Playdate. Just saying the word outloud makes me want to hide under the sheets and never come out. That isn’t to say that I do not see the benefit of providing regular and stimulating activities for very young children involving their peers, but it is just that sometimes, I get a little “playdated out.”
When my [...]
It is hard to live in the northwest and not be aware of the environment.
When we moved into our 2nd home, my daughter was a baby, still consuming those disgusting disposable diapers by the dozen. I know, hide your pitchforks, I used disposable diapers. It was after all, only 2004, and there were not as [...]
It was a cold and rainy night . . .
Well, not rainy, but cold? Yes.
There I sat at the 5th-grade parent orientation meeting with all of the other folk who were sharing this horrifying experience with me when it hit me.
My days of sleeping in are over! Finished!
The Principal tried to scare us with tales [...]
I remember thinking (keyword: thinking) that I was pretty on top of the whole parenting gig when my first-born was reaching important milestones.
He scoots forward on his bottom? Oh! He is exhibiting pre-crawling movements!
He rakes at the Cheerios on his high chair tray? Yippee! The beginnings of being able to grab something!
When he repeated, “ma [...]
Last year, before the head-shaving and diving off the deep end incident involving the distraught young celebrity, I was thinking about writing something defending the likes of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.
Sparked by a February 12, 2007, Newsweek cover, “The Girls Gone Wild Effect: Out-of-Control Celebs and Online Sleaze Fuel a New Debate Over Kids [...]
“We’re going to go waaaaaay up into the woods and cut down our Christmas Tree this year,” my husband told our wide-eyed children when they asked us where our tree would come from.
“Like, hike in and pick out any tree we want?” they asked.
“Oh yeah guys, any tree we want,” their Daddy answered.
“How will we [...]
Seattle is a glorious lit city all year long, but it really turns on the sparkle during the holidays! What better time to enjoy our fair city with your family than when it’s dressed up in holiday finery while cheerful folk mingle and enjoy the festive spirit that seems to encompass every street corner?
Winter, especially [...]
December - okay let’s face it, November - brings with it the anticipation of what many people, regardless of religious affiliation, refer to as the biggest holiday of the year.
And the well-known icon associated with that holiday?
Santa Claus.
It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, you most likely know the story of Santa. You’ve probably [...]
I’ll never forget when a 3-year-old Wyatt stopped my sister-in-law on her way out the door after sharing a birthday dinner for Brett (who was turning 29) with us and yelled, “you can’t leave without a treat!” After asking me where the goody bags were and hearing that there weren’t any, he decided to take [...]
I have to admit, when soccer season started this year, I wanted to bail before the first practice.
I was not looking forward to all the mud-filled, crouching-under-an-umbrella-in-the-freezing-rain hours on the sidelines, grasping the cup of hot cocoa like it was my lifeline, as I cheered a group of 8-year-olds to score a goal. I wasn’t [...]