Not all parents agree that cleaning is the best choice of punishment for kids, that it is actually mean-spirited. Is it? (read the article…)
Yesterday was a busy day of laundry and cleaning. Not only did it need to be done, but I am expecting the landlord to come by today for our annual inspection to make sure that our apartment is still intact and that we aren’t housing any pets like dogs or the regular city sewage rat. Thankfully, we have neither. Children are enough of a necessary hassle to be tended to without adding an animal to the mix. And this was even more apparent when I heard something drop to the floor in the bathroom, and an “oops” out of my daughter. She rushed into the kitchen and grabbed some paper towels, and then disappeared around the corner.
Conversations with the Taz after our 30 minute clean-up… (more…) 
As parents, it is our job to guide our children and teach them important lessons in life. But sometimes it is our kids who are teaching us. Here are some very important lessons I have learned from my children.1. Girls don’t always dress like girls. My daughter was the very first girl of the family. This resulted in piles of pink clothes with frilly lace being thrust at me from all directions. Me? I was never a girly girl. I preferred to dress my new little girl in neutral colors and overalls. And when she got older, she abhorred pink with a passion. But her grandparents always tried. She’d receive pink shirts and pretty dresses – all of which would end up in the back of her closet or in a pile of clothes to return that would just end up going into the Goodwill bag because I was too lazy to make it to the store. Did I wish she would dress more like a girl? Have I tried to sell the idea that pants can still be worn under dresses to make them somewhat less girly? (more…)
There was a time (a couple weeks ago) when cleaning was the last thing on my list, and the first thing to get skipped. Just looking at that huge mountain of tasks to be tackled was overwhelming, and enough to keep me from actually doing anything about.
Perhaps you can relate.
Are you embarassed by your house? Have you stopped inviting people over to your home? When anyone knocks at your door, do you only partially open the door so that your visitor can’t see the full extent of the mess? Do you feel scattered, unable to find even the simplest of items because they aren’t where they’re supposed to be? Are you being relied on to finish all the housework and it is just getting to be too much? (more…) 
Single-parenting it since 2004.
About the players:
Me: 32 year old dreamer
DQ (Drama Queen): 12 year old dramatic tweenage daughter
The Taz: 9 year old tornado son
Mr. Wonderful: my patient and loving boyfriend
Ex: my ex-husband and my kids’ learning father
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