Because natural isn't always possible — or easy.
Posted in Beauty, Emotional development, Gender, parenting on May 21st, 2013
I work from home. My usual business attire is far from fancy. Today I am wearing a pair of black shorts, my husband’s white t-shirt, glasses, and a hairdo that’s a definite don’t. I get up, get the kids out, and then hit the ground running, especially when I have deadlines looming. (And that’s a [...]
Posted in Emotional development, parenting, Safety, toddlers on Apr 30th, 2013
About three years ago I wrote a post called Spanking: This Will Hurt Me More Than It Hurts You. To this day it is still one of the most popular things I have ever written for this blog. It’s not surprising. Spanking is one of those polarizing topics –people either do it and don’t have [...]
Posted in Emotional development, parenting on Apr 20th, 2013
Big Girl has an iTouch. It is actually turning out to be a wonderful communication tool for us. We’re both people who find it easier to write than to talk. The other day I sent her the following text as she was getting ready for bed: I will come give you a hug. Do you [...]
Posted in Emotional development, Friendship, parenting on Sep 6th, 2012
Anyone who hangs out with me knows I am not as touchy-feely as the average person. It is what it is. Last year I noticed Big Girl seems to be taking my lead, stiffening up when kids hug her and avoiding physical contact unless necessary. It’s come up in the past, but it really hit [...]
Posted in Emotional development, Marriage on Jul 13th, 2012
Today is my anniversary. 16 years. Amazing. We were kids, literally, when we got married. Both of us still in college, both of us just starting our careers. When I think back, I wonder what we were thinking. How did we know, “This is the one?” My groom, a 22-year-old adorable, hot guy, was extremely [...]
Posted in Career, Education, Emotional development on Jul 2nd, 2012
My Big Girl was chosen to participate in an invitation-only swim relay. She is over the moon. And tonight, as I watched her practice all her strokes it hit me how many things my kids can do that I can’t. It makes me proud, and it also inspires awe. How did we grow these strong, [...]
Posted in babies, Birth, Emotional development on Jun 5th, 2012
This weekend we cleaned the shed and the garage. We had tons of stuff that the girls outgrew including my pack-and-play, a Cozy Coupe, a toddler castle climber, a Wave Climber, and a small Tangled toddler table. I put it up on Craigslist, asking very reasonable prices for everything so it would sell quickly. As [...]
Posted in Emotional development, parenting, Pissy mussings, Play, Safety on Apr 30th, 2012
Earlier this week we were all outside. The kids were playing basketball. Well, maybe playing isn’t the right word. “Mommmm, she won’t share.” “Little Girl, share.” “No, it’s my turn.”(Scuffling and pushing ensues.) “Girls, stop it. Big Girl, just let her play with it for another two seconds.” (Said dramatically) “No, it’s my ball. Besides, [...]
Posted in Emotional development, exercise, Health on Apr 12th, 2012
Running. It’s never been a favorite activity. I have always preferred group fitness classes with music, people, camaraderie, and energy that inspire me to do my best. Running, in my opinion, is monotonous, boring, and hard. And yet this February I embarked on a new running program — something I never thought I would do. [...]
Posted in Emotional development, Friendship on Mar 4th, 2012
I haven’t really been writing too much about my personal life for a variety of reasons, but I’m jumping back into the personal stuff now — at least for today. It’s been pretty well documented that I am, despite the way I act and what I do for a living, a very shy person. For [...]