Author: Mackayla Turley

At this point, I’m hoping my column has convinced you to pare down the items in your home to a manageable level. If it hasn’t, maybe click back to the Clear the Clutter article and give it a re-read. Once everything has a home within your home, it becomes a matter of resetting to baseline. After all, just because you’ve jettisoned the junk and cleaned the crevices doesn’t mean the rest of your stuff won’t get used and moved around, nor will dust stop accumulating or kid spills magically clean themselves. I keep the house in check with a morning…

A Perfect Parent I used to be a perfect parent,before I had babies of my own.I knew I could be superior,the perfection mine alone. Then they came,one, two, and three.My own little world,as perfect as could be. Hold on, now wait,what was this?After all my preparation,my perfection was amiss. I had lessons to learn,and character to grow.My babies deserved better,this is the love they’ll know. Patience to master,a temper to cool,there are many thingsto learn in parenting school. I’ll keep tryingto do my best.It helps knowingat least my love passes the test. Disclaimer/Reality Check: We’re all just doing our best.…

 Pahrump Mother’s Corner’s 4th Annual Baby Shower is coming up, and giving back to the community is on my mind. As I’ve gone through the beginning stages of parenthood, giving has looked very different as the kids’ needs change. In the season of newborns, I was barely keeping my head above water to give – I was able to participate in meal trains and organize occasional get togethers, but that was my limit. With young toddlers I found more free-time, albeit with said toddlers underfoot, and was able to focus on building a large community to support moms where the…

Finding friends as an adult can be difficult. Friendships no longer form over favorite dinosaurs or a love of building mud pits. There isn’t the commonality of classes or clubs to meet new people regularly. Opinions on serious topics, busy schedules, and lack of introductions all get in the way of making adult friends. Parenting only compounds the complications – add kids activities to the already packed schedule and parenting practices to the list of very strong opinions. For extra difficulty, realize how others treat your kids plus ow their kids treat your kids (and vice versa) will have an…

Mother’s Day is coming up. It’s a tricky holiday; a holiday where the usual magic-maker wants the magic made for her. In our household, I handle most traditions, gifts, surprises, and holidays. Birthdays, Half-Birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patricks, Easter, Fourth of July, the list goes on and on; the mama magic does it all. But Mother’s Day? Does the mama magic have to work for herself, too? Our household had consistently rough Mother’s Days before I decided to explain the expectation. I would secretly hope for cute candid pictures of me and the kids, huge hugs, grateful kiddo thank-you’s,…

I celebrated my thirty-third birthday last week, and in full transparency, as it approached I was in a huge funk. I was grumpy, snappy, sensitive, and an overall kill-joy. I recognized that and knew I didn’t want to spend my b-day wallowing. Instead, the night before I decided to list 33 of my favorite things to do and see how many I could accomplish. 1. Water garden in the early morning (+)2. Get morning hugs & kisses from kiddos as soon as they walk out of their rooms (+/- this was difficult as a couple kids ended up in our…

I love to host, but know many find it daunting. Done right, I truly believe it can life-giving for anyone. Whether you’re hosting weekend guests or a friend that dropped by for an impromptu coffee and chat, the guidelines are the same. #1 – Don’t apologize for perceived flaws. My cousin and his wife from Colorado visited us for the weekend – it was a wonderful time. However, the week leading up to their visit was hectic and I didn’t have time to prepare the house like I usually do for overnight guests. The house was ok-ish thanks to our…

I’ll say it loudly: celebrations have gotten off track. Holidays, birthdays, parties, and get-togethers in general have gotten out of hand. Themes with matching menus and decor, one-time outfits for one-day photos, a plethora of junk goody-bag toys destined for the landfill, over the top everything. What happened to keeping the focus on spending time with loved ones? I think about this every time I walk into Walmart near a holiday, most recently with the large Easter aisles front and center. Does anyone really need another pastel egg decoration? Not a single kid I know needs an Easter-specific water bottle,…

My two-year old is having a moment with klutziness. Everywhere someone is stepping, wherever there is a laundry hamper or large box being moved, and each & every blind spot a family member has, there she is. As frustrating as it is, it’s become a big teaching moment – not for her, but for me. Each time she is accidentally bumped into, knocked over, or smushed, she exclaims, “I is otays! is accident, you no mean it!” Sometimes she throws in, “you love me! you a good mama/brudder/sister/dada!” for good measure. It’s really made me think, what if we all…

Unpopular opinion: I’m not super fond of the original “Hush Little Baby” lullaby. It’s ok, but promising a baby a bunch of gifts that aren’t really meant for kids irks me. It came on the kids’ playlist this morning, and in a fit of inspiration, fueled by caffeine, I decided to write my own. In the hustle and bustle of taking care of children and running a household, it’s easy to forget to do things just for the enjoyment of it. This was fun, and I suggest you pick up a pen and write your own version just because; if…