If Toddlers Wrote Haikus

A bowl of pasta Must wash my hair with the sauce Immediately Mommy's new iPhone Sinks in the potty water Mommy shouts bad words In my open mouth Doggie's crunchy brown kibble Mommy's finger gags My sister's long hair I yank and pull big handfuls She cries, I giggle MINE I say and hit MINE no...

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iPhoneography 11.23.14

iPhoneography: A few macro photos I have taken this week ...

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The Poopacalypse of 2014

A text I sent my husband today His reply Today, I survived the Great Poopacalypse of 2014. My three year old girl has been struggling with constipation off and on for months now, probably since...

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Help Wanted: Professional Pick Up Person

If I had money to throw away,  I wouldn't hire a personal trainer or a chef. This would be the want ad that I would post. Help Wanted Mother of two looking for full-time Professional Pick Up Person (PPUP).  This person's responsibilities would include: Picking up any and all items dropped...

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A Random Act of Kindness

NaBloPoMo prompt for the day: Tell us about one time you benefited from the kindness of strangers.  I don't have a life changing story to tell, just a little incident in a parking lot. I...

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Happy "Birth" Day to My Sister

Today, in the wee hours of the morning, one of my sisters gave birth to her second baby, her second sweet baby boy. I spoke with her briefly tonight and she sounded fried...happy, in love, in awe of the little face, running out of adrenaline, and deep fried tired.  I think of how tired a mama is...

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When Kids Get Sick

Sometimes, you have good intentions, and life just gets in the way. I have fallen off the post something every day wagon for NaBloPoMo.  First it was computer issues, then a sick kid. Priorities,...

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Saying Goodbye to Single Me

One day last week, my husband decided "I think today is the day." He was going to order his new car. He has been waiting for this moment for seven long years. I have been listening to him talk about selecting a new car for seven. long. years.  That evening I received a text message. It was a picture...

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How to Change a One Year Old's Diaper in 35 Easy Steps

Today's NaBloPoMo prompt: Write a "how to" post about anything you've got skills for, small or large. A Step by Step Guide to Changing a One Year Old's Diaper: 1. Catch baby after chasing him around the couch. 2. Lift baby so his bum is in front of your face. 3. Conduct whiff test to confirm,...

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Why it is Awesome to be the Second Child: A Letter to my Son

Dear Sweet Boy, This picture, right here, exists to prove to you that it is awesome to be a second child. You are at the top of the slide of a bounce house. You climbed up the stairs all by yourself,...

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Autumn's Color Palette

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Cruises? Not for Me

NaBloPoMo Prompt: Where is the one place you would never want to go on vacation that other people seem to love? My in-laws are the king and queen of cruises. They can tell you which ships to take, who has the best food, the best casinos and the best excursions. They cruise over to Europe and fly...

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A Letter to My Daughter

Hey Peanut, Tonight was a rough one. You have really been testing your limits lately. I know, it is really, really, really hard being three years old (you tell us this all the time). I know you...

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The Last Magic Christmas

Have you heard of NaBloPoMo? I hadn't either until a few days ago. It is a 30 day writing challenge to get you in the practice of writing. Prompts are provided as a guide if you choose to use them....

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5 Things I Miss About Breastfeeding

There are a lot of things I miss about nursing my babies, and several that I don't miss at all, but for the most part, I was fortunate enough to have a positive experience.  Here are five things...

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"Real Life" College Courses for Parents

May 1999: College Graduation with my Dad In three months I will make my FINAL student loan payment, the FINAL payment! I graduated college in 1999. I majored in Geology, which is rather interesting,...

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A Vocabulary Lesson

Our daughter has always been chatty, and seriously has a better grasp of the English language than about fifty percent of the adults that I know. She asks us what things are called and what words...

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5 Things I Never Thought I Would Become as a Parent

1. Sick...all of the time The first year that my daughter was in daycare she got sick a lot.  Everyone said "With all of those immunities she is building up, she will never miss a day of Kindergarten." (P.S. That isn't really reassuring when you are a first time mom and have a sick baby). I hope...

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How Do You Explain Beauty to a Three Year Old?

A few months before my daughter turned three, we were having one of THOSE mornings.  The kind that starts with this conversation as she is opening her eyes: Her: "Is it a home day or a school day?" Me: "It is a school day." Her: "NOOOO, I want it to be a HOME day!" This is followed by a dramatic...

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iPhoneography 9.20.14

Baby pine cones, iPhone5s with ollocli...

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The Twilight Bark

Do you remember the Twilight Bark from the movie 101 Dalmatians? The dogs bark to one another all across the city to talk to each other, gossip, and ask for help. My youngest sister and I gave birth to our sons on the same day, 5 hours and 456 miles apart.  These baby cousins started communicating...

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iPhoneography 9.16.14

9.16.14 iPhone 5s with Olloclip...

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Love/Fear

The fabric of parenting is a dichotomy of constant love and constant fear,  woven together like an intricate lace that envelopes your heart, filling up your chest.  I expected the love.  I knew there would be fear.  I expected to be scared the first time the baby had a fever or fell...

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10 Items to Make The Best 'Coming Home From The Hospital' Gift for Your Pregnant Friend

Forget the baby gear, here is a list of items that your friend will actually need and use when she comes home from the hospital. 1.  Hemorrhoid pads/cream. We all know how fun that pregnancy/delivery bonus can be. 2.  Extra long, 'overnighter' maxi pads. You know, the kind that make you...

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A Few Parenting Milestones

Normal 0 0 1 301 1716 Oakwood Properties 14 3 2107 10.260 0 0 0 A Few Parenting Milestones: You arrive at work and realize there is dried poo under your thumbnail. You realize you prepared your breakfast and lunch with that poo thumb. Your child...

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Everything is Better in 3D

When I was pregnant with my daughter in 2010, my husband had the itch to buy a new TV. Not just any new TV, a gigantic, high definition, flat screen TV, to replace what I already considered a gigantic flat screen TV. The extra special thing about this TV was it had 3D capabilities. That is right, you...

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A Letter to My Breast Pump

Normal 0 0 1 783 4464 Oakwood Properties 37 8 5482 10.260 0 0 0 A letter to my breast pump: Our first encounter was like a bad blind date.  I saw you at the lactation consultant’s office four days after Baby Girl’s birth.  I opened the door...

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