Learning to Leap

Dog Treats?! $2.99 I have never paid $2.99 more happily than I did this morning. I wouldn't paid twice that, three times that, actually. My 4-yr-old has an ear infection, and that means we are giving her 2 tsp. of amoxicillin twice a day for the next TEN days. If you could see what the medicine-giving experience is like, you all would've brought me cash right then, knowing that I had exactly 18 more times to put myself and Lauren thru the nightmare of taking medicine. For just $2.99, you can get your child's (or your) medicine flavored. Strawberry, bubble gum, grape, banana, whatever sounds good to you. This morning I found myself standing in line at Walgreens for the precious flavor magic after having suffered through three doses with Lauren without the benefit of it. You would think I was forcing her to drink toxic substances (or my cooking) when it comes time for medicine. After coaxing, teasing, pleading, standing on my head, disciplining, bribing, crying, and da...

Kid-free traveling and other sure fire ways to feel guilty... This is it. I am on a plane. ALONE. I have read nearly 130 pages of my novel that is pure drivel designed to give my weary mind a break. I have sat comfortably in my window seat for nearly two hours without having to sing a song, make up a story, or play I Spy. I have not have to dig thru my purse for a magic way to entertain my children with nothing more than a safety pin and expired gift cards in my wallet. I have not had to give apologetic murmurs to the passengers around me because of the alternating crying and shrieking with delight emerging from my row. I am traveling as an independent, quietly content grown woman, perfectly able to sit still and mind my own business. Everything is perfect. Everything, of course, except the small, nagging voice of mother guilt. There are lots of things about motherhood that are totally wonderful, totally amazing. But the thing is, with this wonderful job you give up your ...

Getting Dressed Is Hard to Do At our house, there are a few things that are givens. I can count on these things just as confidently as I can count on the change of seasons. The first given is that my children will have quite different reactions to the change of season wardrobe. My middle daughter will be on cloud nine, for this is an event she has waited for since the day after all her pants, long sleeved shirts, and jackets were packed away last year. There is something about clothing in a storage bin tucked away that makes them much more desirable than the appropriate season clothing folded neatly in your dresser drawers. She will dance and sing, twirling around as she holds her “new ” clothes against her with glee. She will try on every item and declare it beautiful, and I will sigh with relief that some items still actually fit. The next given is that my oldest child will be quite appalled at the thought of parting with her summer clothes. You must understand this is th...

The Great Pumpkin I have a theory about the world of gambling. I think it originated in the mind of some young child observing his peers at a pumpkin patch. A couple weeks ago Lauren and I accompanied Olivia on her class field trip to a nearby pumpkin patch. We were thrilled by the intrigue of the corn maze, cuddled with the oh so clean barn animals, and even listened to the story of how a pumpkin seed becomes a pumpkin. But then, at long last, came the much anticipated moment, the hayride leading to the pumpkin patch. That magic land of orange, that field that holds the promise of the best, most jack-o-lantern worthy pumpkin ever seen. I could almost picture the casino lights and music as I helped my children climb up into the hay-filled tractor trailer. The kindergarteners all watch with wide eyes as the pumpkin patch draws ever closer. They wring their hands nervously and tap their fingers on their knees, as if signaling the dealer that they want another card. Will ...

Vacation. Relaxation. Rest. Serenity. Those are the words my mind instantly conjures up when I hear my husband suggest I should tag along on his business trip to the beach with him for five days. I picture a sunny coast, comfy chair with a big umbrella, a “brain candy” kind of book, and sleep. Wonderful, uninterrupted sleep. And then, as it always does, reality sets in and new words come to my mind. Temper tantrums. Multiple bathroom stops. Crying. And then I stop thinking just about myself and wonder what my kids might be like. Vacation is something that, exactly like my previously flat tummy and skinny jeans, disappears into the mist at the moment your first child is born. Unless you are so fortunate as to have willing grandparents, you must f ace reality that your children will be accompanying you on any trips for at least the next 20 years. That being said, vacation with your kids can be a wonderful experience. Filled with laughter and fun, the memories you will...

Occasionally I hear comments about how stay-at-home mothers are “wasting their intellectual abilities” or “eroding their critical thinking skills” by leaving the workplace. I watch these people on t.v., usually women, and as they adjust their trendy glasses with their perfectly manicured hands and push a freshly cut and styled hair back into place while putting me down, I have a few thoughts I’d like the chance to televise myself. I put down my teething child, step out of the maze of freshly folded clothes, and stand up on my coffee table to better proclaim to the t.v. my adamant positions. I am not a proponent of gambling, but I know how to fix our great nation’s financial woes. Every stay-at-home mom in this country could hold a gigantic bet....let US come run the business world for a few days and YOU people step into our shoes to take a break from your high pressure jobs and power lunch breaks. After just one week, I guarantee mommies would emerge the victors in our little wa...

I am a decisive, determined person. Once I decide something, that’s how it’s going to be. Period. My husband can tell you that I am slightly stubborn. If my mind’s made up, there’s no turning back. I am like the tree that withstands the tornado, the levee that does not break, the bird nesting outside your window that will not die. Could someone please then explain to me why, on a regular basis, I cannot do something as simple as holding my ground when it comes to daily life with the three small little people who live in my home? I am beginning to suspect that these darling daughters, these lights of my life, are more than meets the eye. I have been keeping notes of times when their charm overtakes me, and as if they have superhuman abilities, I find myself doing things I SWORE I would never do. Case in point: birthday cakes. I HATE decorating cakes, and every year I swear that is the last time I’m going to do it. My resolve on this point cannot be swayed. I am in the ...