As of about two o’clock this morning, I am officially the mother of a ten year old.
Ten.
One Zero.
It now takes two whole digits to accurately describe him.  Or rather, his age.  It obviously takes more than mere numerals to describe the rest of him.
As we drove to Walt Disney World yesterday to celebrate his birthday [...]

My family is having Thanksgiving dinner without me today.
My mom and my brothers, along with the rest of their families, will gather around a table and turkey, 1400 miles to the north of me in a small ranch house in Iowa.  They’ll laugh and they’ll eat and they’ll make fun of one another.  They’ll take [...]

Kevin of Always Home and Uncool has asked me to post this as part of his effort to raise awareness in the blogosphere of juvenile myositis, a rare autoimmune disease his daughter was diagnosed with on this day seven years ago. The day also happens to be his wife’s birthday.
Take it away, Kevin…
*
Our [...]

Dear Devin,
You told me over dinner that Grandma has taken you to Chuck E. Cheese like a million times.
You lamented the fact that I have never taken you to Chuck E. Cheese’s since we’ve lived in Florida.
“Yes, well, Grandma is clearly a better parent than me,” I told you.
“Can I move in with Grandma then?” [...]

The first night we got home, I forgot to feed my kids dinner.
I haven’t cooked a meal in over a month.  Jared and I ate out or ate string cheese and beer or, in most cases, just didn’t eat at all.  I’m always amazed by single people who go through the effort of cooking entire [...]

She answered the door wearing neither makeup nor shoes.
She wore a t-shirt and cut off denim shorts and a closely cropped haircut that was devoid of any styling product.  She smiled as she opened her home to me and quietly invited me in.  She seemed a little meek and unsure of how to greet me.
Shit, [...]

I don’t know if other mothers do this, but I’m constantly thinking about how my children will remember their childhoods.
We’ll be in the middle of our lives, and suddenly I see it all as a snapshot.  I look at the people and the surroundings, the faces and the details of what we’re wearing, and I [...]

My mom says it’s just a phase.
My jaw muscles say it feels like this phase has gone on forever.
My back teeth are being worn into nubs from the constant attempts to not. lose. my shit.

I’m pretty sure I’m the world’s worst mother.
I’m also pretty sure that the most annoying, frustrating, brain bleed inducing [...]

I spent several hours yesterday uploading 500 pictures – and I’m still not done.
I then proceeded to spend several more hours painting the front entry and hallway of my house – because that totally makes sense to do right after you come home from vacation and should be getting ready for work.
What that means [...]