Tessa Kirkpatrick, Author at Undefining Motherhood

Tessa is mommy to NL (age 7) and FR (age 5), school librarian/teacher, doctor's wife, and the keeper of all the schedules. She has a Master's in library and information science with a K-12 school library certification and an undergraduate degree in English, and she works at an elementary school library. She writes about living life with OCD, anxiety disorder, and depression, helping my children learn to navigate life with anxiety, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, auditory processing, dyslexia

Kids Shows and Movies to Watch that Won’t Make You Pull Your Hair Out

April 13, 2020April 13, 2020

With schools across the nation closed and many normal extracurricular activities on hiatus, most families are spending a bit more time than usual in front of a screen. Some families might work hard to avoid an increase in screen time. But with the combination of more time spent at home, caregivers working from home without […]

Stay at Home Kid Activities to Get You Through COVID-19

March 17, 2020May 18, 2020

I have been slowly gathering resources and ideas to keep our household running as smoothly as possible during these stressful times being stuck at home with kids. Here, you’ll find resources for stay at home kid activities, crafts for kids to do at home, and games to play! I anticipated these preparations when I first […]

Tessa’s Water Birth Went Nothing Like Planned, but It Was Perfect

February 17, 2020February 17, 2020

Is giving birth in water safe? Does water birth reduce tearing? No need for water birth reviews. Here’s Tessa’s real-life water birth experience.

I’m THAT Kid’s Mom. Here’s What I Wish You Knew.

January 27, 2020February 20, 2020

Every parent knows those days—the ones where your kid seems out of control and you just want to scream. But even on our kids’ worst days, we always like to believe that there are children out there who create bigger problems than ours. Who kick more, bite more, throw more tantrums, throw more everything. We […]

Christmas Traditions for Kids When You Don’t Do Santa

December 11, 2019February 4, 2020

Most Christmas traditions for kids include Santa Claus, but not in every house. Here's how to not do Santa while keeping the magic of Christmas alive.

Dealing with Anxiety as a Mom: Not Quite Trapped In the Wallpaper

November 15, 2019October 21, 2020

In many ways, I am a remarkably average mom. Married, suburban, driving around in a white minivan carting two elementary-age kids from one activity to another. I’m juggling the snack sign-ups, endless forms, and loads of laundry that come with parenthood these days. What isn’t always visible on the surface is parenting anxiety, coupled with […]