We recently drove 800 miles with our seven-year-old twins. We’re lucky; our kids are good travelers. Throw a DVD on repeat play, and they’ll stare at the screen without noticing our Loser Cruiser came inches from killing Bambi’s mom. Every now and then, though, Guilty Mother Syndrome (GMS) hits me. I shut off the DVD […]
Leanne Shirtliffe
5 Men and a Sassy Canadian
My little corner of the blogging world is heating up this week. I’ve been chosen. I always hoped I’d join an all-star team. I just didn’t think I’d be drafted into the First Annual Blogging All-Star Team. I’m tickled. I’ve been selected for Team Ricky. Our team is in competition against some guy named Rob […]
5 Tips for Traveling with Children
In December 2009, prior to leaving on a trip to Arizona with our then five-year-old twins, I posted this piece. Now that it’s summer and many families are embarking on long flights or longer drives, I thought I’d post the piece again. If you’re looking for new content, check out Vivian’s “meen” notes to her […]
Insulting Your Teacher, Middle School Style
It is finished. The school year. I survived. So did my students. I will remember many things from this past year, including the students who – in hopes of a good grade – declared me “hotter” than Megan Fox. Sycophancy is alive and well, I’m happy to say. I will remember a group of students […]
I Am the DH: Being Married to Ironic Mom (Part I)
A couple of days ago, I asked my husband if he wanted to guest post, which in retrospect was akin to asking a pyromaniac if he wanted to play with a box of matches. My husband is the man who brought you the term “sniper fire” (referring to the speed at which beginner ice skaters […]
Disastrous School Lunches
For many parents, the month of June heralds the end of school lunches. For me, this means the Hallelujah Chorus plays on a repeat loop in my head. It’s a glorious time not to have to scour the pantry, only to come up with cans of chick peas, as Elena Aitken joked about this week. […]
Kids Using Google: The Cons
This past Sunday, I once again tried to sleep in beyond 6:30, the time when my seven-year-old twins opted to wake. “Just go play computer games,” I told Vivian. William was already safely absorbed in some violent cartoon on TV that was three inches from his face. Vivian left. The world was quiet, and the […]
Kids Using Google: The Pros
Just over a week ago, while I was sleeping in, seven-year-old Vivian wrote and self-published a book. It was Sunday. My husband had left for work, William was watching cartoons, and Vivian was bored. Because I’m a good mother and had been out until 1 a.m., I told her to go play computer games. I […]
Swooning, Devil Author, Twitter Parties, and James Rollins
I’ve long since had a fascination with authors. I listen to interviews with them, I read their books and bios, and I send them emails. Yes, I swoon, just a bit but sometimes more. Lately, I’ve been a bit forward about the swooning. In the past few months, I’ve had some conversations with authors I […]
Father's Day Failure
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while (say, since Monday), you’ll know that I’m not a contender for Mother-of-the-Year. Well, here’s a newsflash. I’m also not a contender for Wife-of-the-Year or Daughter-of-the-Year. No holiday makes that more obvious than Father’s Day. Here’s my evidence: I don’t send my dad a card or buy […]