Tag: Parenting
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My kids are not an inconvenience
We just moved into a new neighborhood and I met an elderly woman a couple blocks down the street. She looked at me in shock (almost horror) when I told her that we have four kids and she kept saying, “Four? Four??” Then she looked at me square in the eyes. “I guess that will be…
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So this is my thirties
Last night, I was tucking the girls in and my four year old reached up and touched my face, “You are young,” she said, “but you do have those lines by your eyes.” This is my thirties. I am still young-ish, but I do have the lines around my eyes. Dammit. I’ll tell you what…
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Mom Guilt is a Liar
I have friends that grow, cook, and make almost everything from scratch that their kids eat. They are amazing. I salute them while I rip open a box of macaroni and cheese and add an extra few tablespoons of butter. It’s Annie’s Organic on a good day…otherwise we are not above the 19-cent variety. A…
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School Shopping Problems
I decided to take the girls school shopping today. I LOVE SHOPPING, ALL SHOPPING, so I was excited. I may have overshot my expectations. First things first we got Starbucks. I got a triple, and I got cookie dough cake pops for the girls. They thought they were too sweet and now I don’t even…
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Dear Kids, As you grow older…
Dear Kids, Right now as I watch you sleep, I lean in so close I can feel your breath against my cheek. I think about the good moments today. I think about you touching my arm and telling me a story about a slug that you found by the water. I grin to myself alone…
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Dear Stranger, Yes, my hands are full…
There I am, standing in the checkout line. One child is having a meltdown because they want a soda and the other one is doing aerial spins in the aisle. She is seconds away from taking out an elderly gentleman. He will never see it coming; she’ll take him out right at the knees. I…
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Why I Will Not Judge Your Parenting
I’m too damn busy. I’m too busy making mistakes and praying my kids turn out alright anyway. I’m too busy looking at my musty smelling laundry pile and wondering if I should fold it or light it all on fire. I’m too busy teaching my kids good work ethics which means saying “stop playing and…
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Dear Middle-Child, You’re important…
Dear Middle-Child, Yesterday you asked me why your older brother always gets to choose. We were staying in a vacation rental and I’d given him the choice of beds since he’s the tallest and the most likely to be uncomfortable. “He’s always going to be older,” you said, “so he’s always going to choose.” You…
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Dear Strong Willed Child, You’re worth it…
Dear Strong Willed Child, Today we had many battles you and I. We had battles in the sun, battles in the sand, battles over popsicles, and a battle while I walked you screaming and kicking back to the house. You were red and fuming, I fought back tears. We’ve had thousands of battles you and…
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Dinnertime Madness: Why it’s the Worst, and How to Survive
They say that family dinners around the table are very important. I completely agree. Mostly because it’s character building. It’s very important to learn how to feed people that do not want to be fed, while attempting to have meaningful conversation. It’s kind of like highschool math…it’s unclear HOW this is going to help you…