Blogger: Laughing Through Motherhood, South Hills

It's been over 10 years since my first seizure, and I'm just now starting to get comfortable talking about it. Saying the words "seizure" and "epilepsy" in relation to myself still sound weird. That first day back to school after being taken out of my home in an ambulance at age 17 were weird for everyone.

I should have explained it then, but I felt like no one wanted to know, and I was a little embarassed. Since Purple Day for Epilepsy Awareness was this week, I'm going to break it down for you here.

When my husband travels, we have a deal that we start every day with a text message that I am awake and safe by 7:30. On the rare day that I sleep in, things like this (picture above) happen, and I accidentally scare him. Read more...

Melinda Wedde, of Laughing Through Motherhood, has previously been featured on PlayGround for her son's Angry Birds birthday party and her tendency toward overscheduling.

I was cleaning the basement the other day when I saw a curved plastic blue handle peeking out from under a shelf. A little digging revealed that the handle belonged to a stroller. As in another stroller. As in the stroller that has brought me to double digits. And there you have it. I own 10 strollers (*annotated list below). I am a stroller hoarder.

I have some excuses, if not good ones. At one point in the not-so-distant-past, I had three children under the age of 26 months (yes, twins were involved). There was intricate planning involved just to take my dog for a walk every morning, so strollers were definitely needed -- though probably not 10 of them. But there they are, and there they remain: strollers in the garage, strollers in the basement, strollers, strollers, everywhere, springing from the walls like stinkbugs. That said, even I had my limits. I refused to buy a triple stroller. And for what it’s worth, I only bought two strollers new.

Blogger: Sweeter Side of Mommyhood, Ross

My sweet little girls enjoyed their 1st and 3rd birthday party. Lilly is an animal LOVER and Grace is very un-opinionated at the moment so I seized this opportunity to throw my animals an animal party! We celebrated by throwing a big, traditional, family-style party with colors and cake and fun animal touches.

There was nothing better in the world than seeing the smiles on my girls’ faces when they saw (everything we had made for them but also) an entire house full of people who love them show up at the same time. Lilly literally shook with each new party guest that walked through the door. She’s a party girl through, and through and told me at bedtime that "this day was actually her best day ever."

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Jacqueline Dudt-Mulzet is a preschool and kindergarten Art Teacher at Euro Academy in Wexford, wife, and mother of two little girls. She has a Studio/Art Education degree from Carlow University. Her posts on make your own baby food pouches, Very Hungry Caterpillar crafts and coping with her daughter's CMV have previously been featured on PlayGround.

Blogger: Consuming Parenthood, Bloomfield

I love seeing Emilia change and grow but it happens so rapidly. Sometimes it feels like it is happening too rapidly. For me, early motherhood has entailed this mixed bag of constant anticipation coupled with a nagging desire to slow down time. I want to savor every moment of her littleness and breathe her in each day. But I also want her to thrive. It's complicated I guess.

I knew I couldn't talk to my mom about this without sobbing like the sap that I am so I steeled myself as much as possible and said to my dad, "Is it hard to watch your children grow? In a way, don't you just want them (i.e. us) to be little forever?"

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Jessica Ghilani works as a professor at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. She teaches courses in communication, media studies, and the history of consumer culture. She has been blogging about shopping and personal style for years but began writing about parenting and family during her recent pregnancy. She lives in Bloomfield with her husband, newborn daughter, and dog.