Back in the day when the boys were 2, 3, and 4 years old, it was a little rugged around our house. I was plagued by my inability to mother like I thought I should--you know, teaching my toddlers to use their manners, say thank you, and always obey. But since that rarely went as planned, I almost always opted to stay home and relish nap time rather than go anywhere. Occasionally we ventured to the grocery store where the boys, bit through the hot dog packages, chewed on a bag of chocolate … [Read more...]
When Trick-or-Treaters Make You Think of Jesus
I counted about 27 princesses and nearly as many ninja warriors. Not to mention a walking vending machine, and a few pixelated Minecraft characters. There were little girls who felt perfectly secure as princesses and insecure teenagers who were “too old” to dress up, but still young enough to be lured by candy. There were also the scary and gross costumes. Downright disgusting stuff that made me want to rush and cover the eyes of every tiny trick-or-treater on the street.Hordes of people … [Read more...]
When You Pray About Your First-World-Problems
My pre-workout brain teaser. There is so much to be legitimately upset about, but last week, the thing that brought me down, was a first-world-problem.It wasn’t that Burger King no longer offers honey-mustard dressing, or that I had to spend the first three minutes of my workout untangling my earbuds.I was moping around because I lost my wedding ring. On Kurt’s birthday.That night, I gave myself a vigorous scolding, the kind I usually save for the boys: “Well, if you can’t keep track of that, … [Read more...]
Multiple Choice Parenting
We were having a summer, and all of the sudden it was the first day of school. At least it seemed that way because I didn’t really create any preparatory ramp-up to get ready for school. None of us are into school-shopping, so I rummaged through drawers and made sure they had at least five t-shirts without rips or armpit stains. We bought school shoes in July so it didn’t feel like “school shopping.” The boys are pretty much over shopping for school supplies too. So I had them sort … [Read more...]
Plunging into Hello
Photo Credit: Jenni C For the second time in two years I was the new girl. I was mighty scared that when the recess bell rang all the first graders would sprint toward the playground, and I’d be standing alone. Again.I couldn’t stand the thought of it so I decided to do something. And quick. The girl at the desk in front of me had two long, beautiful French braids. In my Laura-Ingalls-loving mind, that was a sure sign of congeniality, so I tapped her back right between those braids. She … [Read more...]