I feel like I just hit the jackpot because… I JUST WROTE MY LAST DAYCARE CHECK!!!!! I just instantly got a raise because next year, my children will be going to Kindergarten in our public school. While our school district charges a fair amount of participation fees for things like sports (i.e. “pay to play”), it doesn’t… Read More Hitting the Jackpot

I’m teetering 2 millimeters from falling over the edge…I’m driving myself bonkers. If you recall, one of my big decisions last year was whether I was going to hold my kids back from kindergarten. I hemmed and hawed about it, and long story short, I held them back for a variety of good reasons. One… Read More Teetering on the Edge…

A few weeks back, my kids noticed a flag flying at half-staff and asked why the flag wasn’t flying at the top of the pole. As I was describing the different “rules” associated with flying our flag, it occurred to me that this would be a great post, as Memorial Day and summer approach – these… Read More You’re a Grand Ole Flag

The other day, I was having a conversation with my kids about television – I explained how when we were kids, there was no such thing as a “kids’ channel.” Kids’ shows used to be scheduled in the channel lineup between the VHF channels of 2-13, and come on at a certain time each day.… Read More A Television Trip Down Memory Lane

I used to say that things get better with age; certainly, I felt like I got better with age because I was more mature, more accomplished, had lived more of my life and seen what it has to offer, and was more aware of what really counts. This was true until it came to having kids. I… Read More This Is What the Truth Looks Like: Getting Older

This post is not about death, although it may seem that way. It’s about the legacy that you might leave behind if today were your last day. I have a “fear of death” and it is something that I’ve thought about more actively since having kids. Personally, I am not afraid of dying because if I… Read More Legacy

My child is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Not both kids, but the one who seems to fall into trends the easiest; the one who easily falls in love with certain looks / styles / games / songs, the one who I will presumably have to keep a close eye on when she gets a little… Read More Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Who is Ella, you ask? Ella is not a storybook character or from a child’s television show, even though she has the cutest name that would be perfect in a storybook. Ella is a beautiful six-year-old girl; the sister of my twins’ preschool friend, and the daughter of one of the funniest ladies I know. Like… Read More Ella’s Stinky Socks (a Dravet Syndrome Story)

Something happened in the time between last December and this past December…it seems to have happened magically overnight one night not too long ago. About a month ago, I tucked my children, my babies, into bed. We chatted a little bit before settling down, and both children were still talking about the things that most… Read More The Magic Transformation of a Five Year Old

There is a notion that circulates year-round but picks up around the holidays – the idea of “Random Acts of Kindness.” It is a wonderful sentiment that allows someone to use their resources to provide a little extra “lift” to someone’s day by doing something nice without being prompted. One of the challenges of these acts… Read More Ten Acts of Kindness that Don’t Require Spending Money