Natalie Gott

Mornings With Maya

My 2-year-old daughter is an early riser. Last summer her internal alarm clock started ringing at 5:30 a.m., everyday. Recently, she started sleeping until 6 a.m. While Iâd love for her to sleep another hour, this is why Iâm not going to push it: I love our quiet mornings together.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Parenting Bliss

I found parenting Zen in a place I never expected: A six-hour car ride with my husband and two young children. For days, I fretted over the car trip, the first long one we would be taking in several years because of my 2-year-oldâs tendency to start screaming after about 30 minutes into a ride. Because of that, we hadnât visited my husbandâs grandfather or many of his aunts and unc…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Are You Happy?

Does having kids make us happy? Since this is a site designed for mothers, I expect our answer will be a collective and resounding yes. That was my initial response. Of course my kids make me happy. But, do these cuddly and full of life creatures (who also happen to be constantly messy and somewhat rude) make me happier than I was before I brought them into my world?

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Whatever

My 4-year-old son has been cracking me up lately because heâs starting to sound like, well, me. Heâs starting to mimic the phrases I use.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Nap Time

Nap time. Why does it have to be such a struggle? Maya, who is 2, goes in phases of settling down really easily for a nap and other times throwing a full-blown tantrum. Today, itâs tantrum time. She screamed when I walked out. Then, she rolled over, stood up and started wailing again. I waited five minutes and upon my return I saw her with one leg hoisted on top of the crib as if she was a ba…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Book Ban

I've had it with books. They turn me into a sleep-deprived, cranky mother and wife with dark circles under her eyes. Books! I used to love you. Now, Iâm banishing you from my nightstand.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Sentimental Journey

I went out of town last weekend for a much-needed break from my kids, my house, my Saturday-is-the-same-as-Monday schedule. What I found, however, is that I missed my family terribly, especially my 4-year-old son, Guillermo.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

TV Tune Out

We made it through a day without TV. Weâre all alive. My kids are still speaking to me. There were no major tantrums. We did it. I think I might even try it again. OK, first comes the disclaimer. When I say we didnât watch TV all day, I mean day. I donât mean night and I donât mean morning. I mean day. I know, I know. Some of you ban TV entirely or reserve it for special nigh…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Hand Holding

My sister and her family live in Denver so when I get pictures from her, Iâm instantly excited. Itâs not often that I get to see my nearly 5-year-old niece and nearly 2-year-old nephew. The most recent batch of photos she e-mailed were photos from her familyâs trip to Disney World. Something stood out right away and it wasnât that my niece has overcome her fear of people dress…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Who's Afraid?

My 4-year-old son is really into Superman, Spiderman and Batman right now so one night at bedtime I told him who the real superheroes of the world are: Moms. Our powers are so strong, I told him, that we have to hide them and sometimes disguise them with hugs and kisses and tickles. He laughed and laughed but in the end did not believe me.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

about this blog

Natalie Gott

Natalie is a TriangleMom2Mom featured blogger, appearing every Sunday.

Natalie is a stay-at-home mom in Carrboro to castle- and super hero-loving Guillermo, 5, and puzzle- and big brother-adoring Maya, 2. Natalie was a wire service reporter for nine years, but stopped working after Maya was born in 2006. Most mornings you can now find her at the playgrounds chasing her kids, who frequently are wearing superhero capes. Natalie grew up in Iowa and Peoria, Ill. After college, she lived in St. Louis, Baton Rouge, La.,and Austin, Texas. In 2005, she and her husband moved to North Carolina and she proudly sings every word to the "It's Carrboro" rap. Natalie loves politics, reggae and grocery stores and readily admits she wastes too much time reading celebrity gossip, but just can't stop herself.