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School's Out in Birmingham, Now What? How about a Summer Camp?

Posted on by Angie

Shhhhh….. do you hear that? Summer is coming and there is nothing you can do to stop it,  but you can use this list to find something for your kiddos to do. You know they are going to be bored by noon on day 2 and the last thing they want to do is hang out with you while you shop for groceries! Check out this guide of the camps going on around Birmingham, hurry, they are filling up and they start soon. Don’t miss out, your sanity might depend on it.

McWane Science Center offers a wide variety of camps throughout the summer break.
Reservations required.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE TODAY!

Includes

• 1st rate hands on educational programming
• ½ day or all day options
• Mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks
• Lunch (Choose from Pizza Hut, Subway, Chicken Fingers, Hamburger, Chips & a Drink)
• Summer Camp T-Shirt

Cost:
Full Day Full Week(Morning & Aftenoon Sessions): Members $250, Non-Members $300
Half Day Full Week(Morning OR Aftenoon Sessions): Members $125, Non-Members $150

Before Care: $25 Non-Members, FREE for Members
After Care: $25 Non-Members, FREE for Members

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL DESCRIPTIONS FOR ALL SUMMER CAMPS.
Questions? Please call (205) 714-8377.

The Birmingham Zoo has many camps for your child to enjoy during school breaks this year from 9 am to 3 pm with pre-and post-care for those that might need it! While attending School Break Camps, your child will experience:

  • Behind the Scenes Tours
  • Train/Carousel Ride (as weather permits)
  • Live Animal Demonstrations
  • Animal Artifacts (Biofacts)
  • Crafts and Activities
  • Mid-morning and Mid-afternoon Snacks

Other information:

  • Naps are available for 4K and 5K groups as needed
  • Sport or water bottles are recommended
  • If your child has special dietary needs, they may bring their own snack & lunch (refrigeration available).

For Full Day Camp Information or registration go here
For Half Day Camp Information or registration go here

Children’s Dance Foundation – Registrations will be accepted by mail and at CDF, but not by phone, fax or email.  Summer classes and camps are held at our Community Arts Center in Downtown Homewood.

For Registration and Availability visit their site

Mountain Brook Gymnastics – Summer camp registration forms are now available online & at our facility. We will not be offering summer camp registration online, but you can print a form and mail it in with a check or drop it by the gym. We hope to see you here this summer!

For a schedule of camps or summer classes visit their site.

Cherubs Clubhouse – Mothers Day Out Summer Program
Register Now: Mon, Wed, Fri – 9am to 1pm
Starts June 7th through July 30, 2010

{8 weeks} of fun at Cherubs Club House
Members $140 per mth or $270 for two mth’s.
Non Members $150 per month or $290 for two mth’s (no make up days). We will need your Blue Card form your doctors office before June1, 2010.
Drop-Ins: $20 a day per child and the 2nd child $10 a day, same family.

Visit their site for more details

YMCA Camp Cosby – Programs for ages 6 and up. Check their site for dates and registration

Ruffner Mountain Nature Center – Programs designed starting at age 5K. For more information, visit their site

Aldridge Botanical Gardens – 5K and Up. 10% discount available for early registration (before May 28th) Find out more here

Sports Blast – Fun learning is their number one focus. Climate controlled environment, rain or shine! Visit their site for dates and registration information

Birmingham Ballet – Be enriched thru expert instruction,  intensive study, and performance opportunities.  Grow in a nurturing atmosphere that inspires excellence and the love of dance. For more information visit their site

Birmingham Botanical Gardens – Parents and children guide our children’s summer programs. Keeping your needs and requests first in mind, we have extended the hours of our traditional summer programs for your convenience. Beginning this summer, camps will be offered for children entering 5K-6 grades, Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Children choose from a variety of favorite topics including nature and the outdoors, plants and our environment, cooking, art and more! For more information, visit their site

Birmingham's Urban Farm and Slow Food Fair

Posted on by Angie

Gearing up for their 3rd annual Slow Food Fair, Jones Valley Urban Farm will be hosting a “Party in the Garden” on Sunday, May 23rd. If you aren’t familiar with the Jones Valley Urban Farm, let us fill you in on what you’ve been missing.

JVUF is a community based, non- profit urban farm sitting on 3 acres of vacant property in downtown Birmingham. They grow organic produce and flowers while teaching the community about healthy living. You may have seen them set up at one of our favorite Saturday morning hangouts, the Pepper Place Market. Their mission is to be a model sustainable urban farm that teaches youth and the Birmingham community about sustainable agriculture and nutrition through outdoor experiential education, while being committed to making healthy food available and affordable for a broad spectrum of the community.

The Slow Food Fair is your chance to check them out. There will be musical acts, food samplings, gardening workshops on the hour, and a mini farmers market.  Many of Birmingham’s fine restaurants will be partnering up for this event including, Bottega, Bottletree, Cafe Dupont, Jim N Nicks, Rojo, Cantina and More!

Don’t miss this afternoon of fun with the family.

Sunday, May 23rd, 2:00pm – 6:00pm

Tickets are $20 and proceeds will benefit Jones Valley Urban Farms education programs. Buy online or at the gate.
*In the event of rain, the event will be moved across the street to the YMCA Youth Center.

52 New Things – Week 19

Posted on by Angie

What have we been up to this week? Find out!

Jamie –

This week, we took a day off.  My oldest (who is in 4K) said she needed some “Mommy time” and so we took Friday and kept it all to ourselves.  We spent the day vegging out in our jammies,  watching a movie (Sound of Music – again), having a tea party and just being together.  It was great to throw all the responsibilities out of the window (while we still can) and taking a day to “just be”.

Trish –

This week my new thing was making a Chinese meal from scratch.  We made sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, and egg rolls.  I’ve made the fried rice and egg rolls plenty of times before, but the sweet and sour chicken was a first.  It was simple and delicious!  I had intended to make the sweet and sour dipping sauce from scratch… with the carrots and pineapples, etc.  I added up the cost and it would have been close to $15 to make it!!  That goes against a previous “new thing” about saving money, so I left it off.

Angie –

The word of the week for me was “Unsubscribe.”  Somewhere over the past year I’ve managed to get on email lists for approximately 1.2 million different companies. My inbox had become so flooded with useless advertisements, sales, coupons and political endorsements that I couldn’t manage to weed through them all in a day. I was losing actual emails that I needed so I decided to remove myself from 99% of the lists I was on. I still have a long way to go but my inbox is definitely a little less packed!

For more New Things or if you’d like to participate in 52 new things along with BirminghamMommy and many others – please join in by posting your new thing to your blog, facebook or on twitter (use #52newthings) – Also, you can head over to www.willblogforshoes.com to link up every Thursday!

The 6th Annual "Mudbugs & Music" Event!

Posted on by Angie

Who doesn’t love an awesome event that’s family-friendly, supports a good cause, and features awesome music and food? I do! I do!

Make plans to head out to the 6th Annual Mudbugs and Music Festival!  This event will include “live music all day long, indoor silent auction with items from generous vendors from all over the Birmingham area and beyond,  and crawfish & fixin’s cooked on-site.  You’ll have plenty of beer to cool you off, a children’s area with activity stations provided by the McWane Center, moonwalk, face painting and other activities for the kiddos, and pups are always welcome! “

Musical artists scheduled to appear include: David Carn, Jon Black, Rollin’ in the Hay and Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Benefiting various arthritis initiatives throughout Alabama, including the Juvenile Arthritis Initiative, the goal is “to raise awareness for arthritis through our event and help to improve lives through leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis, the nation’s No.1 cause of disability.  There are over 100 types of arthritis and more than 1 MILLION women, men and children that are affected by it in our state – ranking Alabama #2 in the nation in diagnosed cases of arthritis & rheumatic diseases.  Chances are you know someone affected by this disease.

For more information on this awesome event, visit www.mudbugsandmusic.com and follow them on twitter @mudbugsandmusic

The Info:

Happening  Saturday, May 22, 2010 from 2:00pm until 8:00pm at The Open Door Cafe in Crestline Park

Tickets are $25/person and includes your entry into the event as well as all the crawfish and fixin’s you can stomach in a six hour period.  To purchase tickets in advance, click here.

In the meantime, don’t miss the auction portion of the event going on now – you can find that info here.

It's Not You…errr, Actually,It is You : Dumping your Hairdresser, Pediatrician, Gynecologist or Babysitter

Posted on by Angie

We’ve all been there.  Your once doting hairdresser routinely schedules you along with 5 other people so you get to play musical chairs across the salon, your new babysitter just doesn’t jive with your family, or you’ve waited to see the doctor for 45 minutes for the third time in two months.  It may just be time to say “Au revoir” and move on. So go ahead – gather up your courage and wits and let’s do this.  After all, life is too short for bad hair, long waits and text-addict babysitters.

The Hairdresser

When you’ve found a good one, you’ve struck gold.  A good hairdresser is like a comforting, warm summer breeze – he or she can refresh you in no time and have you feeling fine.  But then, everyone else decides they love her as much as you do and then (bam!), she’s got 400 clients all vying for her attention and appointments.  Before you know it, your time with the hairdresser is not your own.  You’re squeezed in between three other clients and barely have time to communicate what it is you want done to your hair.  The solution – talk to your stylist, try some creative scheduling (weekends, mornings….) If that doesn’t work, it might be time to walk.

Brandi of Hoover had the unpleasant experience of a long wait at a salon more than once.  “Twice, I’ve had a stylist just completely ignore me.  One went to lunch while I sat in a chair -3 ft away from her station- waiting for her.  At another salon, I waited in the lobby for the stylist.  After about an hour, I asked the receptionist.  I was told that I didn’t have an appointment… not like I’d gotten the day wrong.  They claimed not to have me on their books at all — and I’d even taken a half day off from work to be there.  Both times, I just left.”

If you do decide it’s time to jump the ship, think out your approach.  Are you and your hairdresser close – do you hang out at the same park; go to the same church, etc… If so, a friendly call or even a note (wuss) is in line to help to avoid an awkward situation later.  Clear communication now can help you to keep doors open later, should you choose to go back.  Most important- be nice.  They’re doing the best they can while trying to please everyone, so keep that in mind.

The Babysitter

You’ve just gotten a new sitter to come hang out with your wild darling children.  She charges a reasonable rate; lives close by and seems to be fairly confident in how to deal with any hairy situation your “darling” children can throw at her.  And then, something’s just not right.  Maybe she just doesn’t “click” with your family.

In this situation, the ball is in your court.  You just don’t have to call her back.

But, if there is a specific reason – say, she spent the entire time she was supposed to be playing with your kids on her cell-phone, texting whomever, then tell her why.  You might just do another family a favor; this is after all her training ground for learning about responsibility and employment.  If you feel that letting her go is too harsh, just mention to her that you’d prefer she avoid the phone while on duty.  Because just like the hairdresser – when you’ve found a good babysitter, you’ve struck gold.

The Pediatrician

Picture this: You and your vomity kid have been perched in a chair in the waiting room of the pediatrician’s office for 45 minutes.  After you’ve given the office staff “the stink-eye” a few too many times, you march up (head a little too hot) and tell them enough is enough.  And, ok, you’re not exactly in the wrong here, but things happen that aren’t in their control.  However, if this happens routinely, it might be time to migrate to greener pastures (with shorter wait times).

“When we moved to Alabama, I tried a Pediatrician, where I waited for hours only to realize I had been forgotten. Add a horribly rude receptionist and a hormonal mommy with a sick baby and you get me in the doctor’s office crying my ugly cry. I told him I could never come back but it was no reflection on him just the situation,” said Trish of Vestavia.

First things first, though – communicate, like Trish did.  When you do have your doctor’s attention, explain your problem.  Especially if you love your doctor – because just like the hairdresser and the babysitter….you know where I’m going with this – you’ve struck gold.    Tell him or her that you trust their judgment, enjoy your experience while there, but simply cannot deal with the long waits any more.  It’s valid to express that your time is as valuable as theirs and it’s especially hard to wait that long with a child, let alone one who is sick.  You never know, this might be something that needs to be brought to the attention of all of the office so they can better serve their patients.

However, if your doctor is so rushed when he comes in that you barely have time to greet him, you might have a problem. When offices are overflowing with patients, they have to see as many as they possibly can.  But if this means you are no longer getting the care you should, seek a solution elsewhere.

Again, communicate with the doctor either in person, or with a brief note, explaining that you feel it’s time to move on and thank him or her for the time they have spent with your child.  That note could go a long way in helping him or her understand the office experience from a patient’s point of view.

The Gynecologist

What can I say here?  A good gynecologist is the epitome of striking gold.  It’s the holy grail of your army of maintenance men and women.  Your yearly visit is the absolute height of awkward, so, finding someone who takes a little of the stress out of all that can really be like finding a long, lost friend.  A friend with a peculiar occupation, but a friend nonetheless.

But, as with Pediatrician’s offices, the gynecologist’s office can sometimes leave you wondering “What the hell just happened?”

Rebecca, of Vestavia recalls an incident in which she had to confront the reason why she was leaving her doctor’s office for good.  “The only time I’ve ever confronted anyone about poor service was actually my former OB/GYN.  I was about four months pregnant with my second child and had some wonky test results.  After waiting nearly two hours to see the doctor, she told me I might have lupus, she’d call with the results and she left the room.  I didn’t know anything about lupus, but I remembered a movie I had seen in the 80’s in which a character dies of the disease.  I sat in my car in the parking deck and cried for half hour thinking about my children growing up without me.

As it turns out, I didn’t have lupus and most people who do actually live pretty normal lives.  I was so angry that I had gone through that emotional roller coaster; all that doctor had to do was spend five minutes with me putting her off-the-cuff lupus comment into context and she could have saved me a lot of anxiety. When I switched doctors, she called to ask why, and you better believe I told her.”

But, as we dump, we should prepare for a little awkward, you know, should you ever meet again.  Rebecca found this out the hard (but slightly hilarious) way when she later bumped into her dumped doctor.  She didn’t seem to know who I was at first, and I didn’t bring it up.  At the end of the evening, though, she said, “Oh, hi.  I’m so sorry.  I didn’t recognize your face.”  Obviously a poor choice of words for the doctor and I imagine an embarrassing one too.

The Bottom Line

It boils down to this: don’t burn bridges.  Communicate openly with the people you deal with.  You are paying them, so it makes sense they’ll be open to listening.  Keeping those doors open allows for a re-establishment of the relationship later – should you choose to do so.  People change, so do situations – hairdressers move to other salons, doctors open their own practices…

Take note of what happened and do your best to avoid it in the future.  How?  Get recommendations – lots of them.  Ask at least ten of your friends where they go, if they’ve ever had any problems, etc…. Then take a look at those 10, if one name pops up over and over, you’ve probably found a good one.

Kid Picks: May

Posted on by Angie

Baby Star Quick Change Diaper Pouch

I have a similar item (which I made myself – easily) but if you’re not handy with the sewing machine, this is a great find!  The Baby Star Quick Change Diaper Pouch is just a simple little pouch to carry some wipes and a diaper or two and you’re off!  Throw one in your purse, your car or your backpack – it keeps things handy and in place, when you need it most.

It comes in a variety of cute patterns – fitting any style.  We love!

*image courtesy of babystar.com

Skip Hop Central Park Outdoor Blanket/Cooler Bag

Yah.  You read that right.  It’s a bag that becomes a blanket and is also a cooler.  Not sure it gets any more multi-functional than that – unless it can pour me a drink at 5 o’clock.  What?  Nevermind.

They describe it like this:

Wherever you roam, CENTRAL PARK is ready for the beach, park or playtime at home! Once you reach your destination, it unfolds into a spacious 5′ x 5′ water-resistant blanket, keeping everyone’s picnic clean and dry. This versatile blanket features an insulated cooler bag to chill snacks and drinks; there’s even room for mom and dad’s essentials. Detach the cooler bag and it’s a compact messenger for quick trips to the ice cream stand!

*image courtesy of skiphop.com

Giveaway time! Sweet Caroline's Boutique

Posted on by Angie


Our next giveaway is “sweet” for a couple of reasons! Sweet Caroline’s Boutique is giving away $100 Gift Certificate to be used within 30 days on Spring or Summer Merchandise! It’s “OUR” Sweet Caroline’s Birthday, and they want to celebrate! She’s turning 3 and you can celebrate with some cute clothes for the kids!

Here’s how to enter:
1. Comment here, one entry allowed per day.
2. Subscribe to our newsletter and comment here that you did. (If you already do, that’ll work too!)
3. Tweet this: “@BirminghamMommy is having another great giveaway!” Remember to comment here that you did so. One entry per day.

Contest will close at 11:59pm on Friday 5/21/10 and the winner will be announced the next day.

Good luck!

Coming up next… $100 Sweet Caroline's Boutique Gift Certificate!

Posted on by Angie


Our next giveaway is “sweet” for a couple reasons! Sweet Caroline’s Boutique is giving away $100 Gift Certificate to be used within 30 days on Spring or Summer Merchandise! It’s “OUR” Sweet Caroline’s Birthday, and they want to celebrate! She’s turning 3 and you can celebrate with some cute clothes and great deals for the kids! Stay tuned, giveaway begins Monday!

Sweet Caroline’s is also having a Birthday Bash Sale!, for three days, 35%, 40% & 50% off. Beginning this Friday 35% Off, Saturday, 40% off, and Sunday, 50% off – 14, 15, and 16th of May.

Kids Summer Flicks Guide, Be in the Know!

Posted on by Angie

Lots of options around Birmingham for FREE (and discounted) movies this summer, we’ve got your rundown! Most of the movies in the park begin at dusk, take your blankets or lawn chairs and enjoy the night. Remember movie selection is subject to change without notice.. If we learn of more, we will add them here so keep checking back!

Tuesday  August 10th

Family Movie Night – Black Creek Park – Fultondale – Bandslam back to school party
The Fultondale Arts Council presents Family Movie Nights in the Park, a free event on Tuesday nights in July and August. Movies will start near dark, so bring your blankets or lawn chairs and settle in for these fun films
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Friday August 13th

Wald Park in Vestavia Hills – Movie to be determined, 6:30pm

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Saturday August 14th

Alabama Theater –  Peter Pan
Tickets $7 for adults, $6 for Sr Citizens and children under 12. Tickets available at the box office 1 hour before the show. Free parking in the central parking lots around the theater
2pm
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Saturday August 21st

Alabama Theater –  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Tickets $7 for adults, $6 for Sr Citizens and children under 12. Tickets available at the box office 1 hour before the show. Free parking in the central parking lots around the theater
2pm
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Saturday August 28th

Alabama Theater –  Pocahantas
Tickets $7 for adults, $6 for Sr Citizens and children under 12. Tickets available at the box office 1 hour before the show. Free parking in the central parking lots around the theater
2pm



The Evolution of Mommy

Posted on by Angie

by L.K. Whitney

“Part One” of a lifelong story because, as you well know, motherhood is not something that you can put in a well-marked, masterfully-wrapped box.


So you just peed on the stick and all signs point to “plus” (one).  Congratulations.  You’re pregnant.

Say goodbye, honey.  Life as you’ve known it is over.

Perhaps you stare at the stick in disbelief.  Perhaps you giggle with glee.  Perhaps you run straight to your husband to share the good news or, in some cases, beat him mercilessly with the closest blunt object.  (The latter, to be clear, is just early matchup for the ensuing 40-week “term and delivery” that will be (quite literally) carried out by none other than YOU.)

You’re a mommy-to-be.  You’ll be glowing soon.  Before you can say “diaper genie”, you’ll be losing sight of your toes, knees, and other … parts.  You’ll experience the full gamut of hormone-induced cravings/episodes/impulse purchases.  You’ll forego the chardonnay and instead will pump your body full of folic acid and, in my case, any form of prepared potato within reach.

Magic City MamaAnd then, suddenly, you know “it’s time”.   You grab your (last) carefully-packed bag and go.  You withstand the sweat, the pressure, the push, the pain, and when you return home you bring with you the ultimate prize – a screaming, pooping, bundle of joy.   Not only have you won the race, but you’ve been given the all-too-precious medal of “Mommy”.

Now, just as this new baby doesn’t come equipped with a step-by-step “How To” manual, neither does motherhood and, so, you may spend the next year or so in complete denial of what this role means.   Some call it hormones; some call it post-partum.  Clinical terms aside, we all go through it and it’s an age-old phenomenon that affects each mother differently.  For me, the uber-planner, I battled the issues of non-planning, of giving up my independence and of relinquishing control.  Truth be told, it’s an ongoing daily battle with my inner self.  (Oh, and while we’re on the subject, I also have extreme insecurities about my ability to raise a “good” child:  someone who will grow to become an honorable citizen, a do-gooder, completely respectful to their neighbor, all animals and, most importantly, their loving mother.)  But that’s just me…

So, “Mommy”, you begin to master the art of multi-tasking in ways you may have never imagined.  You prepare a bottle while catching up with your best friend via Skype while (1) the laundry’s running, (2) the dishwasher’s running, (3) all bills are being paid electronically (because you can still be a great planner when technology’s on your side), and (4) you’re entertaining your sweet baby with that rattle thingie that’s dangling from your only available limb (big toe, left foot).   Oh yeah, and (5) dinner’s in the oven so that when your DH returns from a “hard day at the office” he doesn’t have to waste a second wondering “when dinner will be ready”.  (You know that if this question is removed from his mind, he will have time to “enjoy the baby”, which means you’ll have about five minutes of solitude in the bathroom to brush your teeth and hair and relieve your bladder, all for the first time that day.)

However you manage the chaos, it gets done.  You just do it.  “Motherly instinct” is what they call it.  Maybe you go back to work after maternity leave.  Maybe you stay at home.  Maybe you even reproduce again (and for that I have nothing to add, since I’m patiently holding at one).  No matter your path, time quickly reminds you “how fast they grow” and your sweet, babbling infant is now a bona fide toddler:  argumentative, inquisitive, and determined to take everything apart.  Again, multi-tasking takes on new form and, although you’ve developed a system for leaving on time, keeping house clean, lunch made, etc., you now have to battle the personality of this little person in executing things like leaving the house on time, keeping the house clean, eating your carefully-prepared healthy lunch.

(Fast-forward a few year.)  Your children begin to interact.  They become social creatures.  Your (once-thriving-now-kinda’-barely-hanging-on-by-a-thread) social life is whatever (whoever) they prefer to seek out on playgrounds, at Chick-Fil-A, on aisle nine at Publix.  You realize just how deprived you’ve become of quality adult conversation (your baby-daddy no longer counts in this category) and that gray-haired stranger looking for a jar of pesto becomes your newest and most coveted confidante.  (Yes, she exists and yes, I showed her where to find the pesto and yes, in our five minutes together I unburdened my woes freely and fully because she was so kind to listen.)

The decisions you’ve made for your infant and even toddler now grow increasingly moot as your precious offspring uses their knowledge (gained mostly by the outside world and, if you allow it, television programming) to negate every sentence you utter.  That feeling of insecurity you had about being a good parent (in the days you were still bathing them in the kitchen sink) escalates to a higher rank because now they are telling you just how poor of a job you are doing in leaving the house on time, keeping the house clean, packing their lunch, etc.

And, sooner than later you tuck them into bed one night to the sounds of Shel Silverstein and the next morning they emerge from their room as teenagers.  Need I develop this image any further?  Defer all analogy to your own teenage years and, according to my dear mother, multiply that joyful heartbreak by three.  That’s what you can expect…

Somehow you survive the drama that is the first date, braces, a failed geometry exam, ruining their life, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera…   You watch them pack up their favorite belongings and leave the house.  They’ve grown up, Mom.  They’ve moved on.  They’ve left the nest.  You muster all available faith that they will always be safe, that they’ll make the right decisions.  And after you’ve knelt down to pray in every direction you wonder what in the hell to do with all this free time.  You find yourself missing that mountain of laundry, the shuttle assignments from school to soccer to skate park.  You go through another spell of denial (post partum, round two) coupled with the inevitable “change” and, again, the hormones take over and you do what you can to keep focus, to keep calm and carry on.

Maybe they find their true love and have a family of their own and all the mistakes and stumbles you made during their childhood will all be forgiven as you spoil and woo your even more perfect grandchildren.  At that time, you’ll add another trophy to your shadow box that reads “Grand Mother” and it brings the esteem and value you always hoped for.

Whatever path they choose with each passing day, you’re behind them 100 percent.  A mother’s pride, you see, is the ultimate fandom.

This child is yours.  God has blessed you and, therefore, you offer in return the utmost praise with each carefully-packed lunch, each kissed boo-boo, each folded jersey, each selfless act and all forgiveness.  Being a mother, although intense/terrifying/exhausting/trying/demanding, is never thought upon as a job or a burden or a responsibility.  It is a gift.  How you cherish that child is in every way a tribute to their very being.  And that in itself is a beautiful yearning that you will never fully quench, because a mother’s love is too grand, it is too humbling, it is too tremendous.

Realization:  Motherhood is an evolution.  Children force us to evolve – emotionally, physically, socially and even financially.  We ultimately grow alongside our children.  And what we gain is worth far more than what we leave behind.

Magic City maven Laura Kate Whitney is a full-blooded Southerner who has just found herself back in Sweet Home Alabama. Life circumstances have brought her to Birmingham, along with husband, young son, and grumpy old cat. In her “free time” she enjoys long walks, amateur photography, Birmingham history, culinary programming, and hot baths. You can follow Laura Kate’s adventures on Magic City Manifesto and also on Twitter.

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