it was time for her family to get another dog, she knew that a pug mix was the perfect loyal pup to join their fam.

The Jamie Lynn Show and her three little ones love to fill their weekends with activities and adventure, which is why they decided on a Goldendoodle. This energetic pup is always prepared to join them as they explore!

While Texas Forever Farmhouse is a fan of both cats and dogs, when it came to getting her own family pet she knew that a cat was the best fit, thanks to their independence and quiet presence.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GingyPants (@thegingypants)

The Gingy Pants had her pup Fin before they started growing their family with children, but she always knew she wanted her kids to grow up with a dog. Having an older pup who is a little bit calmer has been a perfect fit for her two little ones!

When Ann Marie Bailey’s family was spending more time at home last spring, they decided to add a pup to their family. With three kids, they wanted a dog that was full of energy, but as a family with sensitive skin they also knew a hypoallergenic dog was best for them. 


Growing your family is a big decision—whether you’re considering an additional child or a four-legged friend. You’ll need to think about how your new family member will affect your day-to-day routine, your big future plans, your finances and so much more, but for many, a dedicated furry companion is worth it! We teamed up with Hill’s Pet Nutrition to hear from five moms about how their families decided to bring a pet into the mix:

New pet parents have a lot of questions, and Hill’s has a lot of answers! See how Hill’s science-backed nutrition can give your best friend their best life.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GingyPants (@thegingypants)

The Gingy Pants

Mom-of-two Heather grew up with dogs, so having a pet in her family was a must. Even though her kids are young, Heather says she thinks growing up with pets definitely helps in developing compassion, empathy, responsibility and consistency.

Texas Forever Farmhouse

Even though her daughter had been asking about a pet for months, Texas-based mom Ryan didn’t plan to adopt a cat. But when her family ended up at an adoption event and met their cat Neville, they knew he was the one. Their cat has been in their home for a few years now and has become a close companion for their two kids.

The Jamie Lynn Show

Jamie Lynn knew that she wanted a dog for her family, the hard part was finding the best time to add a pup to her home. When her youngest daughter turned four and could understand how to be friendly with a big dog, she decided it was the perfect time to get her Goldendoodle Jessie!

Annmarie Bailey

Like most of us, Annmarie spent a lot more time at home in the last year. With big changes already happening, including a newborn, Annmarie decided to add another change to her family’s day-to-day by adopting a puppy, Geno! She was nervous about how her infant and dog would get along, but the two are best friends.

Nashville Wife Styles

Mom-of-two Ashley has a full house with two dogs and a cat! When they were thinking about getting their second dog, Ginger, they considered how their two daughters would be able to help out. The kids have become best friends with Ginger and take turns feeding her and taking her for walks.

New pet parents have a lot of questions, and Hill’s has a lot of answers! See how Hill’s science-backed nutrition can give your best friend their best life.