OC Mom Collective

Growing up I never knew my family was different. Looking back now through the lens of my own family, I realize that having three half brothers and two step-siblings is a veritable melting pot of temperaments, and I wouldn’t...

Do you ever see your child's actions and wonder, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?! I have those thoughts almost every single day.  It's only when I start to remember how ridiculous I was when I was a kid that I realize people...

  There is definitely a difference in the way you parent your first kid vs. your second kid. When I was pregnant with my first child I decided that I would use cloth diapers.  I also was definitely going to breastfeed...

When we moved into our home it was a sea of tan. While I’m grateful the previous owners left me a blank slate, I also knew that I wanted to add some high design detail to our home without...

There are so many places to see dinosaurs in SoCal! Does your kid love dinosaurs much as mine? He is a man of few words, but many of those words are ridiculously long dinosaur names that I am amazed he can...

In the past few years, I have seen some of the people I love dearest experience grief. More recently I experienced it myself, and it has changed me in a way I think will be forever.  I lost my dearest...

"Mom, what's for dinner?" Are you the chef in your family? Do you have finicky eaters? Do you struggle with what to cook for dinner each week? And also have to stay within budget? If you said “yes,” to any...

I'm learning to accept the truth - my husband and I are going to always have two views on parenting. Don't get me wrong we are a united front and have the same values on parenting. Of course it helps...

Do you ever feel like you need to do something for yourself, but it may be too expensive or it's just a luxury that you don't have the time or resources to explore?   For the longest time, I felt...

When we considered leaving the UK and taking a position that gave us scope for adventure, ensuring we went to an English speaking country was top of my list. I've since realized that there are many subtle differences between...

Dear Mom Friends, I think it's time you stopped being so hard on yourselves and realized how amazing you all truly are. You see, I've been watching you for the past few years and it's come to my attention that you...

  My husband and I decided to go on a date night. Actually the church we attend offered free babysitting so we really couldn't NOT go.  In theory, date night sounds awesome, right? You get to spend a few hours without your...

The journey to our second child was long and unexpected. This is a very emotional topic for me as it probably is for any other couples who have been down this road. It was not something I shared loosely with...

I understand saying that I never wanted to have children is a strong statement. When I was a kid I assumed I would have children because that's what you do right? And then in my early 20's I thought I...