I love the saying that "it takes a village" to raise a child. It reminds me of the extended family that I grew up with and how I was so surrounded by support and love throughout my childhood. I also believe it takes a village to continuously keep your ideas fresh and skills sharp when you are a parent. Check out these cool websites and fun items you never knew you needed! … [Read more...]
The laptop was open, perched precariously atop the counter. A sink full of dishes, piles of laundry, dirty floors, too much on the to-do list all wait on standby. And can someone tell me why are there two radios were going at once in the same room? Small children tinker in corners, scattering toys, chucking sippy cups half full of milk and spraying it around the room. The dog walks by and poops on the floor. I should probably call that vet about that problem. I look at the clock and decide to take an hour, one hour, to tidy up the house. How much can I accomplish in 60 seconds? GO! 10:00 a.m.- feed kids snacks. Refill sippy cups. Pick up sippy cups off floor. Wipe up leaky mess. Right. There's dog poop. Clean it up. Flush toilet. DOES NO ONE KNOW HOW TO FLUSH around … [Read more...]
And I cringe each time I see this picture TD brought home from Kindergarten. I asked her what everything was and she looked at me with a huge smile and said, "Accessories!" What do I expect really? She sees this stuff coming into our house, minus the crown, on an almost daily basis. At least she didn't say, "Um, must-have's Mom! Duh!" That would have made me throw out all my mascaras, crowns, and lip gloss. Heh. … [Read more...]
That song, "Momma Said" has been ringing in my ears today. When I think of the line, "there'd be days like this," it has nothing to do and almost everything to do with the kids. After a year spent in marriage counseling, H and I have had more painful conversations and moments than I would really care to admit. We knew it would be a hard road and uncomfortable subjects and realizations would come to light. I just don't think we knew how often and that we would still have them. Marriage counseling for us has done many things but a band-aid it has not been. It's more like reconstructive surgery and constant physical therapy. And to all that I say, "Fuck band-aids". Who wants that? That is not how to fix this. Us. We have had those days, weeks and even months where it's … [Read more...]
We have only one TV in our house. Wait, that's a lie. We installed one in our kitchen last night but it won't have cable. It will only play music and movies on it. This one TV has recently caused TD, our five year-old, some considerable emotional pain and suffering. In our quest to find a show that we could all watch at the same time we settled on TLC's 'The Next Great Baker'. The girl loves her some baking shows. Cupcake Wars? She would probably buy the box set. My point? At some point during 'The Next Great Baker' episode nine hundred and eleventy -the one where Buddy asks the bakers to make a cake that looks like man-eating flesh virus. It's a classic- one of those commercials played. You know what I'm talking about. … [Read more...]
On Black Friday I sat surrounded by family enjoying the fleeting time I had with all of them. In the mountains of West Virginia there wasn't a Walmart or Best Buy to get into a frenzy about for over fifty miles. When I saw a woman on CNN proclaiming that her favorite purchase from Black Friday was a coat she bought for $40 from Eddie Bauer I almost thought, "That's a decent deal." But then she continued talking and said, "And I don't even need it!" To this I yelled at the television, "So donate it!" It was instantaneous and on gut instinct. If you don't need it, you probably will not use it. If you do, it's not something you actually need anyway, so why not give it to someone who does. I swear.I am a purger. As much as my … [Read more...]
"Let's crush her!" I heard it plain as day even though she was whispering it to her older sister. The talking out of the side of her mouth, the sneaking and stealing of food, hiding out under furniture and popping up where you would least expect it. That's all Soucy. She's smiling one minute, charming you with her smile and the next she is telling you that "I yell at you! I put you in a trap and make you cry!" She loves eggs and not for eating. She thinks they are her babies that she can carry with her and carry around in blankets. She will eat all the fruit in your fruit bowl but you will never know until a day later when you grab an apple only to find half of it bitten and gone. The girl turns each apple or pear around each and every time. If you … [Read more...]
Quite often I am the lucky recipient of incredibly gross behavior that requires me to say things that are even beyond my disgusting, perverse comprehension. I am the one who wanted a book called, "The Wonders of the Scab." Parenthood however has revealed a whole other level of nastiness."Stop putting things in your butt and trying to eat them!" "You cannot eat the snotty tissue, even if your Father did leave them all over the bedroom floor." There is obviously the normal ones too-"Don't pick your nose.""Don't pick your nose and eat it.""You cannot pick your nose and wipe it on your bedroom walls.""Yes, you do have to wipe.""No, wiping does not consist of smearing poop on the bathtub." Sigh. I'm exhausted just typing up this list of disgusting things. … [Read more...]
While in marriage counseling this week (Yup, still going. Go Team Mason!) we touched on a lot of relevant things. How my work defines me, my need for validation and equality despite a continuous paycheck and a host of other issues that can cause marital strife when not addressed properly. Somewhere in this the subject of our kids came up. Our counselor made this observation-"Well, at this point they have formed sort of a gang." I glanced at H and nervously stated, "Great. We've got a roaming gang in our house. All the time. Our house if Five Points. " A pack of marauders. The kids are close in age and work together to achieve whatever it is they want around the house. Now that The Fifth Element is mobile it is even worse. "They are … [Read more...]
This post was underwritten by BMO Harris Bank, which offers a matching $25 on a new savings account opened for your child through their Helpful Steps for Parents program. Learn more at bmoharris.com/parents. It might be safe to say that none of us really understands money and saving given the current economic crises and the Occupy Wall Street issue that is currently in play. However, as a parent to three kids, my husband and I feel it is our duty as parents to try to impart some wisdom, understanding and value to the subject of saving your cash money. As a child I was a lot like Montgomery Burns. I tucked my money away like a squirrel. I had a savings account, kept things in a safety deposit box, two piggy banks (one for coins, one for the paper), a sock and I even had a Christmas … [Read more...]