drmommybrain

The Mystery of Dreaming

Psychology

Here we are in the year 2016.  We have mapped our genes and traveled through space, but despite all of our study we still do not fully understand the process and purpose of dreams. What we do know is that we all dream whether we remember them or not.  We also know that without the dreaming that occurs in rem sleep we will slowly go mad. Seriously we eventually become psychotic.  If a person continues to be deprived of deeper levels of sleep they eventually die. There is one super rare genetic disorder that does just that, fatal Continue Reading...

Mommy Stress

Kids and Parenting

Being a mom is the best job in the world...the best most stressful job in the world. Yeah, being a mom is great and rewarding but intense and demanding.  It is fulfilling and completely draining. Being mom is a job that is never done, and you never feel like it doesnt deserve even more than you have given it. Today being a mom is more stressful than ever.  The expectations of moms has increased exponentially over the past decade. I blame changing societal expectations and social media equally.  Kids are no longer seen roaming the Continue Reading...

12 Signs You Are More Stressed Than You Realize

Psychology

Stress is an insidious problem.  It can plague everybody, but we moms know that we often find ourselves carrying the entire family's stress load.  We wear many hats in our homes and in our lives, with each of those hats comes a variety of stressors and rewards.   We can never forget the rewards- being a mom is very rewarding.  Remembering the rewarding aspects is often a first step in coping with the stress. Stress is such a normal day to day part of life it becomes something we live with, as a result we stop noticing when our stress levels Continue Reading...

Parenting tips and tricks: How to Get Your Child to Practice For Their Music Lessons

Kids and Parenting

Oh how quickly it turned from... Son:  "Mom please can I get a guitar!!  Please Please Please I want to learn guitar." Me: "Okay but you will have to practice like every day to make taking lessons productive." Son: "I will I promise, it is going to be awesome! I love you I love you thank you mommy." (3 weeks later) Me: "Time to practice guitar" Son: "But I am soooo tired." Me: "You have to practice so you can get really good" Son: "But I just don't feel good....I had a bad day....I just got home...I need to play for Continue Reading...

Fresh and Easy Homemade Salsa!

Home/Garden/Recipes

Fresh and Easy Homemade Salsa This salsa tastes like what you can get at a Mexican Restaurant.  It is so good and so fresh.  I am asked for this recipe ALL the time! The recipe makes 3 times what you get in an average jar of store bought salsa- so on top of being easy and fresher, it saves money. I never buy store bought salsa anymore because I can throw this together in under 5 minutes! Ditch the preservatives that give store bought salsa that over processed funky taste. For added fun and cheapness I use the onions and jalapenos I Continue Reading...

A Vegetable Garden Secret Good For Any Garden And A History Lesson To Boot

Home/Garden/Recipes

When we first started our garden I spent a lot of time on figuring out where to plant all the different things I wanted to grow.  There are so many plants that don't do well near each other or do better when they are planted together.  When you don't have oodles of space (like me) it turns into a complex problem very quickly...especially if you have to add in factors like where there is more hours of light in your garden. This was the coolest garden lay out trick I came across in my first year of gardening. It was amazing because: 1. Continue Reading...

The Kid Your Kid Doesn’t Like- Teaching Them How to Deal

Kids and Parenting

*Names have been changed to protect the not so innocent. I walk in the door after work and a commute.  My feet barely over the threshold and I hear, " Bobby took the dodge ball.....he's such a jerk."  I have been hearing about Bobby all year long. At this point I have to agree Bobby is a jerk.  I can't really say that to my little guy though now can I?  Though I admit I have nodded in agreement on more than one occasion. Anyway, my little guy is frustrated and talking to me about it because he knows that he is not allowed to be mean Continue Reading...

Time Change Monday and the 8 Stages of Suck. The cost of Day Light Savings Time

Kids and Parenting

They say it saves money.  Really, Arizona seems to manage just fine without messing with the clocks on their walls a couple times a year. I personally have never seen any saving that I could attribute to our clock change whoever is saving here better be saving an awful lot of money because playing with the time space continuum in my house sure sucks. Macy's may save money on their electric bill but for all of us poor moms out there Spring Forward sucks.  If you are a planner like me you try to prepare your kids for the time shift.  Even as Continue Reading...

Bully Proof Your Child

Community & Education

Bully Proof Your Child     Bullying is a devastating problem in schools.  The impacts of bullying are far reaching and the old advice to "stand up to a bully"  is quite frankly wholly inadequate when it comes to addressing the problem of bullying. In fact to adequately address bullying the approach has moved outside of the direct interaction of the bully and the bullied parties. Why Do We Bully: Bullying has more than one function but is all about enhancing the sense of power and social security of the bullying Continue Reading...

Mom’s Lasagna: A Lighter but more flavorful take on an old classic

Home/Garden/Recipes

Mom's Lasagna This is my absolute favorite lasagna ever!  It is a lighter version of an old favorite.  The best part is though that it is also easier to put together and is a huge fan favorite.  My kids and husband love this dish!  You can prep it ahead of time and then throw it in the oven from the fridge  making it perfect for busy holidays or dinners with guests.  IMHO it is better than any lasagna I have ever had at a restaurant.  This lasagna is flavor packed and oh so delicious. Instead of ricotta cottage cheese is used.  It sounds Continue Reading...

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