Tweet Eloise got her braces off yesterday. These were her phase one braces that stayed on for six months. She now has a retainer and then will get her phase two braces around age 13 or so when she has all of her adult teeth. Phase one basically expanded her mouth so her teeth would…
Tweet Yesterday I picked my kids up from school early. We went out for gelato and then bought take-out for dinner from their favorite place. We came home and had a picnic in the living room while Frosty The Snowman played in the background of our giggles. We dressed in layers – finding mittens…
Tweet I wasn’t going to link-up with MamaKat this week because life is crazy and I could not sit down and make thoughts become actual words on the screen. Or maybe I just didn’t have any thoughts at all. This happens sometimes when life is busy. You know those sometimes LIKE EVERYDAY EVER EVER there…
Tweet Do you remember when an acceptable Thanksgiving craft was tracing your hand on a brown piece of paper and making hand-Turkeys and then taping them to the wall? Do you remember how awesome 1982 was? Astrid even came home from preschool last week with a cute little hand-turkey card and it was at that…
Tweet Did you travel this past weekend? We did and an easy 150 mile drive up to see family for Thanksgiving. However, the drive home was not so easy. A steady snow began that immediately followed rain and ice and 40 mph winds that turned our easy two hour drive into a white-knuckle five hours….
Tweet The thing the puzzles me the most about parenting is all of the things we do that we would never do if we were not parents. Like going to the zoo. Would I go to the zoo if I didn’t have kids. Never. Or the playground. Adults without kids at playgrounds are weird and…
Tweet We were at book club this weekend and as we were making the slow walk to the foyer, you know to gather boots and coats and discuss our next meeting details and say our goodbyes, we all called to our kids who were using the last 15 minutes of the meeting wisely by running…
Tweet There are so many lessons we teach our kids. The lessons of kindness, patience, giving, honesty, and love ring through the house daily. I can hear myself often reminding my kids to ask for little but to give a lot. And they aren’t kids to ask for much. They never ask for things at…
Tweet So the first thing that I want to tell you is that my pants phase is over. Whew. It was a tough week. I mean I hadn’t shaved my legs for like three weeks and all with the swimsuit season finally coming to an end so I the pants were somewhat a necessity, but…
Tweet I put on a pair of earrings yesterday. Just basic, dangly, silver earrings. Eloise took one look at me and said “Mother(yes ‘Mother’ – not ‘mom’, not ‘mama’, not ‘mommy’, not ‘queen’, not ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’…just ‘Mother!”), those are MY earrings! You need to ask my permission before you wear…
Tweet I worry for my children. Not because of drugs or bad guys or car accidents or bad fashion choices or clogs or boys who will be mean to them. I’m worried that they will become homebodies like their mother. Give me the choice of a party or sitting quietly in my room…
Tweet Sometimes I get overwhelmed thinking about all of the things I still have to cover as a parent. I’ve done the baby thing, the toddler thing, I’ve made potty training my bitch, I’ve tackled the picky eater, I’ve dealt with the transition to school and starting new schools, I’ve hugged during troubles with friends…
Tweet I feel as though I’ve earned a new Badge of Motherhood. I’ve conquered many things in my almost 10 year mothering journey – nursing, sleeping, potty-training, nightmares, tantrums, weaning, boo-boos, screaming, tickling, giggling, play-dates, slamming the doors, drama, fashion disasters, tears, homework. But until this weekend I’ve never had to deal with other…
Tweet I’ll tell you what was weird. I dropped Astrid off for her first day of preschool this morning. We’ve both been waiting with reserved anticipation for this event. Astrid not sure what ‘preschool’ really meant..and me. Well me, I wasn’t sure what it meant to be completely alone. Leaving her was one of those…
Tweet When we were leaving Jamba Juice yesterday Esther walked out right ahead of me as she always does because she pushes open the door and then stands behind it holding it so I can push Astrid out in the stroller. I don’t have to ask her to do this. It’s a reflex. When you…
Tweet I met these young people about nine and half years ago. We were all new parents with babies ranging in age from six weeks to three months. We all showed up on a cold January evening with babies bundled in their car seats, diaper bags overstuffed, and eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. (We…
Tweet I came downstairs today a little before noon and immediately started shouting out orders “Eloise finish packing the pool bag!” “Esther get sunscreen on your little sister!” “Astrid go find your sandals so we can go!” 90 degrees outside. No air conditioning inside. We were heading to the pool. But Eloise and…
