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Erin Barrette Goodman

author page: Erin Barrette Goodman

Erin is a multi-media artist, interfaith minister, yoga teacher and passionate builder of community. She is the founder of the Rhode Island Birth Network and the creator and host of Behind the Blog. As a mother of two, she also packs lunches, drives the carpool, and bows to the power of PBS Kids.

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how to make a tire swing (mama-style)

[ 1 ] June 18, 2024 |

Erin originally posted this awesome how-to piece on her blog, exhale. return to center. I feel Erin and I are kindred spirits in how we both have many more creative ideas than we can execute in a timely manner but hopefully when we do — and as Erin demonstrates with her tire swing — worth the wait.

Erin’s How-To:

Step One: Admire tire swing at your kids’ preschool for YEARS. Think about how nice it would be to have on in your yard. Talk (a lot) about which tree it should go in and how much fun it will be.

Step Two: Hire your friend (who happens to be a very talented arborist) to hang a line from way up in the tallest oak tree at the top of the hill.

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Holiday Greetings!

[ 13 ] December 9, 2023 |

“Oh yeah. This is going to make our friends jealous,” our friend laughs, checking out his family’s Christmas card.

“It’s a competition,” his wife adds. “Who has the cutest kids? Who took the best vacation? It’s not a Christmas card. It’s a competition.”

We’re among friends. The wine is flowing. The holiday card competition conversation is all in good fun, and yet in the days that follow I find myself reflecting on the increasingly extravagant cards we display in our house each year.

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The Early Bird Special

[ 4 ] November 13, 2023 |

“You coming for tacos tonight?” I text to my neighbor.

“You bet,” she texts back.

An hour later she is in our living room playing LEGOS with my kids while I spoon taco fixings into bowls and lay them out on the table.

Our dinners together began about three years ago when I was a full-time at-home parent of a toddler and a preschooler. It was right about this time of year, as we turned the clocks back and began winding our way into the long, dark nights of winter, that I felt myself on the fast track to a major mama meltdown.

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The Birthday Party

[ 9 ] May 15, 2024 |

We recently celebrated our son’s first birthday party, in honor of his fifth birthday. Yes, you read that correctly — fifth birthday, first birthday party. Unlike his extremely outgoing older sister, our son does not like being the center of attention and until this year has declined a birthday party that included anyone beyond our […]

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How I became a Reading Role Model

[ 5 ] November 2, 2024 |

It started innocently enough. My friend Jill handed me two books the day before we left for our family vacation. Perfect beach reads, she said. You’ll devour them.

I had never heard of the author (Emily Giffin) and as I read the back covers I briefly wondered if I should grab another book to use as a jacket for these books. Because truthfully, if I wanted that kind of a read, Jill, who is also my hairdresser, would be my go-to girl.

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High Tech Mama

High Tech Mama

[ 14 ] July 20, 2024 |

By Erin Barrette Goodman A million moons ago when I was in high school (also know as the late ‘80s / early ‘90s) I went on vacation with my friend’s family. As we got off the plane a man in a business suit whipped out his cell phone and made a call. “No phone call […]

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Kindergarten can wait

Kindergarten can wait

[ 27 ] April 27, 2024 |

By Erin Barrette Goodman Last spring, as kindergarten registration loomed and I watched as my daughter’s friends’ parents made plans for their children, I did nothing. “She’s just not ready,” I told my mother one day, when she asked what we would be doing for school the following fall. “You’re not ready,” she responded. I […]

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Thank you, Spiderman

[ 15 ] October 27, 2024 |

We’ve been talking about potential costumes for Halloween for several weeks around here. Being the thrifty, creative mama that I like to think I am, I really love making homemade costumes. Or more accurately, I love coming up with ideas for homemade costumes and then sending the kids and my creative ideas to my mom’s […]

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What time is it, Mr. Fox?

[ 1 ] October 21, 2024 |

By Erin Barrette Goodman All parents and caregivers know how valuable it is to have easy, fun, prop-free games in their repertoire for moments of transition or unexpected delays. “What time is it Mr. Fox?” is one of our family’s favorites. This game works best outdoors where you have plenty of room to run. To […]

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Growing up in the Big Apple Circus

[ 1 ] July 9, 2024 |

What do “circus kids” do while their parents rehearse for performances, manage ticket sales, or work to lift the “Big Top” into place? This week at Ninigret Park in Charlestown, the last stop on the Big Apple Circus’ 11-month, eight-venue tour, they rode bikes, visited the horse stable, hung out in make-shift clubhouses and relaxed […]

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