My husband and I rarely jump into anything blind, whether it’s buying a new car or getting a throw pillow for the sofa. Months of research and discussion go into any decision we make. So when we were three years into our marriage and felt ready to start a family, we weren’t just going to throw caution to the wind and let nature take it’s course. No, we were going to plan … [Read more...]
My Recipe for How to Enjoy Thanksgiving as a Parent Without (Completely) Losing Your Mind
Thanksgiving is a few days away. Everyone I know is putting the finishing touches on menus for the big holiday feast. Recipes for the perfect turkey, gravy, and pumpkin pie can be found in magazines and on TV talk shows and blogs. But, nowhere have I ever seen a recipe for preparing the most crucial element of a great holiday meal: Your kids. After celebrating 18 years … [Read more...]
I Had to Say Goodbye to a Dear Friend This Week
“Please, please, please, tell me that’s not my toddler running around our front yard in a diaper. We just moved here. What are the neighbors going to think?” I said this as my husband and I were pulling into our driveway. I was tired and cranky. My routine OBGYN appointment for my second child had dragged on for a four-hour ordeal of ultrasounds and blood … [Read more...]
When Dad Does Everything Better, A Mom’s Lament
I’ve been a parent for almost 19 years. For 12 I’ve been the mom of three, and I’ve never minded when my kids occasionally tell me they hate me. In fact I’ve been known to thank my little detractors whenever they utter these three words. I know it’s my job as the primary scolder-in-chief to put the kibosh on building swimming pools in the basement or using a sibling’s … [Read more...]
At the Hospital With Dad: the Harder Realities of Getting Older
Thursday found me and my 18-year-old son wandering the halls of the hospital’s cardiac care unit. My father had arrived via ambulance six hours earlier. We both must have had that lost puppy look because a nurse asked us who we were looking for and then told me my dad had just arrived and gave me his room number. We walked into my dad’s room to find my mother, sister, … [Read more...]
