Kristin Ruthstrom
Kristin is a Lee’s Summit suburb transplant, after living in the Brookside and Plaza areas for over eight years. Raising three young boys with her husband, Jake, has helped her to embrace the messy, wild side of life where love is expressed in bear hugs and body slams.
Professionally, she can be found teaching classes as an adjunct professor in the areas of Business, Marketing and PR. She is able to provide her students with applicable, real-life knowledge as she draws from several years working in the corporate sector.
“Free time” (ha!, what's that again?) is spent on an occasional date night to favorite local restaurants, reading blogs on everything from home design to politics, riding her sweet beach cruiser bike and thinking of ways to convince her husband to do yet another home improvement project.
The Third Baby Debate
It’s true, plane rides, hotel rooms and restaurants are made for families of four. With two little ones, I have firsthand experience. There’s one arm for each kid to cuddle against during morning cartoons....
What a Mom Needs at the End of the Day
As a mom of two small children, when I say I need a break it doesn’t mean I need a five-night stay at the JW Marriott or a blue ribbon accolade for the endless...
Holiday Gift Giving. This Year is Quality Over Quantity.
On Black Friday, I spent $250 on my kids’ Christmas presents. 250 bones. Or, how I like to refer to it, 5 ½ pedicures, more than a week’s worth of groceries, one cheap plane...
Reinventing Our Ambitions Once Becoming a Mom
Working versus staying at home. Part time versus full time. Lean in or lean out. It is the age-old debate that never seems to die. The topic is often the center of mom shaming...
How to Take Kids Out to Eat in 37 Easy Steps
We’ve all been there. It’s a Friday night, the refrigerator is depleted from the week’s school lunches and the thought of cooking and cleaning up another meal sounds about as exciting as a trip...
Bigotry Has No Place Here
The news cycle coming from Charlottesville, Virginia is astonishing. It is maddening, shameful and repugnant.
My visceral reaction to the Neo-Nazi protestors has nothing to do with where my family and I fall along the...
A Family Vacation to the Beach, aka, a Parent’s Version of a Sweatshop
The beach is my happy place. The sand, the beauty of the ocean meeting the sky in the horizon, the smell of salty air, it makes me giddy just thinking about it. Each year,...
The Case for Inviting and Including Kids in Weddings
The flowers are in bloom, the weather is perfect. This can only mean one thing; wedding season is officially upon us!
If you are anything like me, however, you’ve hit a stage in your life...
The Suburbs Don’t Suck After All
My husband and I both grew up in small towns. Neighbors were sparse and dirt roads plentiful. Friday night lights were the social gatherings and everyone knew everyone else’s business. Following college we both...
Simple Valentine’s Crafts for the Non-Pinterest Moms
Valentine’s Day really sneaks up on us moms. It feels as if we are just getting settled from the mayhem of Christmas and all of a sudden this pesky little holiday appears out of...
When Your Baby Hates the Car
So, your baby hates the car.
I get it. I’ve been there, with both of my children. It’s beyond miserable for everyone involved. The baby is crying hysterically, the siblings are covering their ears trying...
Holiday Hacks for Parents
The holidays are a magical time, especially when lived vicariously through children.
There truly is nothing better than watching them experience the wonder. Social media shows the highs of the Christmas season: matching outfits, well-behaved...
This Holiday Season, I Promise to…
The holidays are a special time. A time to be thankful, to revel in the joy sparkling in our children’s eyes and a reason to spend precious moments with the ones we hold dear....
9 Easy Ways to Lose the Dreaded Baby Weight
As new mothers, the shape and condition of our postpartum body should be about 112th on the list of concerns. We have enough to worry about and figure out, right? But it always inevitably...
Politics and Parenting: Why We Must All Take a Stand
This is not a partisan post. This is not a post about who we should or should not vote for in the coming election. This is a post about showing our children our opinions,...
