Jimmy, Mickey and Chamber invited themselves into our family for two years when we lived in Oklahoma. I’m normally quite accommodating of guests, even the kind that invite themselves. But two human years can actually felt like two DOG years when the guests take to entangling themselves in your hair, rummaging through your underwear drawer, [...]

It kind of looks like a beach ball on a diet. Or an upside-down garlic bulb a la Dr. Seuss. Or where you might find The Wiggles partying if you popped a hole in the side and peered in. To Jonah, it looks like a miracle.
“Mom, what is it?” he finally asked one day, after [...]

To My Favorite Coaches:
Let me preface by saying thank you. Truly. Because if all the world were to line up from Most Sporty to Least Sporty, I’d be the woman standing behind the houseplants. So I sincerely appreciate the fact that you magnanimously dedicate your time to activities that stretch my child’s social and physical [...]

I have four children between the ages of ten and two. Three of them are fully potty-trained. What that means is that I was able to teach bright, albeit somewhat incoherent human beings, how to control their bodily waste removal function. Three times. Me. The girl who’s too lazy to wear shoes with laces.
It’s [...]

I hate confrontation. And I’m quite envious of those who don’t. If you’re someone who can describe the act of confrontation as “unpleasant yet do-able,” I’ve just added you to the list of people I highly regard. I stand in awe of the people who actually derive pleasure from a knock-down, drag-out argument. This is [...]