If it’s not obvious, I’ve been struggling a bit with blog topics lately. It’s not that there is nothing to write about. THERE IS SO MUCH TO WRITE ABOUT. It’s just that I’ve always liked being honest about parenthood, which means sharing both the ups and the downs, but as my kids get older, sharing the downs seems a little unfair to them.

As a result, most of my blog posts have been pretty happy lately. Mazzy sells her art at an auction for a great cause! Harlow drowns in sprinkles at a rainbow themed cake shop! We all had the time of our lives in LA!

Which has led many readers to say things like— “Don’t your kids ever fight?” “I wish my kids behaved as well as Mazzy and Harlow!” “You are the most amazing mom ever and I want to be just like you one day!”

My kids are awesome. But they are far from perfect. I try to be a good mom, but I fail in numerous ways every single day. Parenthood is not suddenly a piece of cake, and especially not a rainbow cake covered in sprinkles, just because my kids have both reached the five year threshold. I actually think parenting is harder now than it was when they were babies. Every decision seems more meaningful, can be challenged and comes with more long lasting repercussions. I have less time now than before, which seems weird since my kids are in school all day, but it’s true. There’s a lot more running around and school activities to attend and did I mention, they go to bed so much later??? That’s really put a dent in my time to get stuff done on my own. Or spend time with Mike. Or just watch some television without falling asleep in the first five seconds.

What I really want to talk about is things like homework struggles, attitude problems and self-esteem issues. I want to talk about falling asleep in bed with my kids and never spending time my husband. I want to talk lockdown drills at school and how to talk about sex and my growing fear of social media. These are all things that I can’t write about with a photo of my kids at the top of the page. And I don’t just want to write about my issues— I want to hear what other parents of similar aged children are experiencing as well.

And so… I decided to start a facebook group. I’m calling it Remarkably Average Parents.

I want it to be a place where parents of mainly school aged children can ask questions, give advice or commiserate in a supportive, non-judgmental fashion. I want it to be filled with parents who love their kids, want to be the best moms and dads they can, but can also admit that parenting kind of sucks sometimes. I want the group to be open-minded and thoughtful and care about the future of the entire generation of kids we are raising.

And I want the group to be able to laugh at themselves. This blog was started to entertain. I’m finding that it was way easier to talk about potty training and first words with humor. The topics as kids get older aren’t nearly as funny. But I’d like to find a group of people that can still see the humor in this phase too.

And finally, I have always been blessed with an intelligent, informed, open-minded audience who have helped me navigate the tough times and applauded the fun stuff. I wanted to give you access to each other in the same way that you have all been an amazing support system for me.

Do you want to join and see what everyone has been talking about so far? Click here! Ask any burning questions you’ve been afraid to ask. And make sure to introduce yourself in this thread!