The Day My Son Gave Up on Me Ever since our two sons began sharing a room, their bedtime routine has been the same. Baths, PJs, teeth, stories, cuddles. And every night as I leave their room, Eli always says, “Remember to come up, cuddle, and bring water!” I head down the stairs with […]
Week 25: Premonition
If this is your first time joining me for the Keeping It Real Challenge, click here to find out what it’s all about. Do you ever get a horrible thought in your head and once it’s there, it’s almost impossible to shake? I remember one time Eric was away and this thought popped into my […]
40 steps to easily get out the door with kids
Remember those carefree days before you had children? You’d need a few things at the grocery store, so you’d run a brush through your hair, freshen your makeup, grab your purse and keys, and be in the car three minutes after deciding to go. Then you had kids and suddenly going to the store, or […]
Week 24: Failure to staunch (the TV watching)
If this is your first time joining me for the Keeping It Real Challenge, click here to learn what it’s all about. Do you ever feel like a failure? I do. All. The. Time. Did I have these feelings when I was younger? I’m sure I did, but I don’t really remember now; probably because […]
I planted a seed
The other day I got annoyed with my husband over something silly and small. Although I was aware of my overreaction, I allowed my feelings to brew. Pretty soon my minor annoyance grew into finding fault with everything he did. By the end of the day, I was finally willing to admit my wrong attitude […]
Week 23: The cable guy
If this is your first time joining me for the Keeping It Real Challenge, click here to learn what it’s all about. I should have known it wouldn’t be easy. I imagined calling the cable company, telling them we were cancelling our television subscription, and that would be that. Since the approximately 19 bazillion phone […]
Lessons from a wallflower: Feigning abandon
I sit on a plush, padded seat watching the sea of children at the front of the auditorium move like waves to the loud, upbeat music. They are having a blast. Dancing, bouncing, trying to copy the arm motions of the people on stage. I shift my eyes toward the back of the group, right […]
Week 22: The kids are all right
First time joining me for the Keeping It Real Challenge? Click here to learn what it’s all about. Some parts of parenting leave me a little stumped. Okay, maybe lots of parts of parenting leave me stumped. This gig ain’t easy. My latest conundrum? What do to about name-calling. Look, I know kids calling other […]
The teen pregnancy problem: Solved!
There has always been a lot of consternation over teens having babies. The problem is discussed and possible solutions are brainstormed, but still, the problem persists. I would like to humbly submit a solution to not just decrease the teen pregnancy rate, but eradicate it. Bold statement? Perhaps, but hear me out. The Teen Pregnancy […]
Week 21: Kindergarten cop
First time joining me for the Keeping It Real Challenge? Click here to learn what it’s all about. I did it. I survived Eli’s first year of school. I survived him being gone five days a week from 7:30 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon. I wasn’t sure I would survive it when […]