Like many a mom, I’m a Pinterest user. I have boards on top of boards: fun crafts to do with the kids, ideas for decorating, recipes (oh, so many, many recipes), makeup tips, inspirational sayings, books to read… it goes on and on and on. I have come to realize that I am a pinterest hoarder.  I collect.  And collect.  And then collect some more. And then never do a darned thing … [Read more...]

When it comes to motherhood and work, in comes in all shapes, sizes and permutations: stay at home moms, work outside the house moms, telecommuting moms – and everything in between.  But regardless of what you’re currently doing, chances are you’ve dreamed that the grass is greener on the other side. With that in mind, see if any of these sound familiar. You might be a stay at home … [Read more...]

My 6 year old loves music.  Any kind of music, but he especially loves Rock and Roll -- put another dime in the jukebox, baby!   Last year he found an old 90s style boom box in our basement, a remnant from one too many moves.  (We had to move the refrigerator.  We had to move the color TV) – complete with radio, CD player and cassette tape player that still actually works.  He spent most of … [Read more...]

Just when your “Getting 2-kids-ready-for-school while simultaneously getting your own self ready for work” routine has been perfected … let me welcome you to:  Holiday Break! And in my house, that means it’s time to prepare the sibling Thunderdome. My kids truly love each other.  They’re one another’s best friends, honestly—sneaking into each other's room to sleep together … [Read more...]

I realized the other day that I, like the infamous ad/internet meme, spend an inordinate amount of any particular day picking things up and putting them down. Just today, when I was granted a generous hour of parole – er, I mean free time – because my wonderful parents took the kids out to breakfast, I spent the ENTIRE 90 minute reprieve picking things up and putting them down. I pick … [Read more...]

I remember the days when Emma and Ryan were just babes, and I was forced – out of necessity – to abandon my cute little pre-parenting purse in favor of a roomier version: the dreaded diaper bag.  I longed for the days when the kids were older and I would be able to shed my minivan of a shoulder bag and slim back down into a cute little thing that weighed less than the bag of rocks Ryan … [Read more...]

With the upcoming advent of Emma’s 9th birthday (and the looming, desert-like stretch of summer holiday) I’ve been getting a lot of requests for sleepovers with friends.  While some girls have been doing the whole sleepover thing for a long time and it’s old hat, there are quite a few where this might be the first time sleeping away from home — and they’re really hesitant about … [Read more...]

Please, please PLEASE come rescue me. While I love my children dearly, I cannot abide one more made up play, scene, skit, recital (voice or *shiver* other musical instrument) or whatever they decide to stage in the living room. These un-scripted, un-pointed and unending dramas, comedies, dances, musicals (I use the loosest sense of the word possible here) and meanderings are driving me … [Read more...]

Monday I picked up Ryan from preschool and I saw him carrying a bag I didn’t recognize. As I looked at his shining, beaming face, he ran to me and said, “Momma! I got Buddy Bear for the week!” Well, crap. Buddy Bear is the traveling bear that goes to “visit” each preschooler’s home for a few days. After a few days at home, the preschooler is supposed to bring the bear back to … [Read more...]

Dear car manufacturers: my current car is in a state of impending decline, and I’m going to need to get a new (or at least new-to-us) vehicle in the near future.  Over the past 8 ¾ years with my current work-horse, shuffling kids back and forth to every conceivable event, I’ve come up with a list of features that – if you could actually create – would make moms everywhere … [Read more...]