Browsing Category: Rambling

I Hate Potty Training – Let’s Be Honest, It’s Crappy

January 10, 2019 Zoe

I have a list of blog posts I plan to write one day. When ideas pop in my head, I try to write them down. Sometimes I brainstorm blogs to write for the month. Either way, there’s a blog post that has been on my list forever. It was titled “How I potty trained my kid”. In some versions of the proposed title, I combined it with my interest in early childhood development, “How I potty trained my kid, and helped her learn to read” or “Additional skills learned while potty training”. Other times, I thought I could help other moms with titles like “I potty trained my kid and you can too” or “The no-stress way I potty trained my kid”. But the reality is, I hate potty training and it’s awful.

Every kid is different. I say this as a reminder to me and to you. The kid who is an amazing sleeper might refuse to eat anything other than mac and cheese or breadsticks. A great eater might decide not to walk until 18 months. The fabulous running, walking, talking kid might take forever to potty train. In the end, they all get there, but your life as a parent will vary quite a bit depending on which elements end up being a hurdle for your kid. Continue Reading

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Comment Child Development, Parenting, Rambling

Looking back on 2018 – The year that was

December 21, 2018 Zoe

5 Things I learned from a photoshoot with my 2-year-old

(Photo Credit: Lara Salvo with Vienna Hayden // @ViennaHayden)

If you’re relatively new here with me, you might not know that I’ve done one of these posts for the past couple of years. I did one back in 2016, and in 2017, so go read them if you’re so inclined. These questions are not easy, but they’re amazing for introspection. I normally find the “look back on the past year” posts to be pretty cliche, but this one goes WAY deeper than normal. In fact, some of these questions are downright uncomfortable. But they help give a real picture of the year, so I think it’s a worthwhile exercise.

Normally, I did this post before articulating my goals for the coming year. But my goals were so clear in my head this time, I don’t necessarily feel like I’ve done this out of order. Continue Reading

Comment Rambling

2018 Questions Year in review

These are my 2019 goals and how I will make them happen

December 18, 2018 Zoe

In 2018, I didn’t make any set goals. We had just turned our lives upside down, moving halfway around the world. Everything was different and new, and rather than making some ambitious plans to change my life even further, my main, unsaid goal was pretty much to just settle into our new lives. I wanted to make friends, to grow in my career, and to make this place a home. That seemed daunting enough, and yet I accomplished this unspoken goal, just as I achieved my 2017 goals the year before. Seeing as one of the things I offer as a coach is help with goals, I figured I should probably show you how I apply this to my own life, by sharing my own 2019 goals.

But it’s not enough to just have dreams or ideas. They have to be translated into action steps, as well as daily, weekly and monthly activities. The goals need to be clear and easily quantified, and then the steps need to be actionable, or else it all becomes too overwhelming, vague and impossible. So this is how I hope to change my life in 2019. Continue Reading

3 Comments Fitness, Health, Rambling

2019 Goals Goals Life goals

Harley the 3-year-old – Happy Birthday to Baby Born Geek

December 14, 2018 Zoe

Okay, I’m really late with this post. Harley turned 3 on the 1st of December, but I’m sure she won’t mind that I’m only writing this now. It’s been a busy period. We did Thanksgiving and her birthday party, all with Dean’s mom visiting us. It was lots of fun, but also super hectic, and when combined with work deadlines, I just haven’t really had a chance to sit down and reflect and write. But now, I’m carving out the time to tell you all about Harley, the amazing 3-year-old. Continue Reading

1 Comment Rambling

3-year-old Birthday Happy Birthday

The Monster at the End of this Book – Read it to your kids

November 28, 2018 Zoe

For those who haven’t noticed, I actually have a YouTube channel running. Over there, I read kid’s books out loud. In my head, the content is for two distinct groups. It’s for the parents who are curious about which books are worthwhile, or perhaps might be wondering about some best practices when reading aloud to a kid. It’s also for kids, to be able to watch a video of their new favorite book read out loud. Go subscribe. Please. PLEASE!

I realized that I might not have mentioned this to you all enough, so I figured I’d tell you a bit more about the book I read in the video that went live this past Sunday. It’s called The Monster at the End of this Book, and it was one of my all-time favorites when I was a kid. It’s also one of Harley’s favorites, so it was an easy choice to share. There are even apps for it, where it becomes an interactive storytelling experience.

(Full disclosure: Yes, links to Amazon are affiliate links. If you click them, I could earn a small commission.) Continue Reading

1 Comment Books, Rambling, USA

Books reading The Monster at the End of this Book