The kids and I had big plans Monday when they were out of school. We had our annual MLK Day lunch and playdate with friends, an afternoon at Bounce U and gymnastics in the evening.
My big kids – 7 and 9 – always have to have SOMETHING to do in the car, be it a book to read, a movie to watch or an electronic device to play with. It was a 20 minute drive or so to our friend’s house so I knew they would grab a few things.
Little …

Sometimes, life catches up with you.
That’s been very true the last few weeks. So this is me, apologizing, for being silent on the blog.
Do you blog? Do you find you have dozens of ideas about what to write, but sometimes fail to get them down? Or do you start to write and then think, “Why would anyone care about this?”
Or do you actually write it, only to have your computer eat it?
Maybe it’s just blog burnout?
I think I’ve had a bit of all of that the last few weeks, not …

So it’s the night before Thanksgiving. There are clean dishes in the dishwasher. Dirty ones in the sink. My dining room table doesn’t have a tablecloth on it (and hasn’t for weeks). It’s covered in craft supplies, a hair dying kit I really need to use and my daughter’s wig from Halloween (and yes, I think it’s been there since then).
I’ve made three trips to three different grocery stores today. Yesterday, I was at yet ANOTHER grocery store. My plans were to have grandparents over with my family and a …

She looks at me in the review mirror, those piercing blue eyes full of wonder.
She doesn’t say it – at 15-months her vocabulary is limited to “momma, dad, bye-bye” and her siblings’ names (though sometimes we hear other things).
But I can tell what she’s thinking: “Where are we going?”
This week, my toddler started at a new preschool. Prompted by a change at work and a desire to have her closer to me, I woke up Monday morning and decided to make the jump to a preschool. She’s been cared for …

(Note: I wrote this last night with intention to get it posted to stay up-to-date with my month of “thankful” posts. Life happens! So here it is.)
I’m writing this sitting in my car outside a small schoolhouse. Inside, my son is meeting with a sweet teacher who is helping him grasp multiplication facts and writing; my daughter is sitting with two other students and another wonderful lady as they work on reading. Today, I received notes from both my children’s school teachers about how they’re doing.
I’m so thankful for teachers …

It’s a trend, apparently.
For the second time in a week, I’ve dropped the kids off at school only to have to return within the hour.
Last week was the best excuse: I had to bring SHOES to a child. (He went to school with sandals, but needed running shoes for running club.)
That same day, I had to bring a lunch to school that was forgotten.
Today, as I dropped the kids off I heard, “Mom, it’s cold. I need a jacket.”
He was right. He did. And he didn’t know how cold it …

Welcome November! It’s the month of giving thanks. As a mom, I have an abundance of gifts around me that I’m thankful for: my children, my husband, our home and amazing family that surround us.
I’m hoping this month to instill in the children that sense of thanks as well. I’ve seen two ideas recently to help with that. One is from Project Life. The other is from Better Homes and Garden last month (I could not find the link, but it’s a cork board in a frame with a family’s …

With the start of the school year, my big kids (9 and 6) also add a few activities to the calendar.
And I’m guessing I’m not alone.
The kids have been in once-a-week gymnastics class since 2009. So that doesn’t change. Daily summer swim team is being replaced with karate once a week for the next few weeks. My son wants to continue weekly chess after school, but my daughter has decided to give that up.
The past three years, my daughter has played soccer in the fall. That starts up in October. …

Three shopping trips, luckily with a sleeping baby, a few frazzled moments as we wandered from aisle to aisle, and five (or was it six?) bags later — and I think we’re done.
Welcome to back-to-school shopping season (who doesn’t have that commercial with “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” running through their brain?).
My kids received school supply lists on the last day of class in May. Knowing we only have a few weeks left (and I needed to write this post), we trekked out in the 100-plus temperatures …