It started as a perfect weekend morning. I was in bed drifting in and out of a sluggish slumber, Vivian was cuddling into my side, and William was seated between my feet. Some cartoon marathon that I couldn’t hear due to my earplugs was playing on the TV. Of course, if it starts as a […]
Lackluster Parenting
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 […]
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 […]
Funny Search Terms: You Are What They Look For
A strangely addictive hobby of many bloggers is to look at the search terms that bring people to their site. This is mostly amusing, sometimes sad, and occasionally frightening. (If you’re any of the people who found IronicMom.com by googling “what to do child choking,” I’d like to officially say, Call 911 and get off […]
Jekyll and Hyde: my roles as a mother
My kids love their stuffed animals. They have a menagerie, and most of their beloved stuffies are named. There’s Rainbow, Heartsy, Thomas, Apple Sauce, and Milkshake, to name a few. Mostly, these toys cause little controversy, as one would expect from sewn fluff balls. But two recent anecdotes illustrate my role as a Jekyll and […]
The Navel-Gazing Holiday
Well, it’s the Navel Gazing Holiday, that time when you look back and dream forward. Since my belly button sagged to a smiley face after I gave birth to over thirteen pounds of babies, I don’t particularly like gazing at my navel. Still, like I did last year, I will stoop to use the length […]
More Epic Fail Parenting: Advent Calendars
I like to buy my kids advent calendars. I think it’s fun to count down to the gift frenzy known as Christmas Day, that glorious morning where a Parental Time Zone exists: thanks to our children, we’re up three hours earlier than any other person on holidays. I grew up with an advent calendar. We […]
5 Reasons Halloween Reminds Me I’m a Slacker Mom
I used to like Halloween. I grew up with a dress-up trunk every bit as magical as a Narnia wardrobe. To top that, I had a grandma who sewed costumes – from a Dutch girl and an Indian girl to an astronaut and a caveman — in an era when the term politically incorrect hadn’t […]
Is Croquet a Blood Sport?
I love our fenced backyard. It’s a regulation-size chicken coop for twins. Open the patio door, send them out, and pour a glass of wine make a cup of tea. Sometimes I look out the window; usually I tweet. When I’m vying for Parent-of-the-Year, I’ll crack open a screen door to add an extra sensory […]
When Your Child's a Police Officer
Not every day starts with a ticket from the police, but yesterday did. In the five minutes called breakfast, I attempted to tweet and read the headlines without getting peanut butter smeared on my keyboard. Vivian, my six-year-old, wanted more attention than our ten minute morning snuggle afforded her. So after she had inhaled her […]