Author Archives: Melissa

Does the flu vaccine give you the flu?

It’s a refrain I hear often this time of year. No, I won’t get the flu shot/vaccine. It gives me the flu. Or I’m worried about getting the flu vaccine. I heard it could give you the flu. I’d rather just take my chances. I cannot afford to miss school/work. Here’s why you might feel…

Spanking: A Child’s Perspective

We were on vacation, walking along the pier, and I’m not quite sure how we landed on the topic but there we were; my 6 year old daughter and I, hand in hand, talking about spanking. She may have seen a mother swat a toddler’s bottom. I’m not sure. She didn’t say. But she asked……

For a Healthy School Year, Focus on These

Summer, it seems, has passed by in a flash and here we are…back to school. The morning rush is on. Kids are scrambling out the door, forgetting lunch boxes and homework on countertops everywhere. And though we may welcome the routine and earlier bedtimes, back to school can also mean an uptick in illnesses and increased…

The Summer Slide?

So I have these books that I bought in preparation for summer. You know the ones. The ones to bridge your kids through summer onto the next grade. So their minds don’t turn to mush. So they don’t have to relearn everything from the grade before. You know, I want to be a good, responsible…

Hand Foot Mouth Disease

Hand Foot Mouth Disease is running rampant right now. Storming through your local daycare, preschools, and mall playgrounds. It’s a virus (namely Coxsackie virus) that causes fever, malaise, irritability, mouth sores, and blisters/rash on palms of hands, soles of feet, and sometimes buttocks and thighs too. Children with eczema often get a more severe and…

Like Yesterday

Just yesterday I was holding you on my hip. Swaying from side to side. A motion, it seems, gifted to all new mothers. As natural as breathing in and out. Or so it seems like yesterday. Wasn’t I just bemoaning the rough night I had, rocking you in the  midnight hours? Pacing a dark house…

Tips for Soothing a Fussy Baby

Being a newborn can be hard work. Being a parent of a newborn can be even harder. It’s exactly like everyone told you it would be, except now you’re living it. It’s overwhelming. Exhausting. All Consuming. But also the most beautiful, amazing, and important moment of your life. Parenthood certainly changes you. And just when…