Erica Douglas
Erica is the mother of four energetic, curious and oh-so-loveable children. She and her husband, Tony love sports and a friendly competition, especially if the Cyclones win. Before staying home with her babies, Erica taught fourth grade. Currently, Erica coaches for the Waukee High School girl's track team, and is the author of the blog PreachTeach.
Why I Am Screwing Up My Child
My son is smart. He's inquisitive. I love observing him as he stares out the window. I can almost hear the gears turning. The teacher in me is so proud of his eagerness to...
How I Met Your Father: Recruited into the Family
This post is part 1 of 5 in the series How I Met Your Father.
24. 7.
I met your father because of those two numbers.
It was 2001, in Quincy, Illinois. Your father was a very...
Building a Village
It takes a village.
That's what everybody says about raising children. You need help. You need people. You need a village.
My daughter, just shy of two, is in the "I DO IT MYSELF!" phase where she'll...
Flat-Chested and Proud
This post is part 2 of 5 in the series Self Embrace: Learning to Love the Skin We Are In.
I spent my childhood in a leotard. Twirling and tumbling, 24/7.
Heading into seventh grade, my...
Do Car Seats Really Expire?
As previously posted, I am pregnant with my fourth child. While the majority of his time in my tummy has been focused on parenting babies one, two, and three, I am now less than...
Coping with the “New Math” and 4 Helpful Homework Tips
Having been an elementary teacher, I often get asked school related questions. One of the most frequent questions sounds something like this:
How am I supposed to help my child with his math homework when I...
Diary of a Mad Pregnant Woman
Dear Diary,
Today is Friday, September... err... let me check my iPhone... September October 3 (holy crap, it's October!). I am... twenty... something weeks pregnant.
Oh, the glow of pregnant ladies. "Never so beautiful!" Yeah, right....
The Fears in Raising Biracial Children
I fear my kids growing up. I do. Will they be safe? Will they be healthy? Will they find their passion? Will they make good decisions? Will their mistakes be minor enough to climb back...
“It’s A…” Surprise Gender Reveal Ideas
Are you one of those crazy people? By "crazy" I mean EXTREMELY patient when it comes to finding out the gender of your baby. Judging by my tone, I'm sure you can assume that I...
Hooray! For Ames! + Giveaway
Have you seen the video?
It went viral, even making BuzzFeed.
As a native Amesite, my Facebook, Twitter, and email were abuzz with chatter. Oh, the tears of laughter and embarrassment that flowed the week of the video's release....