You guys probably didn't even notice when it happened, but a little over a year ago now I took the "Pampers Mom" button off of my side bar. Now I don't usually do a happy dance when I take a button off of my side bar, but this time was different. For me this was a break out the wine, let's all jump and dance, cheer-worthy moment. You see me taking that button down marked the … [Read more...]
The One Where My Kid Admits She Lies to Me Daily…. And My Heart Explodes…
The youngest daughter has been putting me through my paces lately. Testing. Pushing boundaries. The other day I had pretty much hit the limit, my patience was gone. I was in that place where I was so happy the day was over, so happy it was finally bedtime. As I was standing there tucking her little pajama clad five year old body into bed she caught me by surprise, saying, "I … [Read more...]
I Have Banjo Guilt – Motherhood Confession
So you can file this under strange things I have mommy guilt for -- I've yet to arrange banjo lessons for my eldest daughter. My daughter Grace wants to learn to play the banjo. She is obsessed with it, For me, this is one of the great mysteries in life -- why the heck is she fixated on the banjo? Neither myself, nor any of our close relatives, is a fan of country music, yet … [Read more...]
Spring Means No More PJs at the Bus Stop – Motherhood Confession
Spring has sprung. I'm not sure that I should admit this but when it comes to getting out the door to the school bus in the morning I hate the warmer weather. When it's cold out I get to wear a coat, my tall boots and a touque, which hide all sorts of things. When I'm wearing my big winter boots no one can tell my socks don't match. With a touque no one can see my frizzy crazy … [Read more...]
A Tale Of Utter & Mortifying Embarrassment aka My Embarrassing Period Story
The embarrassing period story. It's sort of a subgenre of teenage life, in hushed tones in the school hallway, or sitting on the carpet in your best friend's room, you exchange stories about the first time you had your period, or that time you had an accident at the pizza restaurant, or the mortifying tale of when you had to ask a male relative to get you pads. At age 39 it's … [Read more...]
This was the Summer… {Mommyhood Confessions}
This was the summer that I took the whole family to Pittsburgh on a presstrip, and we had so much fun, visiting the National Aviary, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Kennywood Amusement Park, and a Pittsburgh Pirates ball game. It was the first time I took hubby on a presstrip and he managed to pick up some rare virus which infected his eyes. This was the summer when … [Read more...]
Confessions of a Hoarder: What do you keep?
It's garage sale season, and my mom is downsizing in a serious way. She's been in the process of moving from a four bedroom house to a two bedroom condo. It's been a bit crazy. We've had four garage sales in five weeks. Each time we think we're done she finds more stuff to purge. It's been a bit strange. Sorting through all the parts of my childhood that she's held on to for … [Read more...]
This Working From Home Thing, It’s Really Not. Working that is.
Dear Friend, I am ready to give up on ever getting anything productive done. It just took me over five hours to answer an email. I'm talking a three sentence answer here. Basically, "Yes, I would definitely be interested in working with you, that seems like a perfect fit for my readership. My standard rate is x and includes y. Please let me know if that works for … [Read more...]
My Body Manifesto…
It took me almost forty years, and a trip to Puerto Vallarta, to figure this out. I will wear a swimsuit because I want to go in the pool. I will wear the comfy shoes with the wool socks, because I want to walk all day long and I hate blisters. I will dance if I feel like it. I really don't give a hoot what people think about what I look like. My body is here to move me around … [Read more...]
How a Visit to Puerto Vallarta Helped This Mom Get Her Groove Back….
Visiting Puerto Vallarta was an amazing, almost life changing, experience for me. There was no one defining ah-ha moment, but rather the sum of all of my experiences of those four days pooling together to produce one very happy lady. We packed a LOT into those few days. I stayed at a lovely resort, had a few memorable meals and ate consistently great food, swam with a pair … [Read more...]
A Letter of Apology to the Young Man Who Picked Me Up Off the Sidewalk the Other Day
I'm sorry. I don't know you, I don't know your name or where you live. I know which highschool you attend, because when we met you were wearing a school uniform. You were playing in the street with two or three other boys. I don't know if you were playing catch or street hockey. I don't know if there were three of you or four. I don't know because I adverted my eyes. I didn't … [Read more...]
My Potty Training Secret
Potty training.... it's not something I like to talk about. And it's not because I'm squeamish about discussing poop and pee, which goodness knows is a daily topic when you're living with preschoolers. I feel uncomfortable talking about potty training because it's something I feel like I am a failure at. How the heck can I give anyone advice on how to potty train when my … [Read more...]
To My Dad on My Daughter’s Fourth Birthday
Today was my daughter's fourth birthday, and you're not here dad. You're not here to be her Pipi, or to see her smile and laugh and cry and whine and drive me mad. You're not here to hear the silly story about the funny thing she said. All the funny things she says. You were the one I saved all of my funny stories for. As they were happening I would save them in my mind, line … [Read more...]
The Differences Between Long Hair & Absurdly Long Hair, aka How I became a Freak
I find that being out in public with extremely long hair is much like walking around with a baby bump showing. Total strangers seem to think this gives them the license to touch and to ask awkward personal questions. Little old ladies in particular, seem to be drawn to touching and petting my hair. For the most part I put up with it, because who has the heart to tell some sweet … [Read more...]
Most Common Questions About Life With Very Long Hair, Answered
Strangers like to ask me questions about my hair, and the questions I get asked the most often are: How long did it take you to grow that hair?, Does it get in the way? aka What do you do with it when you sleep/use the toilet/play with your kids?, and Isn't it a pain to take care of? So, how long did it take to grow my hair? My hair truly does grow like a weed. I've … [Read more...]