In the wee hours of last Saturday morning I woke up and clicked the home button of my phone on the nightstand to check the time. In so doing, I not only learned that it was two something in the morning, but also that my adult daughter had been in a car accident. It happened… Continue reading Coming unfolded
Category: Joys of Mommyhood
Reaching further
An uproarious round of applause welcomed her to the stage. From the audience, my stomach was in knots for her. It’s one thing to be sincere and forthright on paper, but in person I’m tongue-tied more often than not. This middle child of mine–with her whisper of a voice–so much like me in that way.… Continue reading Reaching further
on croup
There is this sound I know. Not soothing like a fountain or calming like Beethoven. It’s the sound of breaths that won’t come. Gasping. It’s what panic would sound like if it rang out. There is a look that goes with it. Eyes wide and muscles tight. Desperation personified. The plea for help in a… Continue reading on croup
Anatomically speaking
I may have a problem. Or maybe not. It’s tough to say; I’ve never parented a boy before. This morning, I was going through all of the papers my sweet and innocent little six-year-old brought home in his backpack yesterday afternoon. You can imagine my delight when I saw this. Cute, right? I love the… Continue reading Anatomically speaking
Scene from the morning after
Exactly two weeks after the first day back, the district threw the kids a bone with a random Monday off. Both big sisters slept away over the weekend: nights spent at pool parties with Facebook posts to prove it. “Can me and Cassie have a sleepover?” Jayce asks. And because–technically–it’s still summer and also because… Continue reading Scene from the morning after
Great expectations
Jeff and I had a midweek date last night. We visited a local restaurant to try dishes from their new menu for review on Tucson Topia. At 7:58 I got a text from Kennedy: What time do you think you’ll be home? I took a guess and texted back: 9:30 Things ran a little long… Continue reading Great expectations
Team Mom Troubles
Throughout the course of my life, I’ve had many roles: daughter, sister, friend, student, cheerleader, teen mom, wife, special needs mom, plain ‘ol mom, Girl Scout leader, Sunday school teacher. Now, team mom can be added to the list. I signed up for the position naively, without having the slightest clue as to the job… Continue reading Team Mom Troubles
brave new prom
Prom. I’d like to point out something with regard to that word. Namely, the letter count. It’s a four-letter word, and for good reason. Oh, sure. Scoff if you must. And then we’ll talk after you’ve taken two teenage girls shopping for formal-wear. It’s no picnic, my friends. Did you go to your prom? I… Continue reading brave new prom
the circle
Last Wednesday the kids and I sat around the dinner table (Jeff was on business travel) sharing stories from our respective days. Because it was Wednesday I knew that the highlight of Cassidy’s day would be her circle of friends gathering. It’s a lunchtime get-together with a handful of girls. They all meet in the… Continue reading the circle
slug bug
A while ago I mentioned something in passing. Something that was–something that is–much too big to be glossed over like that. I mentioned that we bought my baby girl a car. For reals. Saying that we bought her the car, though, is only half true. We’re not talking about a free ride here {pun intended,… Continue reading slug bug
the behavior contract: in depth
Last week, after I posted the behavior contract, a very keen reader noticed and pointed out that the words I penned back in 2007 suspiciously skirted the topics of sex and dating. While that may seem like a heinous oversight, rest assured that it wasn’t. While I omitted that stuff from the ink, I certainly… Continue reading the behavior contract: in depth
the behavior contract
Quite some time ago I wrote and ran a teen pregnancy series that touched on various aspects on topic, all written from my first-hand experience. Within the Lives Less Broken post (the second in the series), I mentioned the behavior contract I created when my oldest child was starting high school. I had a number… Continue reading the behavior contract