Many moons ago, I told you all about my love for mom jeans. They suck everything in. The bulges and pouches and stretch marks and that skin flap over my double c-section scar.
I still keep a pair of mom jeans in my drawer for a night out on the town, or more likely, casual Friday at the office or not having clean leggings.
I have upped my mom jean game by ten zillion points since I wrote about mom jeans the first time. That was probably four years ago.
Add another pregnancy to my list, and wait, drumroll please…I have added an elastic waistband in my high waisted mom jeans.
Is this what giving up feels like? Am I being scoffed at by every teenage girl I don’t see because we can’t go places anymore?
Am I the gross mom in high waisted jeans and a sorority sweatshirt from 2004 at Target, roaming the aisles with bags the size of laundry hampers under my eyes and a venti vanilla latte with an extra shot of espresso in my hand?
Hell yes I am. And I’m proud of it.
It took a lot of hard work to look this haggardly. My hair hasn’t been washed in four or more days. This sweatshirt has dog hair on it. I’m making mental notes in my head about what I should be doing at home. I’m also calculating sales tax for my cart full of stuff I didn’t need but plan to purchase anyway.
And high five to the girl that told me my hair looked shiny when it was really just grease.
And look, in my mom jeans, I can grab something off the top shelf without worrying about my butt crack hanging out. Thanks mom jeans. You’re the real hero here.
This isn’t giving up ladies! High waisted jeans are in style! We are trendsetters and don’t you forget it!
I am a full time working mom with two little boys, Henry and Simon. I write about real life and real life gets messy. Contributor for Motherly, HuffPost Parents, Scary Mommy, Today Parents, Love What Matters and Her View From Home.
Breaking news: the town of Eureka doesn’t have a Bigfoot. The Northern California town just issued a statement to inform visitors and residents that despite news websites distributing photos of a “primate-like” form in the 70-acre public preserve that is Sequoia Park, there is no Sasquatch roaming the forest.
In no small coincidence, the sighting allegedly occurred in the area where a canopy walk is being constructed. The photos supposedly show a Bigfoot-esque being on a platform 50 feet off the ground.
photo: iStock
The structure, part of the city’s Redwood Sky Walk which will open in the spring to connect the forest with the city’s zoo, will link tree platforms and is more than 100 feet high. Miles Slattery, city manager for the City of Eureka has encouraged visitors to “please avoid the area during the final construction phase to reduce the impacts on the park and zoo.”
Despite being a large park, Slattery also states that “none of our staff has reported anything.” The surrounding area of Willow Creek is no stranger to Sasquatch “sightings.” Known as the Bigfoot capital of the world, the term “Bigfoot” was coined there in the ’50s.
As education continues to thrive online, parents will soon have the option of turning to a new app. This week, Disney announced a new digital learning experience for children in first through third grades that will debut later this year.
BYJU’s Early Learning featuring Disney combines unique storytelling and everyone’s favorite Disney and Pixar pals. The open-ended experience will bring interactive videos, quizzes and Disney stories together in order to make math and English fun for kids.
“As an academic, I believe in the value of pairing storytelling with learning, especially for young children,” said Dr. Virginia Mann, Member of the BYJU’s US Content Advisory Board, Professor of Language Science at UC Irvine. “Combining BYJU’s content and innovative delivery with Disney’s world-class storytelling will encourage children to build a love of learning that is pivotal for the future.”
BYJU’s Early Learning featuring Disney will present activities in a non-linear format so they can be played again and again. Kids will also have the option to jump ahead and go back to access their favorite activities.
So which Disney characters will you find roaming the app? Expect to see the likes of fan faves from Disney and Pixar’s Cars and Toy Story, Walt Disney Animation’s Frozen,The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and more!
Stay tuned for an official release date later this year.
It’s time to dust off the driving gloves and say sayonara to the city because a just-opened drive-through adventure is calling. It’s a close encounter of the animal kind, where you and the kids, tucked safely in your car, get up close and personal with bison, moose and caribou who are roaming free. Start your engines!
Buckle Up
courtesy Northwest Trek
Northwest Trek’s Wild Drive is probably the most fun your fam will have in the car this year. The new program gives families a chance to be part of a car caravan that travels through the park’s 435-acre Free-Roaming Area. Each guided tour is led by an experienced naturalist, who shares entertaining tidbits and facts via an app you download to your phone. That’s right, you’ll have all the educational entertainment your kids need piped right to your car. Plan to spend about an hour on this all-car-all-the-time tour you won’t soon forget.
Shift into Gear
courtesy Northwest Trek
As you make your way through the grassy meadows and forested hillsides, the kids should be on the lookout for the eight Pacific Northwest native animals that call the park home. We’re talking Roosevelt elk, mountain goats, caribou, big horn sheep and elusive moose that take a keen eye to spot. Don’t forget the bison, who always seem to steal the show. They love to sit close to the road and pose for pictures. Who knows, with the springtime baby boom, you might even spy a bison calf close to mom along the way. The cars will move slowly through the grounds so you’ll have plenty of time to see the animals that are out and about. Clearly the hardest part of this trip is deciding which parent has to drive and keep their eyes on the road.
Be reassured this adventure puts health and safety first, as every aspect can be no-contact, if you choose. Tickets are purchased in advance online, and are shown to an attendant through your car window. Staff will wear masks (you can too!), and stay socially distanced from cars. And other than a possible pit stop, there’s no need to get out of the car or come in contact with anyone other than your car mates.
What to Bring
courtesy Northwest Trek
Unlike a typical visit to Northwest Trek, this adventure is all about car time, and that means being prepared. Put food and drink at the top of your list, as eating while you make your way through the park is totally fine (just don’t feed the animals). Hand sanitizer, masks and any other safety items you would normally pack during this time come next. Finally, plan some silly road trip games and activities to keep the kids busy on the way down and back.
Pit Stop
courtesy Northwest Trek
If your crew needs a break from car time, consider packing a picnic or getting out for an easy hike. For a picnic, try Spanaway Park, just off of Highway 7, outside Tacoma. It sits along a lake, so you can eat with a view, and there’s plenty of room to stretch your legs. Remember restrooms and playground equipment are closed here. Families can also check out Nisqually State Park, a little beyond Northwest Trek. It’s a smaller, little-known state park, so socially distancing along the riverside trails should be a cinch. Remember to pack your Discover Pass for this one.
Good to know: 1. Cell reception can be spotty at the park, so download mobile tickets and the audio app you need for the tour to your device before you head out.
2. Plan to arrive 15-20 minutes before your tour starts. There’s no joining the group once they’ve departed.
3. Families will have limited access to restrooms at the park before and after the tour.
4. Car capacity maxes out at eight people for this experience.
5. Some time slots are already sold out, so if you want in, get your tickets soon.
11610 Trek Dr. E.
Eatonville, WA
360-832-6117
Online: nwtrek.org
Ah, LA, La La Land, City of Angels (and movie stars, and freeways and mountains and beaches). It seems like forever ago that we were in bumper to bumper traffic on the 405 (and it wasn’t even rush hour!), just trying to get to the westside. And now that we’ve been stuck—er, we mean safer—at home, we’re feeling a little wistful for all the things we can no longer do. Sure, we’re making the most of being on lockdown, but we’re also really, really looking forward to doing these 11 things again.
Visiting Our Animal Friends at the LA Zoo
We wonder: Do they miss us as much as we miss them?
Dining at Our Favorite Strip-Mall Sushi Spot
Because it's our Cheers. The place where everyone knows your name. Or at least your face. And your kid can eat rice and edamame and borrow a pen from the server to draw on the paper menu.
A stroll through the rose gardens is the perfect end to a visit to the nearby California Science Center, Natural History Museum or California African American Museum.
The sculptural exhibit outside LACMA never ceases to inspire.
Living that Farm Life at Underwood
We were so looking forward to the springtime festivities at Underwood Family Farms, but we'll have to wait a little bit longer to ride the tractors, pet the goats and pick berries at the Moorpark spot.
Is your game closet looking for a refresh? You’re in luck because Hasbro just released the latest version of Monopoly, Monopoly: Ghostbusters Edition!
The updated board game lets players travel through New York City in an attempt to win Ghostbusting contracts. The new version has a fresh game board and artwork based on the original Ghostbusters movie.
Perhaps one of the best new features are the brand new tokens, which include filmed-themed gadgets such as the PKE Meter, Proton Pack, Janine Menitz’s glasses, Ecto Goggles, a radio and Dana Barrett’s Cello. This edition also includes Roaming Vapor cards, as well as Supernatural Entity and ECTO-1 and Entity spaces on the board.
The game will be available at most major retailers this weekend for $29.99.
If you grew up in the ’80s, chances are you spent your summers riding your bike to your friend’s house and only heading back home when the streetlights came on. Things are a little different in 2019 and this hilarious video of 1989 moms versus 2019 moms highlights exactly how much things have changed.
Funny moms Meredith Masony of That’s Inappropriate and Tiffany Jenkins of Juggling the Jenkins have teamed up to compare and contrast the differences between how moms handled those long summer days in the ’80s versus now and they’ve summed it up perfectly in the video below.
Those days of baking in the sun and sending the kids off for a day of roaming the neighborhood with nothing more than a Pop Tart have been replaced with fresh ostrich milk, 100 SPF sunscreen and meditating with goats. Pretty accurate.
The only question that remains is are you a 1989 mom, a 2019 mom or a little bit of both?
With the last film in the Skywalker saga just a few short months away, one airline is prepping for The Rise of Skywalker with a Star Wars-themed airplane. It might not hit lightspeed, but the force will definitely be with you onboard.
United Airlines has just unveiled a new Star Wars-themed aircraft to celebrate the arrival of Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker in theaters later this year. The special United Boeing 737-800 features a black fuselage with images of the interstellar vehicles featured in the films, as well as blue and red lightsabers on the tail.
Introducing the newest member of our intergalactic fleet.
The Star Wars-themed airplane will be roaming domestically, which means that it’s not tied to any specific route and could appear in any United Terminal anytime. You never know where the force will appear next.
Whether you think they’re cool or creepy, today’s the day to embrace those tiny bearded men and go big or go gnome. Don’t know how? Scroll down to try one of these 15 fun and silly activities to get you in the gnome state of mind.
We know there are plenty of safe, indoor options for trick-or-treating, but if your plans are taking you outdoors this Halloween, you’ll want to make sure your little ghosts and goblins have the proper gear for a fun and safe adventure. From visible Halloween wear to LED accessories and apps that track your kid’s location, click through the gallery for 15 ways to keep your trick-or-treaters safe and visible while roaming the ‘hood.
Glow-in-the-Dark Tape
For an easy solution, have a roll (or two!) of Glow-in-the-Dark Duck Tape on hand for the big night. You can tape up everyone’s buckets, shoes and costumes for a unique look that’s easy to see from afar, and it even works on those wagons you’ll be using to tote the tiny trick-or-treaters from house to house.
