What a year 2023 was.
As always, it is our privilege to be a support, resource, and voice for Vermont moms and families.
To be clear: we don’t claim to be experts. We just enjoy sharing our successes, failures, hot tips, and humbling and hilarious moments. We aim to be genuine. We don’t always agree with each other, and you DEFINITELY don’t always agree with us (HELLO great Puddle Jumper Debate of 2023) but we care a lot about each other and a lot about Vermont moms and families. We cherish the opportunity to voice opposing viewpoints so that we can learn from each other and grow.
We embrace community, fair and authentic debate, and saying sorry like we mean it when we make a mistake. It happens.
If you have something to express, and represent Vermont’s beautiful diversity, feel free to get in touch with us about being a guest author or becoming a contributing writer. We would love to hear from you!
Without further ado, Vermont Moms would like to present our 10 top posts of 2023.
This list of our 10 top posts of 2023 is based on page views on VermontMoms.com. This means that these posts may not be the most loved of 2023, but they are certainly the posts that generated the most buzz.
10. Parenting Dos and Don’ts From the Britney Spears Memoir, The Woman in Me by Julie McNulty
I read the Britney Spears memoir, The Woman in Me, less than 24 hours after its release. And of course, when I say “read” I mean I let Michelle Williams read it to me. Rather than aggressively typing out a reactive review of the book, I decided to sit in my feelings for a bit, hoping to gain some perspective. Continue reading…
9. My Son Is Cutting Himself – on Purpose by Guest Writer
I wasn’t ready for the news that my son is cutting himself. On purpose. I was shocked when his middle school counselor called me one Friday. One of his friends told her that my son was cutting himself. He confirmed to her that this was true. He felt stressed about some friendship issues and just all the normal stresses that come along with middle school. Continue reading…
8. The Excruciating Pressure of Modern Motherhood by Meredith Bartolo Pappas
What is that feeling in my chest? Is it love for my two wonderful children? Maybe. But more likely, it’s extreme anxiety because of the pressure of modern motherhood. Do you feel it too? Continue reading…
7. The 2023 Year of the Rabbit Forecast According to the Chinese Zodiac by Kerry Boyle
If 2022’s Tiger year brought us intensity and some exhaustion, then we certainly welcome 2023’s Year of the Rabbit and its good fortune, whether it comes in the form of wealth, fertility, or productivity. Rabbit years can be creative and fueled with energy, but emanate great patience and tenderness. Continue reading…
6. Terrorism and Antisemitism Abroad Hits Home: A Jewish Mom Reflects by Davida Murray
Imagine if a huge group of Vermont families, out celebrating at a music festival, joyously dancing in the beautiful Green Mountains were attacked and murdered? What if at the same time, innocent people in the surrounding communities were also massacred by the hundreds? Continue reading…
5. 4 Reasons Youth Football Is What Kids Need Now by Jemima Talbot
Football can feel like a foreign universe if you’re not into it, right? For me, someone who has never gotten into professional, college, high school, tackle or touch or youth football, someone who is definitely more invested in the commercials, snacks, and the half-time show than the actual game, football has seemed like one of those things that could be ok for those who are into it, and, at the same time, entirely forgettable and unimportant for those who are not. Continue reading…
4. My Family Loves Having a Family Show & Here Are 8 of Our Faves by Julie McNulty
Let me start by laying this out there for you – when I say “family show,” I’m definitely not talking about TGIF or Nick at Night shows. Do these even exist anymore? Either way, when you get to my list of “family shows,” you’re probably going to be like, “Wow, Julie, I think you are confused about what a family show is.” Continue reading…
3. Huggy Wuggy and Kissy Missy: YouTube Characters You Need to Know About Now by Claire Hanover
While scrolling through Facebook, as usual, I saw a post from a friend who has a kid a little older than my son. Her post was along the lines of the Momo story – that character that went around YouTube a couple of years ago challenging kids to certain tasks, including self-harm. But this post was about Huggy Wuggy, a character from Poppy Playtime. Continue reading…
2. How an Emergency Physician Learned to Embrace Fear by Mario Trabulsy
As a 5-year-old child, I had a terrible experience lasting several hours, during which I remember thinking that I should just let the people involved kill me, because the torture of letting them hurt me and of knowing that they would likely kill me, was worse than dying. Continue reading…
1. Why I Think Hunt Gather Parent is the Best Parenting Book Ever by Andrea Parikh
Most good parenting books offer at least one nugget of wisdom that you can take with you on your parenting journey. Some, however, are not even worth reading the book jacket. If you choose to read one single parenting book, please make it Hunt Gather Parent. This book has been a game changer in our home for so many reasons and I want to shout from the rooftops how it can help you, too! Continue reading…
Top 5 Podcast Episodes of 2023
As mentioned above, we got into podcasting this year. Below you’ll find our top five most listened to episodes in 2023.
- Tell Me More Episode 14: Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham: the real-life couple that inspired Daisy Jones and the Six (Part 2)
- Tell Me More Episode 29: Blink-182 Where Are You? And I’m So Sorry
- Whose Kid Is That?!? Episode 3.16: Revenge Bedtime Procrastination with Aliza Shapiro, LCSW
- Whose Kid Is That?!? Episode 3.2: Taking Risks
- But The Book Was Better Episode 18: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Want to know our most popular posts in 2023 that were written in different years? Check it out!
- A Season of Sickness: Managing Upper Respiratory Tract Infections by Mario Trabulsy
- My Life as a Stay-at-Home Mom with School-Aged Children by Nicole Pfende
- I Can’t Be Pregnant, I Had My Tubes Tied! by Yvonne Eastman
- Sewing Skills – How to Remove Sleeves from a Dress by Kayla Tornello
- What to Say When Someone Tells You Their Child Is on the Autism Spectrum by Sarah Fabrizio
Thank you to all of our hardworking, brilliant, and gorgeous Vermont Moms Contributing Writers. Getting to share your words is an honor. Your top posts represent a lot of work and we are so grateful for you.
Thank you all for supporting our small business! We deeply appreciate every like, share, comment, and newsletter subscription from each of you. We couldn’t do this without all of you. 2024 is going to be a big year for us and we are so excited to share it with you!
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