You know that poem, “The Little Girl”? There was a little girl And she had a little curl, Right in the middle of her forehead, When she was good, She was very, very good, And when she was bad she was horrid. Well, I have three boys and the last one fits this poem to […]
Posts in the "Balance" category:
Margins
My husband had just finished working 14 consecutive days, and my four-year-old son was making repeated requests to go build sandcastles. I knew we were in need of some “margin”. Margin is “having breath left at the top of the staircase, money left at the end of the month, and sanity left at the end […]
The Tale of Surly Hollow
I had sick children home last week. Fevers that turned into coughs, coughs that made me wonder if it was swine flu. (I’m already tired of worrying about this year’s flu season and it’s only October.) Luckily the fevers never got that high and the croupy coughs were the only residual sign of illness. Nevertheless, […]
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
I’m writing this at my kitchen table on a beautiful, perfect, peaceful, glorious day. After getting the kids smoothly off to school, I checked my emails, took a stroller walk with my toddler to get some exercise, and stopped at the library to play trains and pick up books. I know what we are having for dinner tonight. I […]
Together Time
It’s hard for a mom to catch a break during any point in her life. In the early years of parenting, constant demands are heaped on us from babies and young children who rely on us for their every need. There are months, oftentimes years, when a mom’s much needed sleep is interrupted by […]
One more baby?
This Question was submitted by a reader (we love reader questions!): You thought you were done.You gave away all of your maternity clothes a year ago, sold the baby swing on Craigslist, and tossed the bottles into the recycling bin.You celebrated when you threw away the last pacifier.You look forward to no […]
Along for the Ride
It started with the usual oohing and ahhing. The hotel’s desk clerk and concierge loved my four week old baby. “Ah, so small!” “So sweet.” “How old?” “What’s her name?” Then came the question, “Is she your first?” I almost burst into hysterical laughter right there, but I composed myself and answered wryly, “Actually, no, […]
Cutting Corners
I recently attended a writing conference, and received some wonderful advice from philosophy professor and children’s book author Claudia Mills. I laughed when I heard it, but now it has become my mantra. It goes like this: “The key is cutting corners and having very low expectations.” Mills was talking specifically to writers about making […]
Managing Time Online – Episode 3
My children are dancing around me in the kitchen, anxious to go out to Chuck E. Cheese, and I am typing on my computer, trying to finish “just one more thing.” For many moms in this digital age, balancing on and off-line relationships, work, and activities can be a challenge. How can we let the […]
Taxi Cab Confession
So here we are, the calm before the storm. It’s about 1:30 PM time and time for me to fuel up. It’s hard being a taxi driver. You never know who you’re gonna get once that door opens up. You never know if you’ll need to be a cheerleader, a doctor, a problem-solver or just the […]
Baby on Board
Submitted by Judy Kay Kyker: Now that Jack has become a maniac crawler, our morning-nap school hours are even more precious (I home-school my kids). Even just a week ago I could set him down with a few toys and know that he would be perfectly happy right there in one little spot while […]
The Beauty of Asking for Help
I’m slowly checking off my summer bucket list. Today was tie dye, peaches and strawberries, picnic dinner at Descanso Gardens (with live music) and back home for root beer floats. Even better, tonight at Descanso Gardens I was able to do one of my favorite things. For our picnic dinner I made a really yummy […]