the Mudroom

In this episode of The MudRoom, and it's all about merging structured routines with spontaneous adventures! Now, I know what you might be thinking - routines and spontaneity don't exactly go hand in hand, right? But trust me, there's a delightful balance to be found, and I'm here to show you how. I share my top 4 tips to help you craft a day that nurtures your child's blossomin...

Put down that cup of cold coffee momma and come listen to this interview.  (Actually…bring it with you. You probably need it.) Parent’s everywhere are walking around like zombies, absolutely exhausted and tired because their child is not sleeping.  Whether you’re awake because your newborn just can’t seem to sleep for more than 2 hours or if you’ve been up till 11 PM every night trying to convince...

“Sometimes what happens is the more help that we get, we start to lose a little part of that power about being a major part in our children's success; their happiness.” - Alex Leech Grab a (virtual) seat and a drink. We’re talking about burnout and the impact it has on our parenting. I’m thrilled to be interviewing friend and neurodivergent teen parenting coach Alex Leech about what parents an...

Remember when we chatted with Eva about helping your kids get to sleep so you can rest better?  What if you finally get your kids to go to bed at a reasonable hour without the tantrums, screaming, and requests for another cup of water but now… You’re laying in bed wide awake. 😳 It’s now 11 PM 12:30 AM 2 AM And before you know it, the alarm is blaring and you’ve got to pull yourself out of bed to...

Do you remember playing outside and then having to rush back to the house before the street lights turn on? There are great memories made outdoors and it’s unfortunate that our children aren’t getting to build those same kind of memories.  And those magical, happy feelings and memories you have playing outside isn’t just nostalgia. There are some real health benefits for children to be outdoors! ...

Summer is around the corner and for many parents, that also means school is closed and the children are home. ☀️ It’s time to prepare.  You don’t want to wait until you’re 3 weeks into summer break and on the brink of losing your marbles before deciding to create a plan for what summer is going to look like for you and you’re family.  I’m not just talking about prepping for summer vacations either...

Grab a scoop of ice cream, this is a special dedicated episode all about a parent’s journey transforming their child’s behaviour and becoming a more confident parent.  I’m excited to be chatting with Heather, mom of two children with ASD who I’ve had a privilege of working with inside of my curated parenting membership ParentAbility.  Heather joined ParentAbility after a year of challenges and roa...

Grab a scoop of ice cream, this is a special dedicated episode all about a parent’s journey transforming their child’s behaviour and becoming a more confident parent.  I’m excited to be chatting with Heather, mom of two children with ASD who I’ve had a privilege of working with inside of my curated parenting membership ParentAbility.  Heather joined ParentAbility after a year of challenges and roa...

I’m gonna keep this one short and sweet! We’re living in a technological age, and if you can’t beat em’, why not join them. The wonders of modern technology really can make life easier, and the little handy device that you’re likely reading this email from, aka your phone, can even help you out with discipline believe it or not. While throwing on a Youtube video and handing over the tablet to get...

I’ve been getting this question a lot lately and I think it’s a fantastic point of conversation. Let’s chat about neurodiversity. First, a definition: Neurodiversity essentially refers to the variety of ways a person's brain can function and the impact that has on their behavioral traits. Those who are neurodiverse operate differently from those who are neurotypical. People refer to neurodiversity...

Someone recently told me that I don’t have a podcast or blog post on something I talk about all the time and my jaw just about hit the floor when I realized Oh crap! They’re right! Though I know you’ve likely heard me talk about executive functioning skills before, I haven’t “formally” discussed them outside of ParentAbility and I think it’s a great time to remedy that! Because these skills quite...

Chicken nuggets or quesadillas? Blue shoes or red slippers? Apple juice or orange juice? These seem like fairly easy decisions for kids to make, right? After all, you’re supposed to give them options, right? You’re trying to give them some agency over their life and help them feel included. Except lately whenever you give your child a choice, it’s a catastrophe. They melt down, or they procrastina...

Chicken nuggets or quesadillas? Blue shoes or red slippers? Apple juice or orange juice? These seem like fairly easy decisions for kids to make, right? After all, you’re supposed to give them options, right? You’re trying to give them some agency over their life and help them feel included. Except lately whenever you give your child a choice, it’s a catastrophe. They melt down, or they procrastina...

Optimism can be difficult when you’re a parent in the middle of a challenging time period with your kid. When your kid has been smacking everybody who comes within a 2 foot radius or stripping off their clothes in public whenever you tell them no , hearing “but look at how far they’ve come” makes you want to roll your eyes. But even though they haven’t stopped the behaviour completely, there’s sti...

There’s nothing quite as lovely as the beautiful, musical sound of a child whining at you from across the room. I mean, what parent doesn’t love that heart-warming screech of “ he took my toooooyyyyy ”? It’s one of the best parts of being a parent. 🥰 Jk Sarcasm. I hope you know that was sarcasm. For many parents, there’s a very visceral reaction to whining. Like nails on a chalkboard. And young c...

Homework. Let’s talk about why it sucks. It’s not everyday that I insist on certain things when it comes to parenting. I may give a firm suggestion and repeat it over and over with the hopes parent’s can see why I’m making that suggestion, but I say it all the time, parents are the experts on their own children. But when it comes to homework? For younger kids it’s a firm ditch it. Be like Elsa and...

Our brain’s are a marvelous thing! Maybe you’ve heard it compared to a super computer before, and it’s because it pretty much is. From how it processes and stores information to its uncanny ability to learn new things and adapt. But even more amazing? We’re constantly sharing information with one another. Our brain’s might be like super computer’s but it still needs a very human component to funct...

Children can feel like a never ending mystery. Because you know that you’ve seen your child put their shoes on. Day after day, they’ve managed to put their feet in, pull the back up over their heel, tighten the velcro… Yet here they are pouting in front of the door and insisting that it’s the most impossible task they’ve ever been asked to do. Like they haven’t been putting their shoes on by thems...

When parents are considering joining my membership program ParentAbility or when they join the Facebook community and start learning more about the discipline methods I teach, there’s always this lingering concern: Am I being strict enough? I know this concern generally comes from genuine care for their child/ren. We don’t want our kids growing up into little gremlins with no discipline and wrecki...

When it comes to our children, parents are assigned the role of protector, a pillar of strength, always knowing the answer and in complete control of the situation. So, when something becomes overwhelming, or we get frustrated, sad, even angry, there’s almost this panic to hide those emotions from our children. It's a borderline taboo and for a lot of parents it feels wrong. I don’t think parents...

There is nothing quite as triggering to parents as their child biting. I mean…who the heck opens their mouth and decides to latch onto another human's skin ?! It’s wild when you think about it like that. But the answer is young children. Young children do that. Whether it’s at home and your kid is just randomly chomping into your arm while you play. Your toddler sinking their teeth into their baby...

“Redshirting” or delaying enrolling your child into Kinder (or 1st grade if you chose to skip Kinder) and keeping your child back a year is a question I get asked about frequently. There’s a lot of anxiety and stress about the decision to redshirt or not red shirt, and to be honest there’s a whole bunch of controversy and drama about it too. So I figured I’d go ahead and chat about it in this week...

“Validate their emotions” is a phrase that has taken on almost a comedic meaning. Along with the general misunderstanding that gentle parenting means let-your-kids-run-wild and baby talk your 5 year old, Validating emotions has also been misunderstood as absurdly pointing out your kid is crying (in a baby voice of course) and then awkwardly standing there staring at one another for a while. And I’...

I don’t know about you but for myself and alot of people I know, we were raised being told that interrupting was rude. So it’s understandable that we as parents get frustrated every time their child bursts into the middle of their conversation to ask why puppies and cats don’t get along while waving a coloring sheet of a puppy and cat snuggling in your face. It’s a bit rude (and a bit annoying). A...

Buckle up because we’re going to talk about a serious topic for this week’s Mudroom. Recently there’s been a big surge in discussion around things like spanking and physical punishment out of love for their children. “Spare the rod- spoil the child” kind of energy. I do want to make this perfectly clear: we don’t spank children around here. You won’t ever hear me say: spank your child, a small pop...