Parenting
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Tug-of-War Politics
When I look back at my teaching years one of my favorite days was field day. We had three fourth grade classes and each class would choose a color. One year our class was blue, everyone dressed in blue and we competed against the other classes clothed in green and red. Tug-of-war was my favorite. My entire class would tug and pull – all working together, trying their hardest towards one goal. We were a team. Whether we won or lost we were united… sweaty and thirsty – but united. I enjoyed field day for two reasons. First, it brought us all together outside of the classroom and second because often the…
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Moms are from Earth and Sons are from Who-Knows-Where
I have learned many things in my eighteen years of parenting. I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is that even though both my children have sprung from my loins they are very unique individuals. We were all elated when Kai made it to All-States for percussion. People were telling me it was a great honor and congratulations but honestly even though I provided my children with music lessons for most of their lives I’m not all that familiar with the levels of music in schools. There’s MPA and FBA and All-County and All-State and Superiors, Excellents, etc. It’s taken three years but I finally think I’ve got it…
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1 In 2,000
I’m going to begin by issuing a warning to all the men reading this post. You may want to stop right now because from here on I will be discussing feminine issues… you know the kind you don’t want to know about. Yep, I’m going there because this crazy experience I’m about to divulge has taught me two very important lessons. I should know what they are by the time I finish writing this post. To put it delicately, when it comes to the female cycle, I am to-the-day accurate. I diligently keep track and I’m always prepared. I’ve been this way for years. There have been two times in…
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Are You Enough?
Vulnerability – (adj.) Capable of being hurt or wounded. Possibly the best way to know exactly what you want in life is to know exactly what you do not want in life. Three and half years ago I left my job as an elementary school teacher to spend more time with my family and more time writing. I remember the sudden sense of relief and freedom I felt when my schedule opened up. If I wanted to, I could stop and watch a osprey teach her baby to fly, go for walks with my son, spend an hour chatting with my daughter or drive to the store in the middle of…
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Happy New Year! Vote for Your Favorite Picture.
Knowing that today was the day I’d take down all holiday decorations on this blog, I decided I needed a new picture of me and the kids. It’s difficult to catch all of us dressed up and in the right mood to be photographed. Arielle and I are usually in comfy clothes and Kai always looks at me with beady eyes when I say I want to take pictures. Just before we left for our friend’s new years celebration, I announced picture time. Kai rolled his beady eyes, Arielle refused to put on a cardigan, (I’m too old fashion and thought she needed one) and Eric went on a rant about…
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Family Bonding Over the Holidays
One of the greatest sounds in the world is the laughter of my children – together. Last night I was upstairs working, Eric was playing his computer game and our two children were downstairs watching a movie and laughing hysterically. I felt the warm glow that mothers feel when their children are bonding and kind to one another. I finished writing and went down to join them. Arielle was lounging on a chair and Kai was across from her on the couch. A small table sat in between. I plopped down next to Kai and we all watched, Waterboy. A commercial came on and Kai muted the TV. Arielle began telling…