your friendly, neighborhood nurse
Hey, y’all. I’m Kimberly – your friendly, neighborhood nurse and wannabe superhero. My super power is helping y’all survive the day with your sanity and smiles intact.
Life can be easier and full of smiles.
Just because life is crazy, exhausting, and makes you question everything you thought you knew doesn’t mean it’s always like that. Here are the tips, tools, and knowledge I’ve gained that can help you keep your sanity – and your smiles – intact.
Health & Fitness
Got a health or fitness question? Ask your friendly, neighborhood nurse for an answer. Then browse already-answered questions here.
Home & Garden (DIY)
Do you love to garden or update your home, too? Check out all my latest projects, my garden, hare-brained ideas, and more right here.
Recipes
All my fellow foodies raise your hands! Get all of my recipes, food experiments, and delicious shenanigans by clicking this button.
Parenting
Adulting ain’t got nothing on parenting, y’all. Right? Here are all of my parenting tips, tools, and “on-the-job training” knowledge I’ve learned with 4 kids.
Sleep Training
Need more sleep? After sleep training 4 difficult babies, let me show you how to get your child to sleep so you can get back to a full night’s sleep, too.
Sleep Regressions
If I were a superhero, sleep regressions would be my arch nemesis. But I’ve also learned how to vanquish them. So sleep avengers, assemble here!
Preparedness
“If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear” – or at it helps my anxiety to calm down. The trick is balancing it so that I don’t become a hoarder – here are my tips.
Blogging
Full disclosure: I’m a geek. I love diving into data and going behind the scenes. And if you’re big into blogging, this is going to be a geektastic read.
Kimberly’s Writing
Remember how I’m a geek? Well, I’m also a lover of all things science fiction and fantasy. This button will take you to my fiction writing hub – so enjoy!
Want to browse the latest articles?
Here they are. Cue Maui – you’re welcome!
How to Manage Your Child’s Cat Nap Schedule Like a Pro
Whoever coined the term “sleeping like a baby” obviously didn’t have newborns in mind. Or my kids up till about 2 years of age, really. Because my kids slept like a baby – cat, that is. They were on a cat nap schedule for way too long. That’s just how…
A Mom’s Guide to Dealing with Flu (Influenza) by a Nurse
After 8 flu seasons, er, years in an emergency room, I feel like I’ve seen pretty much everything. Yes, everything. In any case, I’ve worked through all sorts of injuries, traumas, and disease scares – including the dreaded swine flu. So take it from a nurse (who’s also a mom to 4 kiddos)…
The Perfect Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie
Do I really need a reason to want a cookie? I say no. Who am I kidding? A single no isn’t strong enough. It’s probably more like how my kids say no when I announce that it’s bedtime… “NOOOOOO!!!” Darth Vader ain’t got nothin’ on them, y’all. And an oatmeal…
How to Survive Sleep Regressions Without Going Crazy
Chocolate and sleep. Right now, those are the two things I want most of all. Because being exhausted due to sleep regressions (even just thinking about them!) isn’t any fun. Yay… /yawn. This isn’t our first time experiencing the “joys” of surviving a sleep regression. With 4 children, we’ve been…
Or would you rather browse by topic?
Because this is as close to the Dewey Decimal system as I get.
Health Tips & Answers
A Mom’s Guide to Dealing with Flu (Influenza) by a Nurse
After 8 flu seasons, er, years in an emergency room, I feel like I’ve seen pretty much everything. Yes, everything. In any case, I’ve worked through all sorts of injuries, traumas, and disease scares – including the dreaded swine flu. So take it from a nurse (who’s also a mom to 4 kiddos)…
Everything You Need to Know About Naps
Why is it that those of us who need naps on a regular basis don’t want to take them? And that those of us who don’t always need to take a nap would love to take one? Well, it’s because life isn’t always fair, but that’s a discussion for another…
How to Make any Protein Shake Taste Like a Milkshake in 2 Easy Steps
Waking up for an early morning workout is hard. Going through all of the exercises, half awake and wondering if I’m doing them or just dreaming it, is even harder. But the protein shake that tastes like a milkshake at the end? Totally worth it. But here’s the thing… last…
A Mom’s Guide to Diastasis Recti (mommy tummy) by an RN
When you’ve got an injury, people are gonna ask what happened… and I wish I had a story that didn’t involve a toilet. When I was about 6 months’ pregnant with our youngest, my kids informed me there was a clogged toilet. And since my husband was at work, I…
Home & Garden & DIY
How to Avoid Issues with 10X or 4X Restore Deck Paint
Raise your hand if you like doing a job twice… oh, wait. Nobody likes that idea! You see, while I’m all about doing a job well, I don’t want to keep redoing things frequently. Restaining a deck every year? Um, that’s not on my list of favorite things to do.…
My Review of Restore 10X and 4X for Deck and Concrete
You know those home projects that need to get done? But you’re too busy living life, so you do whatever you can to avoid doing that project? Well, at our last home we finally had to address a huge, discolored eyesore attached to the back of our house: the back deck. It’d been…
What You Need to Know About Painting Your Deck
How many times have you caught yourself staring out at your deck or patio and wondering what you can do to spruce it up? You aren’t alone, trust me. There are millions of others around the world who are probably thinking the same thing Finding the best options for painting…
15 DIY Deck Projects: Build, Remodel, Restore, and Decorate
If you love being outside, is there really a “wrong” time to start planning on making your deck, patio, or backyard even more awesome? I’d vote no, y’all. Because being outside is the best, especially when the weather is great. Whether you’re running through the cold sprinklers with the kids,…
Parenting
How to Manage Your Child’s Cat Nap Schedule Like a Pro
Whoever coined the term “sleeping like a baby” obviously didn’t have newborns in mind. Or my kids up till about 2 years of age, really. Because my kids slept like a baby – cat, that is. They were on a cat nap schedule for way too long. That’s just how…
A Mom’s Guide to Dealing with Flu (Influenza) by a Nurse
After 8 flu seasons, er, years in an emergency room, I feel like I’ve seen pretty much everything. Yes, everything. In any case, I’ve worked through all sorts of injuries, traumas, and disease scares – including the dreaded swine flu. So take it from a nurse (who’s also a mom to 4 kiddos)…
Everything You Need to Know About Naps
Why is it that those of us who need naps on a regular basis don’t want to take them? And that those of us who don’t always need to take a nap would love to take one? Well, it’s because life isn’t always fair, but that’s a discussion for another…
All of the Best Places to Nap for Your Kids
Sometimes it seems like naps are wasted on the children – after all, they need them but don’t want to take them. Us parents, on the other hand? Oh, most days if I could nap I totally would! However, that has too much potential to go crazy with my four…
Sleep Training
How to Manage Your Child’s Cat Nap Schedule Like a Pro
Whoever coined the term “sleeping like a baby” obviously didn’t have newborns in mind. Or my kids up till about 2 years of age, really. Because my kids slept like a baby – cat, that is. They were on a cat nap schedule for way too long. That’s just how…
How to Recognize Your Child’s Sleep Signs
Do you know what I think the hardest part of naps and bedtimes are? It’s the timing and sleep signs. Because if you can’t get the timing right, naps don’t happen. And bedtime is painful, drawn out, and a fight every night. But when you can get the timing right?…
Everything You Need to Know About Naps
Why is it that those of us who need naps on a regular basis don’t want to take them? And that those of us who don’t always need to take a nap would love to take one? Well, it’s because life isn’t always fair, but that’s a discussion for another…
How to Get an Overtired Baby to Sleep
When you’re overtired, it’s like every problem becomes ten times worse, thirty times harder to solve, and emotions are at least fifty times harder to control. Okay, so maybe some of those numbers aren’t quite right. But, when you’re tired, things can get a little out of control quickly, right?…
All About Blogging
Why You Need Your Own Custom Search Engine – and How to Make One
As I’ve dived more and deeper into the layers of SEO (search engine optimization), I’ve realized what a rabbit hole it is – and how much fun it can be, too! One of my new favorite parts of it is the custom search engine because it’s a quick, easy, painless way…
How to Avoid ‘the Perfect SEO’ Monkey Trap
What if I told you there’s an online trap that’s so good that it’s snared countless thousands of business owners and bloggers? Well, there is. And it’s so effective that it’s a huge drain on productivity and bottom lines everywhere. What is it? It’s the SEO monkey trap. Now, because your…
How to Get Better Leads – My OptinMonster Review
I love writing. There’s no one reason why – there are lots of little reasons. And one of those little reasons why is because I have some of the most amazing clients that I write for. I love getting to help them – and I also love getting paid to…
The “Complete Workout” Content Marketing Strategy
My husband and I have been working out steadily for about six weeks now: it’s been just long enough that while every morning workout still feels like it’s going to kill us, we’re starting to see some awesome results. Content marketing, and your content marketing strategy, should be just as…