Clever Mom Awards

Moms everywhere do a million, no make that a billion little things for their family that hardly go noticed. Well, I for one think that there should be some acknowledgment somewhere for all of the things that moms do (and yes, I am a mom, so I am biased). This is even more-so for all of the clever solutions that moms dream up in order to just get through the day. Hey, we can’t be everywhere at once, and multitasking can only be taken so far. Even though we have eyes in the back of our heads, we still only … Continue reading →

Comic Strip Mom Prepares to Say Good-Bye

When I was a girl I adored reading The Family Circus comic strip. Each Sunday I would run outside to get the newspaper and eagerly flip to the comic section to see what Billy, Dolly, Jeffy and PJ were up to (my favorite was when creator Bil Keane would use thick dotted lines showing the characters’ paths through the neighborhood or house). The Family Circus family was much like my own. I could relate to Dolly being the only girl in a family with three pesky brothers. And like the cartoon clan my brothers and I would pile into our … Continue reading →

Parents, Kids and Nicknames

If you ever want to see the face of horror try using your child’s family nickname in front of his or her classmates. Trust me; the mortified look your child will flash is one that will be seared in your memory forever. How do I know this, you might ask? I was witness to a similar scene last weekend and I still can’t stop thinking about it… and it didn’t even involve my child. Last Saturday I bumped into one of my former colleagues at Macy’s. I was exchanging a birthday gift and she was doing some back-to-school shopping with … Continue reading →

There is a Rebellious Streak Inside This Grown-up Mom

There can be no denying that I am the Mom in my household with a capital “M”—I am the authority and the bill-payer and the ultimate responsible party. I have grown comfortable with it over the years and I am not the slightest big interested in going back to my teens or my twenties or living the life I did prior to having kids. THAT SAID, there is also a rebellious gal inside who resents always having to be “responsible”—I still occasionally want to stay out late with friends and let the dishes sit in the sink over night. As … Continue reading →

What is the Appeal of Playing in the Bathroom?

For some strange reason, when my children were little, the bathroom seemed to be one of their favorite places to play. It didn’t matter if they had friends over or it was just one or two of them, inevitably they would end up in the bathroom—floating toys in the sink, making movies in the dark, or just generally acting squirrely—from the time they were tiny, the bathroom was THE place to be. I swear that when my kids were in early middle school, they filmed a few home-made video movies where the “scary action” took place in the bathroom. By … Continue reading →

Is Your Conscience Helping or Hurting Your Parenting?

I have to admit that sometimes in the world of parenting my conscience can be a bit help—it spurs me on to do the right thing and helps guide me in making decent decisions on behalf of my children. Other times, however, my conscience can eat me alive! Oh, that guilt that tends to come from someplace outside myself and settles in to make me feel horrible! There are definitely times when my conscience is more of a bother than a help… For example, I have become rather sensitive to the Green Police and every time I consider throwing away … Continue reading →

What Constitutes Clutter?

Managing clutter, conquering clutter—these seem to be ongoing pastimes for the average family. But, before we can really get a handle on all the clutter of family life, we might first have to figure out what exactly constitutes clutter. After all, one parent’s clutter is another child’s treasures… I cannot count the times that I have done battle with my kids—or at least had some pretty intense discussions about what is neat and tidy, what is garbage, and what is just dangerous clutter. I have tried the “fire trap” approach and the “someone is going to break a leg trying … Continue reading →

Organizing All Those Shoes

If someone was to ask me to name some of the big differences between a house without children and a household with children, I would have to say the abundance of shoes in a family scene is a dead giveaway. I had no idea when I got into this parenting world nearly two decades ago that such a huge chunk of my time would be dedicated to managing shoes. Maybe it is partly because we live in such an affluent country and most of us have multiple pairs of shoes. I am not a big shoe freak and even I … Continue reading →

Who Is Scolding Whom?

I pride myself on having pretty healthy boundaries and in my mind; I never forget that I am the parent in our little family. My children, on the other hand, seem to get confused—they seem to feel there are times when I really need a little direction; a little guidance; and they are just the ones to help me get things straight… I wish I could say that this child scolding parent stuff is a recent development—something that has taken hold since they have become teenagers or as they are preparing to launch themselves out into the land of independence. … Continue reading →

“I Can’t Believe You Still Listen to This!”

I’ll bet you think this is going to be an article about a parent’s NOT related to her children’s choices in music? Nope. In fact, this is an article about how my children have no appreciation for MY taste in music… While I definitely do not consider myself one of those people who lives in the past and I am open to new music—I buy several CDs each year that have actually been recorded and manufactured in this decade; there are new artists, new music, and constant new discoveries that find their way into my ears. HOWEVER, I am also … Continue reading →