Maintenance Required. When that message popped up on my dashboard display, I felt like my car was judging me. How dare it suggest I need a bit of self care! Yes, I’ve been working long hours, super-busy with kids’ projects and homework and events, still getting up to speed in my new role at work, …
Yep, I’m a working mom. There’s always a lot going on. Like this. The scene: My husband is away. I responsibly lay out the ingredients for homemade chicken meatballs, a dinner the kids typically love and one that is OK for the “healthier” eating kick I’m attempting right now. I reach up in a cabinet …
Raising boys, it becomes clear early on how much they love their penis. In case there was any doubt about it, check this out: I just said to my completely nudey, just-turned 4yo, “I will play with you only after you put your underwear on.” He replied, “Then I don’t want to play with you.” …
Resolutions. Ugh, it’s that time of year again. Every year I try to make a few resolutions; every year I keep essentially none. Not because I can’t commit, but usually because I don’t have time to fit whatever my resolutions are into my schedule. Yeah, yeah, I know, I need to “make time for …
Pick your battles. I’ve heard that phrase so many times, and while it has always made sense to me, its meaning is magnified now that I’m a mom of three boys. Every minute in my M.O.B. house seems to teeter on the verge of rushing toward tenderness (awww, they’re cuddling) or destruction (do NOT throw …
Spread joy and kindness — it is key to how I’m wired, and something I very much want to instill in my boys as a natural, wonderful, automatic thing to do. We do kindness projects whenever we can, try to model kind/good behavior, and choose charities to donate to in order to spread joy in …
Being thankful, even when there’s a lot going on and sometimes it’s hard to see through it, is like finding the golden ticket in a sea of, well, I guess bronze tickets? I’m thankful for this table, and all the mess on top I’m thankful for my boys, and the chaos that won’t stop When …
Nature vs. nurture? Not even a question in my mind. I was enlightened when I became a Mother of Boys (M.O.B.). For anyone out there still debating nature vs. nurture, I know the answer. It’s nature, people! Nine years into being a M.O.B., I am still mind-blown by the otherwise ordinary activities that play out …
We all love to express thanks around the Thanksgiving holiday, but in my house, we try — admittedly sometimes without success — to teach thankfulness as a way of life regardless of what time of year it is. That includes writing thoughtful thank-you notes. I know a lot of people who actually don’t bother with …
Things parents say. We rolled our eyes at our parents while we were growing up, and now we say some of the same things they said to us. But we also say things we never could have predicted, never expected. Especially if you’re a M.O.B., like me. Here are 15 more* things I never knew …
