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    Mommyfriend

    Mommyfriend

  • Parenting Guru: My Wish for You: A Baby

    Dear Friend,

  • Parenting Guru: Forever Part of Me

    This is my story of love and loss at 9 weeks.Mommyfriend goes by Lori Garcia in real life and is a Shine Parenting Guru. She writes at www.mommyfriend.com where she's busy finding perfection in imperfection daily. When she's not watching infomercials she's a blogger for Babble's Toddler Times, a Contributor for Yahoo! Contributor Network and one of the sexy founders of Project Marriage .

  • Parenting Guru: My Man-Child

    Boy Wonder is growing up. I'm so not prepared for the sex talk , puberty and all the rest of the totally normal and awkward parenting stuff that comes along with it.

  • Parenting Guru: Spreading the err, love

    The second you become a new mom, you learn right quick that poop quickly becomes a regular (pardon the pun) part of life. Sure, at first you find all the poop mildly disturbing, but out of love for your sweet baby, you quickly learn to smell the other way.It's a fact: your baby is perfect and no amo

  • Parenting Guru: Yoda worst mom at choosing Halloween Costumes

    The kids in my house are Star Wars fanatics. The geekdom is pretty cool and as much as I dislike syfy as a general rule - Star Wars is the exception.

  • Parenting Guru: Today I Quit My Job

    Today might just be the biggest day of my life.

  • Parenting Guru: Summer lovin' had me a blast!

    Hard to believe summer is coming to a close. As I was reliving our awesome summer moments I came across this picture that really says it all.We had planned to go to our county fair the day this picture was taken and when we arrived at the gates we were disappointed to learn the fair didn't open for

  • Parenting Guru: Sometimes I choose me

    You're a mom, you know how it goes. You give and you give and you give some more and when you're not busy giving some element of yourself to someone or something, you feel guilty. What's up with that?

  • Parenting Guru: Can a bad swimmer teach her kid to swim? I investigate.

    I'm not a very good swimmer, never have been. Despite a childhood filled with swimming lessons and endless summers in my neighbor's pool, I still suck. It's like my arms and legs can't come to an agreement on how to move through water with speed or grace. So maybe my body isn't built for swimming, i

  • Parenting Guru: 5 Places I want my kids to see

    I'm guilty. We've never taken the time to embark on the great American adventures I always envisioned for my family. I'm beginning to realize that time is passing much too quickly and it's time to start planning and experiencing all our great nation has to offer!

  • Parenting Guru: Summer camp and mean girls

    I was never a camper. I was never a Girl Scout. But back when I was 8 years old I was both, for a week anyway. Let the macramé begin. My BFF was a Girl Scout and invited me to spend 7 girl-empowering days with her and about 100 other Girl Scouts at Camp Osito Rancho. Not only was this my first tim

  • Parenting Guru: Stop this train

    I was watching him talk to his uncle with such ease, using words like "ridiculous" and "surprisingly". He used his hands when he spoke and stood in a relaxed stance as he talked about viral videos on YouTube. He did this thing with his eyebrows when he worked to conjure up a thoughtful response. He

  • Parenting Guru: The gift of my other mother

    A letter to my stepmom: You didn't hear my first word or see my first steps.

  • Parenting Guru: Fear and loving in infancy

    How I love newborn babies. I love them because they are so shiny and new and haven't yet learned the word "no". They are perfect and sweet-smelling and their clothes are so cute it makes me want to cry. Newborns are easy to hold and even easier to love. They possess the unique ability to make your h

  • Parenting Guru: All I really need to know I learned in third grade

    Dear Mrs. Teacher,

  • Date night: why parents need a night out

    One of you planned it, a long awaited date night with your partner sans kids.In eager anticipation you realize there are things that simply must be done stat. Purchase a new outfit that makes you look as smokin' as you know you used to be, at least before shapewear. Get a pedi because you haven'

  • Parenting Guru: Road rules, family style

    Ah, the family road trip, a Griswold tradition our family is well accustomed to. We manage to visit Grammy and Poppy out of state at least twice a year and I've finally learned through many a road trip mishap how to pass the miles with plenty of smiles.

  • Parenting Guru: Bloggers, have you taken The Mom Pledge?

    Last year I wrote a post about my first experience with an internet troll. It blindsided me, like whoa.

  • Parenting Guru: The 3 hardest words - I need help

    Being a mom is seriously hard work. Anyone who disagrees is probably doing it wrong. We worry, we try, we succeed, we fail and we learn.

  • Parenting Guru: That Mom, everyone knows at least one

    I know "That Mom", like I actually know her.I first met her back when she was just a newlywed, seemingly the kind of girl without That Mom tendencies. Today, and one child later, she's evolved into That Mom. You know, the mom who knows better than everyone. Nevermind the fact that every child is dif