My oldest boy is over 4 feet tall. It won’t be long before he’s taller than me. Before he’s a tweenager and then a teenager and perhaps he will be embarrassed of me and roll his eyes at me and be convinced he knows it all. But for now, he’s still a snuggler. A hand-holder. An “I love you so much mom” hugger. Yesterday, when his younger brother had a playdate, A-man and I got some much needed one-on-one time. And as we walked across the parking lot to the big box store (in search of a toy he wanted)…

So the year was 2019. You remember 2019? I bet you do. We all want to forget 2020. Anyway, the year was 2019 and my youngest was four. He’s always been fairly mature for his age – keeping up with the older bro and all – so sometimes there are things in life that I assume he already knows. Like: we don’t put rocks in our ears. IF YOU HAVE KIDS DON’T YOU EVER ASSUME ANYTHING. Especially when it comes to their prefrontal cortex development, AKA these skills: reasoning logic stopping impulses This is why, when you’re four, and you’re…

As a child, I would accompany my parents and brother to the Christmas Tree farm, looking for the perfect specimen to cut down. Despite the hassle, there is nothing more wonderous than the smell of fresh pine. My husband also prefers pines to plastic. So it was a very easy decision that, as a couple, we would have real trees. Over the years we’ve had some beauties — aaaand some Charlie Brown trees. Our ornaments are a hodge-podge of gifts, acquisitions, and well-intentioned Target purchases. At one point, my parents gave me a box of ornaments that they had used…

When we lived in Arizona, Chris was often out of town for work, so the boys and I managed on our own. At the time that I wrote this post (below), I was just grateful for the act of kindness. And now, with a few years’ reflection, I also hope that I set the same example of kindness for my sons that this lady did for hers. Be a good human. Raise good humans. That is all. Here is the story: This evening I walked out of the Costco with my 3 year old, my 1 year old, and a…

One summer when I was fourteen, I decided I wanted to stretch out my school break indefinitely. Make it feel as endless as possible. And I did, actually, succeed. Bike rides, tree-climbing, and nature hikes. Books, board games, ice cream, campfires, swimming, and beaches. Even though there wasn’t actually more time in my summer, I tried to savor every moment, and it felt longer. It was glorious. I have never quite re-created the magic of that one summer, yet it sticks with me to this day. It’s what I want for my children. The truth is it feels like a…

Last night I made the boys cheeseburgers for dinner. Aiden says to me: “Mom did you make this? It’s really good!” Why thanks, Aiden, I did make it. “It’s so good… It’s almost as good as McDonald’s.” From a 6 year old, this is a high compliment. I bet if I’d thrown in a cheap plastic toy and a cardboard box he would have been sold.