by Tara Bergman (USA) | May 3, 2011 | Being Thankful, Friendship, International, Life Lesson, Motherhood, Parenting, Tara B., USA
Today, I was reminded about the importance of friendship in my life. Friends keep us afloat in this world. They see us through the various phases of our lives, cheering our successes and lifting us from the pavement when we crash and burn.
I am incredibly lucky to have an amazing network of friends from all phases of my life whom I admire and love. I also have a husband who is a dear friend to me, and I cherish him. But today, I am reflecting on one particular relationship that is almost beyond description for me (but this is a blog, so I must find the words). I am thinking of my friend, Jen.
I have known Jen since elementary school, and we have stayed close throughout our lives. The thing about really life-long friends is that they get to be part of your make up. Now, Jen and I are not carbon copies of each other. Far from it. She lives in the city, is covered in beautiful tattoos, and is pursuing yet another amazing professional degree. I am an ink-free, stay at home mom of two boys who lives out in the sticks. But, through the many evolutions of our individual lives, the thread between us has only grown stronger. (more…)
Tara is a native Pennsylvanian who moved to the Seattle area in 1998 (sight unseen) with her husband to start their grand life adventure together. Despite the difficult fact that their family is a plane ride away, the couple fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and have put down roots. They have 2 super charged little boys and recently moved out of the Seattle suburbs further east into the country, trading in a Starbucks on every corner for coyotes in the backyard. Tara loves the outdoors (hiking, biking, camping). And, when her family isn't out in nature, they are hunkered down at home with friends, sharing a meal, playing games, and generally having fun. She loves being a stay-at-home mom and sharing her experiences on World Moms Network!
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by Tara Bergman (USA) | Apr 18, 2011 | Humor, Motherhood, Parenting, Tara B., USA
My first son, who is now 5 years old, inherited my gift of gab. He used sign language as soon as physically possible, said his 1st real word (“duck”) around 12 months old, had a ton of partial words by 15 months old, and by 18 months old, could pretty much say anything he wished.
Those who’ve met him will confirm that he is a talker. A BIG talker. One of his nightly wind-down rituals is “chat time,” which he created. Instead of watching TV or playing a game, he prefers to spend some time each night having a discussion of the topic of his choice with one of his parents over a snack. These topics tend to revolve around science, engineering or vehicles, with an emphasis on learning every itty bitty little detail possible on the selected subject. (more…)
Tara is a native Pennsylvanian who moved to the Seattle area in 1998 (sight unseen) with her husband to start their grand life adventure together. Despite the difficult fact that their family is a plane ride away, the couple fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and have put down roots. They have 2 super charged little boys and recently moved out of the Seattle suburbs further east into the country, trading in a Starbucks on every corner for coyotes in the backyard. Tara loves the outdoors (hiking, biking, camping). And, when her family isn't out in nature, they are hunkered down at home with friends, sharing a meal, playing games, and generally having fun. She loves being a stay-at-home mom and sharing her experiences on World Moms Network!
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by Tara Bergman (USA) | Mar 15, 2011 | Cooking, Family, Food, Humor, Husband, Kids, Life Lesson, Motherhood, Parenting, Tara B., USA
When I decided to be a stay-at-home mom, it was really so I could hang out with my kids and soak up every moment of their early lives. I feel like I am living up to that – and then some. My life is filled with fort building, picnics, crafts, hikes, day trips to the city, library visits, playgrounds and lots of floor time with my 2 sons, and I love it. But part of being a stay-at-home mom also involves the running of the household, and this is not something that is a natural fit for me.
I will state it plainly. I am a lousy cook. I can’t sew. I have no eye for decorating. I hate shopping, meal planning, and gardening. I am not handy, and I break stuff. I don’t pay the bills.
Now, one area that I will admit to excelling in is cleaning. Give me the time, and I can keep an amazingly clean house (and am happy to do so). I enjoy methodically working through a room and seeing the transformation from messy to clean. I would much rather clean up after a huge holiday meal than be the one to prepare it. But I think this is the only area I can claim domestic mastery.
It’s not that I don’t try. I do! (more…)
Tara is a native Pennsylvanian who moved to the Seattle area in 1998 (sight unseen) with her husband to start their grand life adventure together. Despite the difficult fact that their family is a plane ride away, the couple fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and have put down roots. They have 2 super charged little boys and recently moved out of the Seattle suburbs further east into the country, trading in a Starbucks on every corner for coyotes in the backyard. Tara loves the outdoors (hiking, biking, camping). And, when her family isn't out in nature, they are hunkered down at home with friends, sharing a meal, playing games, and generally having fun. She loves being a stay-at-home mom and sharing her experiences on World Moms Network!
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by Tara Bergman (USA) | Feb 21, 2011 | Family, Kids, Motherhood, Parenting, Tara B., Toys
Santa brought my 5-year-old son a Nerf gun. If you told me years ago when I was pregnant that this would happen, I would have told you that you were crazy. I was going to have a “no toy weapons” household.
I get that kids will make their own weapons out of sticks, blocks, or even their own hands. I just wasn’t comfortable putting the weapon in my son’s hand myself.
In the United States, toys, books and movies centered around play fighting are marketed to young boys at an early age. And, as the saying goes, “boys will be boys”, and I knew my son might love play fighting or be friends with others who owned full toy arsenals. I assumed we’d have to deal with it someday; I just wasn’t sure in what form. (more…)
Tara is a native Pennsylvanian who moved to the Seattle area in 1998 (sight unseen) with her husband to start their grand life adventure together. Despite the difficult fact that their family is a plane ride away, the couple fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and have put down roots. They have 2 super charged little boys and recently moved out of the Seattle suburbs further east into the country, trading in a Starbucks on every corner for coyotes in the backyard. Tara loves the outdoors (hiking, biking, camping). And, when her family isn't out in nature, they are hunkered down at home with friends, sharing a meal, playing games, and generally having fun. She loves being a stay-at-home mom and sharing her experiences on World Moms Network!
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by Tara Bergman (USA) | Jan 24, 2011 | Family, Kids, Motherhood, Parenting, Sleep and Children, Tara B.
Our first son was never a great sleeper. He is an intense little guy, and this carried over into the night for the first several years of his life.
As new parents, we fell into patterns of catering to whatever he needed in order to get back to sleep, whether that be offering a bottle or searching for a pacifier lost in the bedding early on, to holding his hand or rubbing his back until he fell asleep in later years.
He didn’t consistently sleep a solid 6 +hours until 18 months old, and he didn’t go to bed on his own until he was 3 ½, when we bought him a loft bed with the understanding that he had to be on his own, as we couldn’t sit by his side if he was 4 feet up (which he did agree to and has proven to be a fantastic sleeper ever since!).
We did try sleep training with him, meaning letting him cry it out as a baby, but he seemed to only ratchet up more. Each attempt didn’t get better, it got worse, and we gave up.
I just couldn’t see it through… (more…)
Tara is a native Pennsylvanian who moved to the Seattle area in 1998 (sight unseen) with her husband to start their grand life adventure together. Despite the difficult fact that their family is a plane ride away, the couple fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and have put down roots. They have 2 super charged little boys and recently moved out of the Seattle suburbs further east into the country, trading in a Starbucks on every corner for coyotes in the backyard. Tara loves the outdoors (hiking, biking, camping). And, when her family isn't out in nature, they are hunkered down at home with friends, sharing a meal, playing games, and generally having fun. She loves being a stay-at-home mom and sharing her experiences on World Moms Network!
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Today, I was reminded about the importance of friendship in my life. Friends keep us afloat in this world. They see us through the various phases of our lives, cheering our successes and lifting us from the pavement when we crash and burn.
