Category Archives: Family life

Who’s the Winner Now?

Posted on June 12, 2012 by

It was somewhere around the fourth hour of the softball tournament that I started silently rooting against my daughter’s team. “Swing!” I’d telepathically command the batter as the ball sailed two feet over her head. “Call it a strike,” I … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check, Sports | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Hoping for a Cavity

Posted on June 5, 2012 by

I  felt a little surge of joy when the dentist recently reported a cavity in one of my 9-year-old’s molars. That’s because I have long suspected she doesn’t always brush her teeth when I send her into the bathroom each … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check, School, Teenagers | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Day Like Any Other

Posted on May 13, 2012 by

I didn’t have high expectations for Mother’s Day. That’s because on Friday, Mr. 70 Percent called and asked, “What do you want to do for Mother’s Day?” I was pleased that he had thought of it two full days ahead. … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Holidays, Kids, Marriage, Parenting, Reality check, Teenagers | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Good Enough for Grandma

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

Now I understand why my mother always brushed my bangs out of my eyes before we visited my grandmother. There’s something about seeing your parents that makes you turn a critical eye on your own child-rearing, and nothing says “bad … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Grandparents, Kids, Parenting, Teenagers, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Love Me, Love My Foibles

Posted on April 12, 2012 by

My friend Linda has a theory that the qualities that first attract you to a mate are the same ones that will annoy the crap out of you later. So if, for instance, it’s his mild- mannered agreeableness you first … Continue reading →

Posted in Division of Labor, Family life, Marriage, Reality check | Tagged | 4 Comments

The Lack-of-Variety Show

Posted on April 4, 2012 by

It’s 5:00 in the afternoon and I’m sitting inside a darkened auditorium watching the dress rehearsal for the annual elementary school Variety Show. I’ve got my laptop and a bag full of snacks, because I know I’m in for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check, School | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Every Day I Write the Book

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

I’ve got a new work schedule, and it involves getting the mail as often as possible. Yesterday, I went out to retrieve it twice, even though it was there the first time. That’s how antsy the new arrangement makes me. … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Family life, Food, Kids, Parenting, Reality check, Working motherhood | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Diet of the Week

Posted on March 16, 2012 by

Last week my son announced he was going to stop drinking soda and eating red meat. Given that he has subsisted almost entirely on bacon and root beer for 14 years, this came as something of a shock. Still, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Family life, Food, Kids, Parenting | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Throwing My Counterweight Around

Posted on March 5, 2012 by

One of my key roles as parent is to contradict whatever my children do or say. If a child is feeling blue, my job is to cheer her up; if she’s inexplicably giddy, I make her empty the dishwasher. When … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Family life, Kids, Parenting, Teenagers | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Lotsa Helping Hands Aboard the Meal Train

Posted on February 21, 2012 by

The son of some good friends of ours was seriously injured in a skiing accident a few weeks ago. Thankfully, after a harrowing week,  he was released from the hospital and is now recuperating at home. Just as I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Neighbors, Parenting | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments