My son started kindergarten today and after a complete melt down by yours truly last week, today came and went with no over-the-top sentimentality. He was ready for this and I’m probably more ready than I wanted to believe. He’s in an amazing school surrounded by people dedicated to educational excellence and character development, and [...]

Last night I took one of those online Myers Briggs quizzes. Have you ever taken a Myers Briggs personality inventory? I always think these types of things are interesting, especially if you can print out five pages of results, hand them to your spouse and demand he immediately read and provide relevant feedback.
What I found [...]

As  we celebrated my youngest stepchild’s college graduation yesterday and contemplated all the new adventures she’ll create while embracing a new, independent life, I was struck several times by clock hands and their rapid ticking around the nucleus of my life. As every parent is, I’m amazed at the passage of time and the speed [...]

I’m really not quite sure what to think of recent conversations around our dinner table. My 5-year-old seems to be making plans that don’t include his parents…long term plans, and I’m starting to worry he’s met a hit man on the playground, or his older, adult siblings have been talking to him again…
Last Week…
Aaron: (looking [...]

If you’re feeling the summer heat, I’ve got the perfect remedy…

Aaron and I crossed state borders to spend last weekend with friends, a place where there are lots of children to play with and fun to be had. Tuesday I unplugged from work, put down my Blackberry and spent the day humoring my child. The rest of the week I participated in play dates, made [...]

Do boys and bugs go hand-in-hand? Snips and snails and puppy dog tails.
I’m not a fan of insects, regardless of whether or not they sting, crawl, creep bite or not, I like to keep a respectful distance. Spiders are not welcome in my home and when they dare crawl a wall or dangle above my [...]

Before I became a mother, I spent a lot of time dreaming about becoming a mother. I’d close my eyes and let my mind sweetly wander to the moments I’d spend quietly reading to a child, engaging in messy art projects, snuggling in bed late in the morning,  and running outside,  playing until we had [...]

Spending so much time writing and thinking about child sexual abuse over the last several months, has of course prompted “good touch/bad touch” conversations with my son. I always try to make the conversation light and while I don’t want to freak him out, I do know that talking to him is critical to keeping [...]

My 5-year-old son is a bit compulsive about certain things. When he was a toddler, he’d refuse to eat french fries unless he could first put them in a straight line across his plate. Before he could even walk or talk, he was much happier sorting Legos by size, shape and color than he was [...]