As a parent (or human being in general), there are certain tidbits of personal information I don’t care to share with others on a regular basis. For instance, my habit of crying during the last 10 minutes of Undercover Boss, my ignorance regarding car engines, and the fact that I don’t own a smartphone. Oh.No.I.Don’t. Pay-as-go, circa 2010, baby. Yup, I’m living the dream, folks. If you think I’m one of those bloggers who can whack out a post on my phone and publish it while standing in line at Starbucks waiting for my Vanilla Bean Frappuccino, you’d be wrong. … Continue reading →

My 7-year-old is fond of telling strangers that her mom is “90 percent wise owl and 10 percent angry mama bear.” She got the line from a TV commercial. I think it’s from those Charmin ads, which feature the family of animated bears discussing the merits of proper rump wiping skills, and how it’s never a good idea to walk around with toilet paper remnants sticking to your backside. Hey, even bears have to preserve their dignity. In any event, back to the mama bear versus wise owl line. When my daughter says it, I take it as a compliment, … Continue reading →

My 7-year-old constantly begs to eat at Fazoli’s. Unfortunately for her, I refuse to pay five bucks for a fist-sized portion of spaghetti that I can make and serve at home for about 50 cents per serving. Needless to say, my kid doesn’t get her Fazoli’s fix very often. Nothing against Fazoli’s; I’m actually not a fan of kids’ restaurant menus in general. I am an equal opportunity hater. To me, there’s just something wrong about having to fork over $3 to $7 at a restaurant for my kid to dine on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, hot dog … Continue reading →

I’ve been known to indulge in a cupcake or two… or six, at times. Typically, I follow the splurge with a few miles on the treadmill or an extra-long bike ride. Not exactly the healthiest of patterns, but it supports the philosophy that in order to avoid packing on the pounds you need to burn more calories than you consume. Interestingly, that simple equation is at the center of a controversial ban being implemented in Massachusetts public schools. Beginning August 1st, the state is no longer allowing bake sales to take place on school grounds. In addition, Massachusetts is unveiling … Continue reading →

I’m old, but I’m not dead yet. Then again, maybe I ought to be considering all of the double dog dares I chose to take on as a child. Of course, eating dirt, paper plates, napkins and TP’ing Mrs. McDaniel’s house is nothing compared to what teens these days are doing to prove to their peers that they are cool like that. When I first heard about teens drinking hand sanitizer in order to score a cheap buzz, I thought the cases were isolated. However, since the Los Angeles Times went public with its investigation into the new trend of … Continue reading →

Chocolate. Lots of chocolate. That’s how you survive grocery shopping with five kids under the age of seven. Trust me; I am living proof that chocolate and a very short list will keep you from filling out paperwork for the local loony bin. As if wrangling a cart full of kids is not bad enough when you are trying to gather ingredients for dinner, add in long lines, rude store employees and high food prices, and you have the recipe for disaster. Or at least a solid promise that you will never again attempt to grocery shop with your offspring. … Continue reading →

I live less than 1000 miles away from Brooklyn, New York, but I might as well be a world away given the stark cultural differences shared by parents living in the bustling metropolis and the moms and dads living in my neck of the woods. The Big Apple’s hip, urban borough is a far cry from the rural Wisconsin farmland where I am raising my child. In Brooklyn’s affluent neighborhoods of Park Slope, Prospect Heights and Fort Greene a new trend is emerging. One that I highly doubt will spread west to our bucolic community. Get ready for “babyccinos.” At … Continue reading →

There is something I have noticed about parents, myself included. It seems that with each child you have, you tend to become more relaxed. Now that can be a good thing but it can also be a negative. I think the day I realized I had become more relaxed by my third child was several years ago at church. I was in a church service, taking advantage of the childcare we have available. Our children get a number and if you saw your child’s number on the screen, it meant you were needed. My number went up. It was for … Continue reading →

Nothing like kicking a person when she’s down. What’s that timeless saying credited to wise mothers the world over: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. That goes double if you are spewing hate via social media platforms. Just ask followers of Michelle Duggar. The reality TV mom is back in the headlines following the announcement that she miscarried what would have been her 20th child. Michelle told People magazine that she and her husband Jim Bob were at the doctor’s office Thursday to find out the sex of their unborn baby when her … Continue reading →

The Prince of Darkness is going to be a Pop-pop… or maybe a PeePaw or G-pa, or maybe just a good old fashion bat-biting Beebaw. Like it or not, Ozzy Osbourne is going to be a grandpa. The rocker’s 25-year-old son, Jack, just announced that his fiancee of two weeks, Lisa Stelly, is carrying Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s first grandchild. The cuss-happy clan is about to get a bit bigger, but not everyone in the former reality TV family is looking forward to Stelly’s April due date. Last week on her day gig as a panelist on “The Talk,” grandma-to-be … Continue reading →