By Megan I cleaned out and organized my desk on Saturday, unearthing, among many other long lost treasures, my dog-eared copy of Paul Weissbluth’s Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Bean gaped over my shoulder at it, as if she were looking at the Ghost of Christmas Past, and then she looked up at me with…
Never the same again
By Melodee This afternoon, my husband drove our mini-van past a beige house with a tall evergreen tree crowding the front lawn. “You should take a picture,” he said. “I can’t take a picture. The people living there would think we are so weird!” I said. Besides, I don’t need a picture to remind me…
In which cleaning and scrubbing can wait
By Sarah On that afternoon, I was going to be productive. You know those days….eight times more on your “to-do” list than you could possibly accomplish even if you didn’t have two tinies, one of whom is potty training and the other, just 11 days old. But, full of good intentions and a little self-delusion,…
Not My Child
By Beck Almost a year ago exactly, she was born. And that is the way with other people’s babies, who grow up in sudden startling lurches – one minute, someone is a sleepy little baby, and the next finds them shoving exuberant handfuls of birthday cake into their mouths. She was born after a hard,…
You’re Tired
By Kelly My Mom is a genius. All my life, she’s had one phrase that covers every childhood problem. She would simply say, “You’re tired.” Fighting with a sibling? “You must be tired.” Cranky the day after a sleepover? “You sound tired.” Whining about having nothing to wear? “Someone’s tired.” Broken arm? “You must be…
Only the Souvenirs are Different
By Michael This morning, Susan dropped off her souvenirs from yesterday’s family adventure:: three $5 chips from the Indian casino down the road from our place in Arizona. Jill and the girls were in town to visit a high-school friend of Susan’s who just had a baby. i was here on a business trip. For…
The Bully
By DeeDee I have the honor of acting as monitor on a parenting message board. One discussion that comes up more frequently than any other, is the subject of bullying. Most of the time, parents are concerned with a situation their child is experiencing in a school setting. And more often than not, it is…
In which these are the words I want for our life
guest post by Sarah Bessey (Emerging Mummy) I’m looking out of the window above my kitchen sink but all I see is my own tired reflection and a warm room behind me. The house is a disaster after a day of three meals, a sick preschooler, a busy toddler and baking. When I take a…
A Loom Of Her Own
By Beck The Girl has wanted a loom for several years now, despite never having actually seen a loom in person. It was one of those strange, fleeting childhood passions, we thought, and not something that was necessary for us to fulfill. Looms are too expensive and too big to be mere whims. So she…
Life in the Past Lane
By Michael I held up the photo and asked, “Who’s this?” Susan looked at me like I had just grown a second nose. “Who’s that?” “Yes, who is it?” “You really don’t know?” At which point, I’m taking one of those mental backpedals that sometimes save me from embarrassment but usually come much too late….