Sandra O'Flaherty
I am stay at home mom to two wonderful kids. I grew up in Vermont, but it wasn't until I left this great state for a few years that I truly appreciated what a wonderful place it is. My husband is also a Vermonter, so we are happy to be able to raise our kids here surrounded by a large extended family. In fact, we like it so much that we bought the house next door to his parents, and my mom lives in an apartment on our property.
We enjoy playing outdoors and poking around our little "gentleman's farm" that we started in 2010. We have chickens, goats, a work-in-progress vegetable garden, fruit trees, and we tap our own maple trees for syrup.
I have a BA in environmental studies and an MA in urban planning. I try to keep a toe in the professional world that I left when my oldest was born by serving on our local Planning Commission. You can learn more about me and my passion for this planet we call home on my blog: Mama of Ma'at
When Your Child Needs Surgery
Both of my kids have had surgery within the past 12 months--an unfortunate distinction for sure. It was scary, but both surgeries were for non life threatening conditions. Lots of kids require surgery for...
Maximizing your ECHO Membership
I have had a membership to the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center since my son was a toddler. I loved it, as many local families do, because it's a fun place to go,...
How I Became a Mother: What Kind of Mom?
BurlingtonVT Moms Blog is partnering with Vermont Midwives Association to bring you our latest series titled “How I Became a Mother” in honor of Mother’s Day. Each of us has a unique journey on...
An Earth Day Potty Training Tale
April 22nd is Earth Day and it also marks my son being potty trained for a full year. Hallelujah!
We'd had some false starts, and there were times I wondered when and how this would...
Ode to Single Mothers
Single mothers really do have the hardest job in the world.
They are breadwinners for their families, the principle support people for their kids' every physical and emotional need, they have to fill the role...
50 Shades of Sleep: Musical Beds
BurlingtonVT Moms Blog is partnering with Phoenix Physical Therapy to bring you our latest series titled “50 Shades of Sleep”, about…you guessed it….sleep. Like an elusive treasure, we find ourselves obsessing about sleep not...
10 Favorite Children’s Books
There is something about children's literature that is so magical. I have great memories of the summer reading program at my local library and in elementary school when I was little. There was always...
Growing Up Shy
Quiet. Shy. Reserved. Drawn-in. Those were some of the labels I was sometimes called while growing up and I hated it.
Now I have kids of my own and I wonder if they will feel...
Multigenerational Living
If you had asked me before I had children, whether I would ever have pictured myself living with my parents or my in-laws I would have laughed and said no. But life is a...
Green DIY Valentine’s Day Cards
Every Valentine's Day approximately 1 billion greeting cards are exchanged. It is the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, (Christmas is the largest with an estimated 2.6 billion cards sent)! That's a lot...
Cedar Wood Natural Health Center: A Review
Cedar Wood Natural Health Center is located in South Burlington and specializes in chiropractic care, applied kinesiology and nutritional therapy. The Center is run by two chiropractic doctors, Dr. Suzy Harris and Dr. Michelle...
A Light in the Parenting Tunnel
One of my favorite sayings about Motherhood is "the days are long, but the years are short."
Motherhood is wonderful. The most fun "job" I've ever had, but the most grueling and exhausting too.
There are...
Body After Babies :: Brave & Unapologetic
There's no need to be afraid. There's no need to be bashful. That's what I tell myself.
What I'm wearing in the photo is no more revealing than a bathing suit at the beach, except...
6 Green Resolutions for 2014
In my last post I wrote about how climate change is my biggest fear for my children's future. For this post I wanted to focus on green resolutions that families can make to reduce...