jeans!
after having resigned myself to never being able to find jeans for the girls, we finally managed to find some with adjustable waistbands! At Target! (At our SuperTarget that will be closing next month….we are not sure what we are going to do once it does….where else can I get cat food, butter, jeans, etc
innocence of children
are discussions of death appropriate for young children? moreover, what young child has never seen death? is it possible or even appropriate to avoid discussing death with young children? yesterday, I read a facebook comment from a mom who expressed her opinion that she did not want to listen to a kids’ radio station that
personal choices
as a parent, I prefer to have my kids use crayons and colored pencils — not markers. play with simple, wooden toys. you know me. i was the cloth diapering, baby wearing, breastfeeding, birkenstock wearing mom. flash forward to the time past diapers and nursing. to the time when the kids get allowance. not allowance
First Free-Range Children Fear
One of my fears of giving Camille more independence is that she doesn’t “pay attention.” And yesterday that led us to a scary, difficult situation. In the end, all turned out fine, but it did highlight that she (and I) need to practice more. If we are to go separate ways, it is not enough
Free Range Kids – Part II
When we returned home from DC, my amazon package was waiting. I had to finish Percy Jackson before I dove into the Free Range Kids book that I discussed earlier. Camille read it and remarked that the parents in it were just nuts. That should have been a good warning sign that I wasn’t going
free range kids
I haven’t (yet) read the book Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry by Lenore Skenazy, but it is intruiging…the idea that kids should be given a lot more freedom to wander than they are. Much of the time, I don’t give my kids as much freedom as
Listen to Your Buds
On two of my other websites Kids Place Live Fans and Gooney Birds Kids, I recently posted a semi-PSA about a campaign called Listen to Your Buds. This got me thinking. How many kids do listen to their music and too loud, and why? I don’t know, I’m curious. For me, the rule has been
The Stroller
Remember my post about buying a stroller for Chloe. not to play with, but to ride in? Well, last week we took it to DC and it was wonderful. Not all wonderful, of course, but overall, wonderful. I didn’t enjoy having to drag it through security, especially since I am now dragging two laptops with
Too Much Play?
At the grocery store the other day, I heard a mom tell her young daughter “You play too much!” That really got me thinking…what is too much play? Chloe’s homeschooling has been a huge challenge for me the past few months. I started her on the same curricula that Camille had used for first grade
Being a Parent
Lately on our trips to DC, Chloe has refused to go out. This refusal is difficult since the reason we go to DC, besides to see Rob, is to take advantage of all the city has to offer. Chloe does like to go out (not everyday — she’s a homebody), but her tiny little self
Indicative
I say to the girls "10 minutes." Camille responds "ok!" Chloe responds "but I have to finish… " iPhone in hand
Lemonade or Acid?
What’s your outlook on life? Do you make lemonade from lemons? I think, in general, I try to make lemonade. I try not to bemoan “Why Me?” but looks for ways to make something good out of something bad. Camille is like this to an extreme. Something happens, and she manages to find the silver
Two Mommies
Let me first state that we are very open to same-sex couples with children. No problem at all. I came home today from a stressful day of yard sales; stressful only because I was in charge (as neighborhood association president) and did not cancel the event. When the rain poured down, so did my tears.
Kiwi Thoughts
While at the hematologist’s office on Wednesday, I picked up a copy of Kiwi Magazine to read — the office is really an oncology practice and there generally isn’t anything there that is interesting to me or the girls. I found some interesting recipes in it, so when we stopped at the grocery store on
To Junie B. or not to Junie B.?
Is Junie B. Jones Talking Trash?By ANNA JANE GROSSMANPublished: July 26, 2007The New York Times I guess I’m not the only one who had a strong negative reaction to these books. In a house where I need to encourage my child to stop reading, I don’t have much patience for these books…
Illusions of Grandeur
The latest “Woman-to-Woman” column “Harm in reading romance novels?” got me thinking about illusions versus reality. (I generally find the Woman-to-woman columns to be staged issues with very little debate occurring, and this one is no exception.) In the end of the column, the suggestion made was to remember that novels are fiction, not reality.
Tattoo Dunce
I’m incompetent at tattooing. I don’t mean real tattoos with needles. I mean the removable tattoos that the kids get as “prizes” and “gimmes”. The tattoos are better than candy and junkies, but I don’t know how to apply them. I forget to take off the plastic so the tattoo sticks to the cover. I
city kids
On our walk in the woods today, the girls headed to their favorite stream. They played by if for a very long time. At one point, they decide to go fishing. They discussed what was the best method for catching a fish (“Wait until you see a fish and then put the stick in and
crazy girl
Chloe has worn out both Camille and me. I can’t even string words together tonight. Everything I say she contradicts. She has refused to help with anything and has demanded that everything be her way today. It’s very tiring.
GBK Gwyneth
instagramming
2023 photos
reading
2022 photos
2021 photos
