Hi, I am Maggie and I am scared of germs. Wow, I feel so much better now! I am the type of mom that scrubs down the grocery carts, carries gallons of hand sanitizer everywhere and will find any excuse to exit play group if I spot a runny nose. While my family thinks it is hilarious to tease me about how careful I am about germs, I don’t think getting sick is a laughing matter. When one person in the family gets sick, it eventually spreads through the house like wildfire. As cold and flu season quickly approaches, here are some friendly reminders and tips: If your child has been sick (this can…

With kids, it seems like there is always something to buy. Diapers, new clothes, toys. It can really add up, both for your pocketbook and the environment. As a self proclaimed "crunchy mom," I am always trying to find ways to not only save a little money but to make a little less of a dent on good ol' mother earth. One of the biggest decisions we made was that we were going to cloth diaper our son. So, after a little research because there are so many different styles, we decided to go with the bumGenius Organic All-in-One Size diaper. We chose this one because it seemed like the closest …

A weird cry came from my son’s room on Monday night. Followed by screaming — that grew in intensity. I got him out of his crib to try to soothe him but he wouldn’t let me hold him closely. This wasn’t like him. My husband and I were slightly concerned at first — could it be teeth? Overtired? We did have a fun filled day with my sister, niece and nephew. Our normally laid-back, chill baby was a mess, on the floor screaming. We tried a new diaper, water, a snack — nothing helped, something was wrong. "We are going to the hospital," I told Kyle as I threw a few things in the diaper bag before …

It’s the most wonderful time of the yeeeeeeeear! I’m not talking about Christmas folks — it is back to school time! You can feel all of the excitement and nervousness the new school year brings and the sigh of relief — maybe? — that most parents are feeling. I never understood why parents and nannies were so excited for school to start, but this summer has been a busy one. While it is nice to have the kids home, do fun day trips and special summer snacks, it is going to be even nicer to get into a routine again. The oldest boy I watch is starting full-day 1st grade on Wednesday and the …

Last Thursday was a really hard day. I had a wedding photo-shoot double-header and my husband wanted to head up to Road America with some friends. Where did that leave Declan? My sister had offered up her services immediately, but she is in a Chicago surburb. I went back and forth and decided that, yes, it would be the easiest thing if he was down there for the weekend. With a heavy heart, I met my sister at Apple Holler in Sturtevant. She brought her kids and we played there for a bit; but, the whole time — I had our departure on my mind. My baby was going to be 100 miles away. In another …

Mom down! Mom down! Call for reinforcements, stat! Mom. Is. Sick. The Wright house, is under attack. Since Friday, I had been feeling a little worn down. Saturday morning came, and my husband and I decided it would be a good idea to redo our bedroom; it was also a wedding photographing day for me — so I was rushing around all day. Sunday I got up feeling worse. After another trip to Home Depot and a talk to get myself off the ledge of "the bedroom is going well so let’s redo the bathroom, too!" That would have been bad. As I pondered six-panel doors over solid, I had to come to terms with the…

It seems like the moment you become a mom, your wants and needs take a backseat to baby wants or needs. New shiny toy car for Junior? Sure! New shiny purse for Mommy? Not so much. I have driven through Saukville many times and almost every time I would see this storefront with super cute dresses displayed in the windows. "I must stop there on my way back!" I’d think. Flash forward to my return-home trip with me careening through downtown Saukville singing at the top of my lungs trying to keep my son awake until we pull into our driveway. Finally on Saturday I made it a point to go over to …

Sunday morning was a flurry of cleaning and packing as I prepared to leave for my photography workshop in Colorado. My mother-in-law was due to arrive in a few hours and the family and I were trying to enjoy our time together before I left for three days. Then, I received an email that the workshop had been canceled; the very young son of the hosts was in the hospital and things were not looking good. I was crushed, devastated and all other adjectives of the like. I could not imagine what the family was going through, their son was the priority and that I completely understand — but, I was …

This past week, my best friend gave birth to her first child — a boy — five weeks early. She had some suspicions she would go early and had already been on bed rest for a week when her water broke. My little dude and I are going to meet the new arrival at the end of the month, and I cannot wait to get my newborn baby fix. When I was pregnant, every single website and pregnancy prep book said the same thing, "Make a birth plan." Who would you call? What would you bring? How would you like medications if you were using them? Basically, please list your ideal plan ... right? What the books and …

As the parents of a toddler, we don’t eat out much. This tends to be a courtesy to all other patrons. My son does not like to sit still for an extended period of time, and rather than play rodeo wrangler with him in the highchair we just eat at home where the dogs can eat up the food that he throws on the floor. However, this past Friday after I got home from my photography session in Sheboygan and my husband was home and cleaned up from work, we were in no mood to cook. We were going to hit up our usual local favorites, Beanies Mexican Restaurantor John’s Pizzeria, but we decided to go for …

I am a reformed picky eater. I used to strain jarred spaghetti sauce through a colander because I didn’t like the bits and pieces in it. I remember my stepdad watched me eat soup one day when I was a teenager, one carefully planned spoonful at a time. He couldn’t believe his eyes, I managed to hunt and peck my way through the can discarding every piece I didn’t want on the rim of the bowl. Then one day, after a little research and a lot of thinking I became a vegetarian. It was really that easy. I had two bites of a steak one night and decided I was done, I couldn’t do it anymore. That was a …

The family and I escaped to Illinois this weekend for Father’s Day. Both of our families live in Downers Grove, a western Chicago suburb. It is home. We both grew up in Downers, it was the only place we had known until we were transplanted to Whitefish Bay for a brief pit stop and then to Port in 2005. But, we don’t really call Port home — it seems like we treat it as the place we temporarily live. The idea of moving back "home" has crossed our minds more than once, and we have put serious thought into it — but it doesn’t work out or plans change. While we are open to moving back, we are …

I just hit "Buy Now." It is official. I am leaving my baby for three whole days. OK, OK — two and a half. But still! I recently signed up for a photography workshop in Colorado in August. There was another one back in March, but I thought with my son only being 13 months old at the time, it was a little too soon. I heard about the August workshop and jumped on it. It had not really registered with me until I got my notification about buying my airline tickets. I would be leaving. And this isn’t an overnight in Appleton. I had another workshop back in March and, I have to admit, it was nice to…

Let’s say you see something you don’t agree with, a child being left alone on a playground or being punished too harshly for a small mistake. What would you do? ABC has a popular program with just that title — "What Would You Do?" It shows the reactions people have in everyday situations, and whether they would stand up for something that was not right. Then, John Quinones jumps out from behind a bush and asks people why they acted the way they did. With the warm weather, I have been taking the boys I nanny out and about more. There is something I see every summer. Men and women drop off …

It seems like mother nature finally decided to flip the old weather switch for good. Local schools get out next week and soon the streets will be filled with the sounds of summer — kids playing basketball, riding bikes, splashing in the pool and more. With the warm weather finally here, it is important to remember how to keep kids safe outside. Protect the skin your inSunscreen is so important, people. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a minimum of SPF 15 for all days, but using something a little higher doesn’t hurt. I have found that when I put a bottle of sunscreen on my son’s …

I have got it bad. The mere sight of a pregnant woman brings back a flood of memories. The smell of a newborn is enough to make me weep. All of a sudden my baby isn’t a baby anymore. When did this happen? It seems like just yesterday my son needed me for everything and now he can do so much on his own. Last night, he helped my husband mow the grass and pull weeds. It was so adorable but it also made me so incredibly sad. He isn’t going to be this small forever and I have to savor every minute of it. My husband and I have talked about having another child, but it has pretty much stopped there…

Monday morning greeted me with an unexpected surprise — I had the day off! To make the most of it, my son and I headed over to the Riveredge Nature Center to explore the great outdoors. The nature center is tucked behind a residential area on a quiet country road on the edge of Saukville and Newburg. After we registered in the main building, we were off. First stop was a play area inside the main building. It looks like a giant tree and the root system is a tunnel for kids (and adults) to crawl through. There are puppets and peek-a-boo holes for kids to play with. Declan was not amused by my …

Operation "bike trailer" was a major fail — my son screamed the entire ride, which ultimately didn’t really fit my vision of our first family bike ride. So, we picked up a used but high quality bike seat on Craigslist. My husband attached the seat to my bike and we did a few test rides up and down the block, no screaming. Houston, we have a winner! When my husband and I moved here, we often talked about riding our bikes into town, going to the little shops, fully immersing ourselves into Small Town, USA. I’m sad to report that this was probably our fifth bike ride in the six years we have …

Saturday night started much like any other. Playing with the spawn, running to the store for a last minute dinner and picking up a movie. I was in the kitchen straightening up, listening to the sounds of my husband and son playing in the next room — when a sudden crash made me jump. "Buddy, it is ok," my husband said to our son. Declan didn’t make a sound as I froze in place waiting to hear his response. He then unleashed this blood-curdling scream and Kyle called for me. I got the play-by-play and grabbed Declan to get a closer look. "I think his bottom teeth went through his lip," Kyle said…

Spring. Flowers. Baseball. Cleaning. Spring is a time for a fresh start, time for people to go through their belongings assessing what can be given away and what should stay. As a mom of a toddler who seems to outgrow toys at the blink of an eye, I am on the hunt for a few things I can pick up for a bargain price. Recently I joined the Yahoo Group Ozaukee County Wisconsin Freecycle. Freecycle is an online e-mail forum where people can post items available for pick up at no cost. Last week, I picked up eight strawberry plants from a lovely woman in Fredonia. I have a little bit of a black …