Laura O'Brien
I am a mama to two sweet babies, Caroline (3) and Colin (1). My husband and I, both UT grads, recently moved back to Knoxville because we are so in love with this area and the people in it. Although I am a full time stay-at-home mom now, I am a former 2nd grade teacher who is on a mission to continue learning about how children grow and learn with my own personal guinea pigs! In my spare time (LOL), I run an Etsy shop for embroidery monograms and appliques and help with the college ministry at Calvary Baptist Church.
“I Have to Clean My Headlights” and Other Crazy Nesting Stories
Full disclosure: I'm 36 weeks pregnant and don't have time to be writing this. Why don't I have time to write this? Because I NEED to clean my headlights. I cannot bring a baby...
Here’s What Happened When My Kids Had to Share a Room
The first time I ever had to share a room with anyone was when I moved into my freshman college dorm. I was the oldest of three children, but since I was the only...
Vol Moms: Your Kids are Watching
I first moved to Knoxville in 1996 when I was 10-years-old. It was right in the middle of the Peyton Years. The magic in Knoxville was palpable. My elementary school wheeled out TVs on...
Solo in the City: Parenting Without Family Nearby
This is a hard post to write. We love our families very much and don't want anyone to misconstrue our experience as a jab or guilt trip. I imagine many of you reading this...
From an Experienced Morning Sickness Mom: What Actually Works
The first time I saw a positive pregnancy test, I had nothing but hopes and dreams about how magical my pregnancy was going to be. I browsed maternity outfits and dreamed of getting my...
A Plea to Experienced Moms
I feel like I need to start this request with an apology.
My generation has been really opinionated. We've shunned advice to put cereal in formula at two weeks old and scoffed at the mere...
The Three Hour Rule
"I'm just not sure how to help him."
I sat in our pediatrician's office with tears rolling down my cheeks. We were there for my son's three-year-old checkup, and after he had passed all physical...
The Day Our Home Flooded
It had been raining for ten days straight.
The morning of February 23, 2019, I woke up perturbed that it was raining again. It had been a long week trying to wrangle a three-year-old and...
Teaching Toddlers to Cook
My toddlers cooked dinner last night.
No, really. My four-year-old and two-year-old prepared our dinner, and it involved the stove.
Before you panic about our house burning down, let me explain how we got here. I...
Sleep Deprivation Really Is Why You Feel Crazy
First and foremost, this is not an article on how to get your baby to sleep through the night.
I'm not going to tell you to "sleep when the baby sleeps." That advice is only...
Toy Storage Solutions
It wasn't an avalanche. It didn't happen all at once. It was a very slow drowning.
I only had one child who had received a very modest amount of Christmas presents. Our families had followed...
Two Kids and a Sport Sedan :: Lexus Driver Experience
When I was contacted to participate in the #LexusDriverExperience, I was more than eager to park my minivan for a few weeks and experience life outside of the mom-mobile. Imagine my surprise when our...