I could teach a course in… Boiling Water: Turning the kettle on 25 times before you get around to making one cup of tea. Abandoning Footwear: Leaving your shoes all over the house so others have to hop, skip, and jump around them. Wine Bluffing: Pretending to know what great wine tastes like when the […]
Ironic Mom
What 6-year-old Twins Think of Their Mother
I took myself out for lunch on Mother’s Day. I took my children, too, since my husband had to work. Because I had dreams of a grown-up lunch, the restaurant I chose wasn’t a place that had a children’s menu or a tablecloth you could draw on. As a result, I was stuck entertaining my […]
Mother’s Day, by the Numbers
5: Time my husband left the house for work (a.m.). 7: Time my children let me sleep in until. 2: Homemade gifts received. 2: Homemade cards. 3: Beds my kids made without me asking, begging, or threatening. 2: Rooms my kids cleaned without me asking, begging, or threatening. 1: Slice of cold toast I ate, […]
Girls, dancing, and clothes
Vivian loves to dance. A few times a week, we waltz around the kitchen, jive in the entry, or crazy dance in the living room. She used to wish desperately that we’d sign her up for dance classes; now, she’s stopped asking. I know there are a zillion benefits to dance, from coordination to confidence, […]
Babies, Monkeys, and Bangkok
We were leaving the chaos of Bangkok for the chaos of the Thai countryside. Inside our ubiquitous white tourist van were a driver, my in-laws, my husband, and our four-month-old twins. It was our kids’ longest journey; from our apartment in Bangkok it was a four hour drive south to a semi-private beach near Prachuap […]
Kids, Humor, and Writing
THE PREAMBLE Sometimes I think I’m funny. Then I read Chase McFadden’s blog, Some Species Eat Their Young, and think he’s funny. Then I come across some writing by my kids or someone else’s kids and think they’re funny. Because they are. And, while Chase and I try to be funny (sometimes too hard), kids […]
The Challenges of Showering When You Have Kids
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve read a number of blog posts that refer to showering. Kelly from Dances With Chaos blogged about her 18-month-old being booted out of her gym’s childcare. This unjust suspension took away Kelly’s only chance of showering. Larry from Christian in the Rough mentioned that many of his best […]
Breaking My 10 Parenting Commandments*
As a woman who birthed later than the national average, I had plenty of opportunities to be an armchair parent. By observing an array of friends – some of whom should have used birth control – I saw a range of parenting styles. I witnessed well-meaning parents make not only single goof-ups, but legions of […]
Why Music Lessons Make Me Want To Drink
I have my six-year-old twins in this fantastic piano program: it’s interactive, it’s fun, and it’s instructive. Unfortunately it’s also parented, which means once a week I get to sit through the longest hour of my life. It would be fine if I didn’t have the problem child. Most weeks it’s William, but sometimes Vivian […]
Teaching, Kids and Beauty
Last week, I was invited to attend a Teachers’ Gala at a posh downtown hotel. It included a full day conference where we shared best practices and listened to Dr. Phil McRae’s phenomenal research on trends in education over the next 20 years. The day-long celebration also included a semi-formal dinner. We were told to […]