Two weeks ago my grandmother passed away. It wasn’t a surprise, we had known it was coming. But once it happened, the overwhelming sadness that came with it was inescapable. And I was actually surprised to be overcome with tears upon the news. (read the article…)
When my sisters and I were small, my dad was adamant that appearances went hand in hand with being considered a good kid.
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…)
Growing up, I was fortunate to have both my parents in the home. My dad is a real estate appraiser, and though he worked a lot, we were often able to accompany him on local road trips when he went to look at houses. Sometimes we’d ride along with him, fascinated by the beauty of some areas that we never would have seen otherwise. Other times he would drop my mom and us three girls off at the park so we could have a picnic. He’d join us when his appointment was done.
Dad was the one who had the ideas for fun places to go and things to see. Who knew that sitting in the lobby of a fancy hotel, as if we were guests, enjoying hot chocolate by the fire could be so much fun. But with Dad, it was his way of instilling make-believe in us. (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…) 
As a parent, I am very concerned with making sure that our home is based on the well-being of our family. I strive to make sure that we all eat the right foods and limit the foods that don’t promote good health. I have kept cable television out of my house so that we aren’t stuck in front of the TV in the evening for hours on end. I have a strict 9 o’clock bedtime for the two of them so that they get a proper 10 hours of sleep a night. But sometimes, even with my best intentions, life gets in the way of keeping to the simple guidelines I have laid out. (Read 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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