He's conservative. I'm liberal. And we are trying to have a civil discussion about the election. It's 3/25/16 and my friend Paul Martin and I are talking about Trump''s latest shenanigans with Cruz's wife, the statistical tie between Sanders and Clinton, and more . . . . . .

It feels like every time I get into a groove and feel like I'm actually nailing the parenting thing, something comes along to knock me down a few. My self-esteem around mothering can be fragile, probably because doing it right is so very important to me. So sometimes, a small failure can send me into a tailspin of despair and shame. That happened earlier this week in the course of an afternoon, and I want to share it here for the sake of those other moms who watch along on instagram or . . .

I am typically the kind of mom who lets her children dress themselves. In fact, I have a whole instagram account about it. I value self-expression over perfection, and while their outfits are sometimes eyesores, I think it’s important to let kids feel some agency in what they wear. Even if it’s mismatched. There are a couple exceptions to this rule, namely our annual Christmas photo and Easter Sunday. In these scenarios, I morph like Jeckyl and Hyde from the laid-back mom who lets her kids wear . . .

Our family had the chance to visit the new Great Wolf Lodge in Southern California this past weekend. I’ve heard of the Great Wolf Lodge phenomenon before . . . I have friends in other places who swear by them as the perfect family vacation. So I was anxious to see what all the hype was about. Great Wolf Lodge did not disappoint. As soon as we arrived, the kids took in the giant water park from the lobby and were amazed that a hotel had this many water slides and pools. The water park . . .