31Oct 2023 by Sarah Glenn

5 Creative Ways to Involve Visitors so YOU Can Rest

All, Infants, Parenting, Pregnancy
Let’s face it, a baby brings many emotions from various people in your life.  Most humans want to greet the new, squishy “potato” with lots of holding and kissing.  While germs are good to build antibodies, we want to use caution when it’s possible.  So how does a newly delivered family make everyone happy but stave off the parasites?  Let’s start by keeping well-meaning-baby-lovers busy.  Since the majority of your closest relatives and friends are begging to help in some way, give them a productive list of options. Basic housekeeping: No one person must do it all, but many hands make light work.  You could plan for this or have your bff organize everyday chores for the first month.  Things like laundry, dishes, vacuum, clean a bathroom, take out the…
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27Oct 2023 by Sarah Glenn

Should I Let Her Go?

Parenting, Teens
My 13-year-old daughter wants to ride her scooter about 2 miles away to meet her friends.  This makes my stomach turn and I struggle with the correct answer to her question. Two miles is a long way riding alone.  On the one hand, I'm happy she wants to get out AND exercise but on the other hand, I don't want her to go alone.  She is my 7th child, so this is not my first rodeo with a teen.  Three years ago, my son was wandering around the neighborhood with and without his friends all the time and still does at 16.  Sure, I worry about his safety, but for reasons unbeknownst to me I trust that he could “take care of himself.”  Even when he was 9-10-11 years old my…
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10Oct 2023 by Sarah Glenn
The Fourth Trimester

The Fourth Trimester

Breastfeeding, Infants, Life, Parenting, Pregnancy, Relationships
It's strange to hear the newborn period referenced as the "fourth trimester." You've spent 10 (not 9) long months on a countdown through days, weeks, months and trimesters patiently waiting until the end of the third trimester for "this" to be over so you can meet your little one. Emotionally, those first three months postpartum are a time of transformation for you, your baby, and your partner. Learning how to be a family is taxing. Physically your body is adjusting to the new spaciousness, milking breasts, and the crazy hormone acclimation. Let's not forget the exceptional changes a newborn phase through. The cerebellum alone triples in size during the first year. Those early experiences outside the womb are integral to optimize brain development. Newborns are born slightly immature at full…
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07Oct 2023 by Sarah Glenn
My Young Teen Years

My Young Teen Years

Life, Parenting, Relationships, Teens
  If you missed My Younger Years, understand that I ended the story with my mother getting remarried when I was 11.  I was completely fine with it but wasn’t aware until they got back from Hawaii.  So… Let me preface this by saying, that I absolutely loved my stepfather.  He was a troubled soul and my mother was extremely preoccupied with saving him.  Unfortunately, it was all I needed to get into trouble.  Skipping school, hanging with the “bad kids” and sneaking out were easy to do when your mom wasn’t watching.  Through it all, I still managed to skip a grade in school due to my grades (went from 7th to 9th) but that didn’t matter.  The more I sought my mothers’ attention the worse trouble I was…
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07Oct 2023 by Sarah Glenn

My Younger Years

Kids, Life, Parenting, Relationships
My “Young Me” Story Follow my upbringing to see where I landed in my adulthood and parenting!  Start at the beginning... My mother and father were 18 and 20 when they got married (she was not pregnant).  Mom delivered me 2 days before her 20th birthday, in Brooklyn, NY. So, I grew up an only child with a single mom in an Irish catholic community in Rockaway Beach, NY (that’s a part of Queens). My parents divorced when I was a baby and I never met my father until I sought him out in my 20’s. Two of my aunts lived within walking distance and I spent a fair amount of time playing with my cousins.  Matter of fact, one cousin and I were “twins,” born 18 hours apart and…
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21Sep 2023 by Sarah Glenn

Teaching the Art of Giving

Kids, Life, Parenting, Relationships, Work
When children are very young, teaching the art of giving is hard for most to conceptualize. Since birth, they have been the focus of many gifts, and very little is expected of them, rightfully so. Some children will naturally have the personality to be a giver, sometimes too much, but the other personality types may need more convincing. It's hard to grow up watching the commercialism surrounding holiday seasons (and made up holidays). Everywhere children go, there is a message of receiving a present for whatever time of year it is. I mean Christmas alone starts in July- Seriously, I went to the boardwalk in August hoping to spend a lovely weekend soaking up the end of summer (I'm in NEPA) but instead was hit with Halloween and Christmas- EVERYWHERE! …
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26Feb 2023 by Sarah Glenn

Cooking with Breastmilk

Breastfeeding, Health, Infants, Kids, Parenting, Toddlers
Cooking with breastmilk doesn't require a degree in culinary. Don't let the term "breastmilk" throw you off your cooking game when considering how to use it. You could simply use what is leftover in the freezer or pump fresh for a specific recipe. There is no trip to the store required. The most straightforward way to use your milk would be by replacing the milk in any recipe -nut or otherwise-with your breastmilk. Do not throw away your remaining milk from the freezer. Get creative! The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for a minimum of 2 years. While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least 1 year with both arguments that it is a preferential decision and no expiration of health benefits. Just to reiterate, the healthy milk you are successfully making, feeding,…
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27Jan 2023 by Sarah Glenn

Chow Time with Kids

Infants, Kids, Life, Parenting, Teens, Toddlers
Chow time with kids can go either way. Every day is a new adventure with the fickle offspring. For a parent, planning and preparing meals is likely a daunting task and can make for tension around mealtimes. Finding what pleases everyone in a family could make you wish for a chef. Kids have a love-hate relationship with food. Have you ever noticed how fast their favorite meal this week is the hated one next week? When you think you've found a mealtime pattern of happiness, those little monsters go switching things up. In our house, a favorite saying is, "Which way is the wind blowing today?" Meaning, do you like bananas (or some other food) or not? I still say this to my 13-year-old-eye roll! I'll be honest here, with…
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13Apr 2020 by Sarah Glenn

Parenting in a Pandemic

Health, Infants, Kids, Life, Parenting, Relationships, Teens, Toddlers
Parenting in a pandemic can be overwhelming, even for the most level headed parents. We are called upon to dig down deep into our hearts and souls and find all the good we can to transfer onto the worried children we are trying to protect- much easier said than done! The majority of the universe has never lived through a pandemic such as this. It's not to say that we haven't had horrible things happen in our lifetime- including other pandemics- but the worst-before now-was in 1918 and most of that generation has left this earth. Not to minimize some of these runner ups: Spanish FluTuberculosisSmall PoxPlagueCholera outbreakSwine FluSARS coronavirusRussian FluHong Kong fluSerum run to Nome (diphtheria)MalariaWest Bank fainting epidemicHIV/AIDS I imagine you may have never heard of some of…
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08Apr 2020 by Sarah Glenn

Third Trimester Planning

Breastfeeding, Health, Infants, Life, Parenting, Pregnancy, Relationships
Third-trimester planning takes the pressure off when you are busy learning your new role- MOM! It's not essential for you to do everything on the list before the baby, but it can improve your recovery from birth. You will become an awesome mother whether you're prepared or not; after all, babies don't require much more than diapers, clothes, breasts, and shelter. It'll be ok! To-Do List Employer conversation: Know the federal, state, and office policies on FMLA-pregnancy-maternity leave and the pumping at work laws before you broach the subject with your boss. Be well versed in your rights and start that conversation now about your plans to return even if you're not sure or think you may not go back. Get a tentative return to work date agreed upon and…
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