This girl, my oldest child, turned fifteen a few days ago. The ultra weird thing is that I remember being fifteen. I remember it quite well. My fifteenth year was the one when my relationship with my mother reached an all-out toxic point and we mutually agreed that it would be better for me to […]
In other words, will you be joining me in our little foray into food storage and preparedness? Here is a brief explanation in case you missed it earlier. Before we start the ball rolling, let’s get a head count. Anyone have any requests for specific items?
This is what I’m looking at right now. It’s a hard core, prescription laxative that’s getting my intestines sparkling clean for my colonoscopy tomorrow. Don’t let the name of the stuff fool you; it is not prepping you to watch a movie. I wish. There are movements involved; I’ll leave the rest up to your […]
Wedding season is closing in and I usually give aprons and cookbooks to the brides-to-be. I like to make the aprons and I have a great new pattern to use (thanks Mom!), but I haven’t been able to get it together enough to sew. I’m hoping that if I mention it here, I’ll feel some […]
I love a good fake holiday. You know, “National ________ Day” (fill in the blank with just about anything: potato chips (March 14), yo-yos (June 6th), Chocolate Eclairs (June 22nd. Why have I not been celebrating this?!), square dancing (Nov. 29th), and moles (Oct. 23. I don’t know if it celebrates the animal or is […]
You probably have one of those rooms in your house that was OK a few years ago and you frankly haven’t given it another thought since then. That was my living room. When we moved into our house ten years ago (a record for us as the most time ever… Read More
Tomato Products? Say what? Yes. This is the week when you’ll be buying tomato-based items. That sounds weird, I know. But think about it: spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, salsa . . . These are all things that most families eat pretty often. And they don’t really fit in any other sorts of categories. So think […]
Remember how much I loved to tell you all about Preparedness? I haven’t for a while. Not because I haven’t been thinking about it. Oh no, no, no. Recently I have been stocking up on medical supplies and a giant canvas tent (more about that another day). But nothing you… Read More
I was an avid colorer growing up. I wasn’t a good enough artist to make up my own artwork, I much preferred coloring someone else’s drawings. But not all coloring books are created equal. Even as a 9 year-old I understood that. On the bottom rung were the cheap coloring books featuring manilla paper pages […]
It’s strawberry season in Texas! Every year I drag my kids to the berry farm to pick strawberries. It’s only fair since they’re the ones who eat most of them! It might not be berry season yet where you live, but it will be soon enough. Jam is my favorite way to keep that juicy […]
It’s getting all Christmassy around here finally. I’ve been working so hard on my craft room that I really haven’t given much thought to decorating. Plus, I feel like my mojo hasn’t been around since I’m missing a third of my children. It’s just not the same. But I did… Read More
This subject comes up again and again every time I’m together with a bunch of moms; do you force your child to keep taking piano lessons even when he starts to hate it and complains endlessly? Most parents were allowed to quit and always bemoan the fact that their parents didn’t make them keep with […]
Today is one of those days of mothering penance. A day to pay the piper. In other words, my day to chaperone Cub Scout Camp. Forecast: 99º and sunny (That’s 37º Celsius, my European friends) I have no tolerance for heat. And direct sunlight just about kills me. Sure I can survive a jaunt across […]
My poor son, Finn. Everybody thinks he’s saying “Ben” when he tells them his name. So now we just automatically say, “Finn, as in Huckleberry”. I’m sure there are probably people that still don’t get it but at least they won’t admit that they’re clueless. It was his birthday last week. I didn’t do one […]