For many years, I loved going out to the movies. I still do. It is nice to put on something other than sweats and jeans and get out of the house on occasion without the kids. But the expense of it all—the babysitter, the tickets, dinner, the goodies—has long surpassed insanity. My husband and I are homebodies at heart. Whether that has come out of willingness or necessity is unimportant. Even so, it is still fun to put the kids to bed early and only have to worry about which pajamas are... Read Full Story

As of the time of this entry, gas where I live is $4.09 a gallon. It’s ridiculous and depressing all at once. Living on one income, it's difficult to afford groceries, let alone the expense of gasoline to drive anywhere. On a day like today—blue skies, slight breeze, and 72° temps—I am depressed 10 times over. We sat around this morning, scheming and trying to come up with ideas of what we could do as a family to get out and enjoy the beautiful day. We soon realized that we had exhausted nea... Read Full Story

Lately I have forced myself to stop. I need to relax. I definitely need to be more aware. I don't know why or how we become so hurried and busy. It would be easy to claim that life forces us to become that way but that would be untrue. Allowing ourselves to become caught up in mostly unimportant things is our own fault. I have literally looked at myself in the mirror and told myself, "Don't screw this up. These are your children. And if you screw this up, nothing else matters." While I hav... Read Full Story

For many years, I loved going out to the movies. I still do. It is nice to put on something other than sweats and jeans and get out of the house on occasion without the kids. But the expense of it all—the babysitter, the tickets, dinner, the goodies—has long surpassed insanity. My husband and I are homebodies at heart. Whether that has come out of willingness or necessity is unimportant. Even so, it is still fun to put the kids to bed early and only have to worry about which pajamas are... Read Full Story

Lately I have forced myself to stop. I need to relax. I definitely need to be more aware. I don't know why or how we become so hurried and busy. It would be easy to claim that life forces us to become that way but that would be untrue. Allowing ourselves to become caught up in mostly unimportant things is our own fault. I have literally looked at myself in the mirror and told myself, "Don't screw this up. These are your children. And if you screw this up, nothing else matters.&... Read Full Story

Though its been a good 2 months now, I still feel guilty for having to give up nursing my son. I nursed my daughter for a year or more. And because of difficulties that I began having this time around, I had to succumb to bottle feeding. Not that feeding a baby formula is bad. Its not even horrible. It just wasn't what I planned. I thought that the second time around would be the same, even easier. Because for all those who are nursing or have nursed (for those who are planning to nurse, skip... Read Full Story

As of the time of this entry, gas where I live is $4.15 a gallon. It’s ridiculous and depressing all at once. We can hardly afford groceries, let alone the expense of gasoline to drive anywhere. On a day like today—blue skies, slight breeze, and 72° temps—I am depressed 10 times over. We sat around this morning, scheming and trying to come up with ideas of what we could do as a family to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful day, only to find that we had exhausted nearly all of our ide... Read Full Story

Before having children and becoming a stay-at-home mom, I worked for several years. At those jobs there were always doting mothers who proudly exclaimed all of the accomplishments, great and small, of their growing children. Their cubicles donned their child’s artwork and toys left behind when they were visited by their children at work. Pictures upon pictures of a giggling youngster, a high school graduation, major milestones, and of course, those almost ghastly AND annoying family pictures ... Read Full Story

Before having children and becoming a stay-at-home mom, I worked for several years. At those jobs there were always doting mothers who proudly exclaimed all of the accomplishments, great and small, of their growing children. Their cubicles donned their child’s artwork and toys left behind when they were visited by their children at work. Pictures upon pictures of a giggling youngster, a high school graduation, major milestones, and of course, those almost ghastly AND annoying family pictures ... Read Full Story

Something about looking like you’re hauling around a watermelon, waddling everywhere you go, and looking awkwardly miserable, garners undoubted and unsolicited advice and attention. Unless I am mistaken, I can’t recall where exactly it is written that a pregnant woman is continuously seeking advice from anyone, especially strangers. Is pregnancy some kind of universal sign? Because these folks are like a moth to a flame. It reminds me of a certain television commercial about a pregnant wo... Read Full Story