One Mom, Three Kids, Many Adventures
It’s all fun and games until a chicken dies. I have a sad confession to make. My sweet dog is a cold-blooded killer. Or maybe he’s just an over-enthusiastic playmate. Honestly, I’m still not sure, even after the feathers have settled. But the fact is that my neighbor’s chicken is dead and it was most… Continue reading In Which a Chicken Makes a Big Mistake
By Monday afternoon, I was tired. The three-day Labor Day holiday was lovely – a chance to enjoy one last summer weekend. We packed a lot in. Two birthday parties, a couple play dates, multiple trips to a newly completed splash park in town. There were extra kids at the dinner table and spending the… Continue reading This Calls for a Coronation
Adding a new member to your family is always an adjustment. New babies bring sleepless nights, new feeding schedules, and some pretty spectacular messes. Plus lots and lots of new ‘gear’ that takes over your house. It turns out that adding a dog to your family follows exactly the same patterns. For the few first… Continue reading Adjusting to the Dog Life
If there is something that more perfectly encapsulates the magic of small town living than a weekend farmers market, I don’t know what it is. To be fair, farmers markets certainly aren’t unique to small towns. When I lived in Pittsburgh, there was an abundance of markets. Each borough seemed to have its own and… Continue reading In Praise of Farmers Markets
You know how they say you should be careful what you wish for? After a few days of idyllic dog ownership, I found myself thinking that I had expected more column fodder from the canine, but that life was calm and serene and lacking in drama. I wouldn’t call it a wish, per se, but… Continue reading A Bid for Freedom and a Merry Chase
Well, it finally happened. The children wore me down with their relentless requests, huge eyes, and earnest promises of responsibility and helpfulness. We bought a dog. More accurately: we adopted a dog. Thanks to the wonderful efforts of the local humane society, we were matched with a sweet rescue dog who had recently graduated from… Continue reading In Which We Get a Dog
I was a hot mess at my daughter’s drama camp showcase last weekend. This didn’t really come as a surprise, given that I’m well-known for my ability to cry at the drop of a hat. Happy endings, sad endings, stirring music, celebrations of human resiliency, and anything involving puppies can set me off. But there… Continue reading Stepping into the Spotlight
I have been neglecting my garden this summer. I admit it. Between heat and work and kids, my garden maintenance has been decidedly lack-luster and the weeds have taken full advantage. Although the strawberries have run pleasantly amok while I wasn’t looking, the dandelions and crab grass were equally elated by my dereliction of duty… Continue reading Gardens and Government Both Take Work
I’ve decided that the secret to parenting is amnesia. How else does one explain the baffling reality that women willingly undergo childbirth more than once? For many (although certainly not all) mothers, the joy that follows simply wipes the trauma from our memories. My first attempt at breastfeeding went so horribly awry that I wound… Continue reading Parenting Amnesia is a Blessing and a Curse
Vacations present us with an opportunity to view the world as a dichotomy. It’s a chance to divide humanity, in all its beauty and diversity, into two categories: those who “do” when on vacation, and those who “don’t” when on vacation. Which are you? Do you set your alarm and bound out of bed each… Continue reading The Fine Art of Doing Nothing
