Summer break was barely a couple weeks along, but she had been begging for permission to run a lemonade stand since the bell rang on the last day of school. I agreed to Saturday afternoon, if it was sunny—not stifling—out. The day came and I followed through on my promise, despite not really being up for the labor, […]
The Two Words I Say to My Kids Every Day
It was a cranky morning. I hustled my kids out of bed, into breakfast, into clean clothes, into backpacks, into the car, the whole while on a diatribe of epic proportions about not listening, being late, how they’re old enough to understand what’s expected of them. Blah blah blah. Nag nag nag. I was sick […]
The Treasures They Hold
Most parents spend their days collecting moments. Like multi-tasking beach combers, we keep an eye on the waves crashing towards us as we reach down to grab big, rippled clam shells in perfect form; bits of bleached coral; rare folds of smooth green sea glass; tiny delicate pink shells the size of our fingernails. We […]
He Wouldn’t See My Boundaries
The flight had been delayed and delayed and delayed again, so I let my six-year-old find our seats. She was in charge now, counting to row 11, distracting her from continuing her sleepy complaining. She popped into the window seat, I nestled in beside her, watching my husband and son make their way to the […]
A Letter to Another Mother
After my 5yo’s teacher called me this morning, I had to write an email to a mom at my kids’ school today. Something happened between our kids, and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I wasn’t sure what to say, exactly. I didn’t know if I’d express myself as I wanted to. But I knew […]
Hold the Door: Lessons for My Kids
I write a lot of notes to myself: story ideas, grocery lists, wines to try, blog post ideas… But the most important things I haven’t been writing down, are the things I want my kids to learn from me by example. The problem is this: Not only am I not always the most stellar example-maker […]
Santa, Baby: The Mom Version
Back by popular demand, and ready to share on Pinterest & Facebook: My version of Santa, Baby. For Moms. Enjoy! Lyrics by Kim Bongiorno, originally posted on LetMeStartBySaying 12/19/11.
House Rules: The Complete List (so far)
To my befuddlement, lots of people come here looking for House Rules ideas in order to keep their kids in line. (clearly, these people are not regular readers of the chaos which is my home life) Early last year, I shared the House Rules for kids we keep hung in our kitchen. Let’s just say that since […]
The Gift I Found
Many, many days you’ll find me at the kitchen island, a cup of coffee before me as I rub my temples to stave off the headache that two way-too-loud kids are trying to give me. Every day is an internal battle of my trying to raise them right, keep them in line, not being too […]
A Holiday Song for Moms
I find the original Santa, Baby song to be totally…icky. It is creepy and dirty and the women who sing it tend to be purring like a cat in heat or breathier than a phone sex operator. Gross. These days, it is EVERYWHERE. No matter how hard I try, I can neither avoid it nor […]