Blog Posts by Parentables

Photo Credit: DCLQuestion from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: Your family is so musical! Do all of the kids learn how to play a musical instrument?

Jim Bob and I are sadly not musically skilled at all so wanted our children to learn how to play and read music. Luckily for us, there was a precious widow who went to church with us and offered to teach our children for half price. We jumped at the offer and Josh started taking piano lessons with Nana when he was 5 years old. We call her Nana because we just love her so much, and she still teaches our kids piano now. She comes over every Monday and teaches our younger ones along with Jinger, who is getting ready to do her senior recitals.

Read More: The Duggars' Instant Stress Buster: Music

We learned that by teaching them the piano first, they get a really strong base in music. Then they can pick up another instrument very easily and transfer that knowledge by reading music. We started out with Nana teaching each one at about the age of 5; they

Photo by Kyle May / Creative CommonsBack in December of 2012, I decided to take a one-year break from drinking wine. I love(d) wine - how it tastes, how it soothes, and how it brings people together. But I also didn't always like how it made me feel physically, even from drinking small amounts. I also didn't like that I'd made it a near-daily habit, and that I found it difficult to give up.

My decision to take a year-long break stems from my desire to rewire my relationship to alcohol and to have it take a backseat in my life. This is something that I already feel I've been successful with - wine who? I enjoy talking about my former struggle because I know there are so many others out there who have a conflicting relationship to alcohol, but are discouraged from addressing their issues because of the confusing myths surrounding the "impossibility" of solving drinking problems on one's own.

Read More: 5 Amazing Lessons I Learned by Giving up Alcohol for One Month

If you are thinking about cutting back or stopping

Photo: If you have more than one kid, you quickly realize they are born different from one another. And I don't just mean boy-versus-girl different. I mean that the nature vs. nurture thing for me went right out the window as early as when my kids were in utero: My first child was way more laid back and easygoing, whereas my second child was a mover and a shaker (and an extreme kicker -- ouch). We're still figuring out our third.

Read More: Birth Order Traits: How It Affects Your Kids & Your Parenting

Well, six years later that little mover and shaker is still just that. Simply put -- he doesn't like to take no for an answer. His nagging is persistent. He digs into every excuse in the book to try to get his way. Take tonight for an example:

Will: Mom, can I play a computer game?
Me: Honey, you can play one tomorrow morning. Now it's time for a bedtime snack.
Will: But mom, I'm not really hungry, and I didn't get to finish the other day.
Me: Oh honey, I wish you could, but it's time to

Image: scotbot/Creative CommonsIf you are a working woman, as soon as you process the fact that you are pregnant, you will start thinking about the logistics of it all in terms of how you will tell your boss, when you'll leave work, and how long you'll be out for maternity leave. Many women think they'll need a bit of time off before they leave work, but unless you are incredibly uncomfortable or actually can't perform your job while pregnant, there are some down sides to taking any time off before the baby is born.

Read More: I Hated Being Pregnant, and I Can't Wait to Do it Again

It may surprise you, but if you have a smooth pregnancy, there's a good chance you'll be feeling pretty good, albeit also big, through your entire pregnancy. If you work at a desk and not standing on your feet all day, you should be able to perform your normal work tasks without too much trouble. And if you are at home not working, while you will get some extra time to rest, there's a good chance that you'll spend a lot of time pacing

Jim Bob and Michelle DuggarQuestion from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: How do the Duggars do spring cleaning?

Michelle: Well, we don't exactly do spring cleaning any more. Spring cleaning was the way I did things years ago when I was the main one cleaning and organizing. Now, with so many of us, it's not really spring cleaning. We clean continuously throughout the year. It's a non-stop process. It's not like we're messy, it's just that life happens.

Read More: Learn How to Spring Clean Like a Duggar

De-cluttering is really important, for starters. I always tell the kids that if stuff comes in the house, we have to take other stuff out. We give things to friends that can use them or sell them at a yard sale. There's just not enough space for everything.

Read More: How to Keep 19 Kids' Clothes Organized

For the cleaning, we all pitch in. We have jurisdictions; these are our areas of responsibility for the kids. For example, the playroom is one person's jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions have

Image: Joe Shlabotnik/Creative CommonsEarlier this week, super-model mom and television host Heidi Klum was lauded for rescuing her 7-year-old son, Henry, and two nannies from a riptide while swimming in Hawaii. People magazine reported that Klum made a statement saying that the three were pulled out into the ocean by a big wave. As someone who can see the ocean in the distance from my home, I am massively aware of its power, and there are few things scarier than a riptide or the similar rip currents. But what's scary about a riptide is that it can come on quickly and your natural instincts as to how to get out of it are what can actually make the situation gravely worse. Do you know the right way to get yourself and your family out of a riptide?

Read More: How to Stop Summer Swimming Sessions from Turning Deadly

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a riptide occurs when a tidal event creates an excess of water between the shore and a submerged sandbar. When the water reaches its maximum

Photo: Katherine MartinkoShortly after my first son was born, I left Toronto and moved to a small town where my husband had a job. It was a big adjustment since I didn't know anyone, didn't have a car, and my husband was working 12-hour shifts, often at night. We lived in a cramped two-room cottage with no phone, Internet, or laundry facilities, so I mostly spent my days walking through residential streets and exploring trails along the edge of Lake Huron. Despite being a bit boring, it was also incredibly special to spend so much time focused on my baby. He was my constant companion and gave structure and focus to my day.

Read More: Having a Second Child? It's Easier (and Harder) Than You Might Think

That was three years ago. Now I have a second child and life is very different. I have friends, a car, and a washing machine that never seems to stop. There is very little time for boredom and spontaneity because my calendar is full of social obligations. There are nursery school pick-ups and drop-offs,

Image: Maaike Bernstrom PhotographyToday is my daughter's fourth birthday. Gretchen Rubin says about parenting: "The days are long. but the years go fast." I can't help but refer back to this phrase over and over again as my kids get bigger. Yes, the days before my children were born seem like forever ago, but they also seem to be growing up so quickly. I knew parenting would be hard (although nobody ever knows how hard it really is until they do it), and I knew that I would always look back at their baby and toddler years and wish they were longer, but what has surprised me the most in the past (almost) seven years of being a parent is truly how quickly they grow up; not so much physically or in years, but cognitively and emotionally.

Read More: 5 Crucial Life Skills Kids Can Only Learn When Parents Back Off

When my son was a baby, I envisioned him at six-years-old as enjoying playing sports, learning how to read and write, and playing LEGOs. I wasn't prepared to have a little boy who was running into my room on