I get a phone call every once in a while from single mother friends whose kids don’t want to go to their father’s house… not for the weekend, not for the holidays, not for Christmas. I honestly don’t know how to make it all better, and I understand the pain the moms go through.
Because the kids have to go, or the law might come down on you. It’s his turn, right? He’s their father, no matter what, right?
Maybe.
Sometimes, my career is glamorous. Sometimes, I remember where I live and what I am, and who I get to meet. It’s heady. Who did I hang out with tonight?
A Facebook poll got me thinking about the whole mess that No Child Left Behind has created in our schools. Teachers are teaching to the test. Enrichment programs like art, music, sports are being cut so kids have more time to learn the test materials. Hell, some schools don’t even have recess anymore.
Kids aren’t learning. They are memorizing. They aren’t being taught how to think. They are being taught to regurgitate what they have been told, with little understanding of how or why the answer was found.
I think it’s a disaster.
I got on someone’s mailing list recently, and a beautiful catalog showed up in my mailbox a month ago.
Chasing Fireflies.
I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down. I looked at every single page of costumes, for boys and girls. I saved the catalog. I leafed through it every once in a while. Their tag line is Wishcraft, and I can’t think of a better way to describe the manner in which their costumes must transport little boys and girls.
If you are still stumped for a costume, or have a kid at home who absolutely MUST play knights or …read more
I used to look at my house and despair. How on earth was I going to get everything clean all by myself? I don’t think I ever could if I thought of my home as one big place to clean. Instead, I have broken it down into manageable chunks I thought might help you single mothers, too. And moms with partners. And dads, too.
Keep what you need where you need it. That means a sponge and cleaner in each bathroom. Know what that means? You can scrub the sink while you brush your teeth. You can give the shower a …read more
I’m running out of clothes. So far, I’ve lost 18 pounds… and nothing in my closet fits right, anymore. Are you losing weight, and dreading the idea of shelling out money for a new wardrobe? Especially for an interim size?
Here’s my idea: PASS IT DOWN.
I’m swiftly shrinking out of my size 10 clothes. I have some nice stuff, and while I could Freecycle it, put it on eBay, or otherwise try to dispose of it, I thought perhaps I’d encourage others who are losing weight with an interim wardrobe as they pass through the larger sizes to their ideal weight.
I …read more
Two weeks in, and the King of Everything is LOVING school. I’ve never seen him so engaged and interested. It’s amazing. His first grade teacher gives him extra assignments to challenge him, and far from complaining about the extra work, he’s revelling in it, and rising to the occasion.
When he gets home from school he gets to go to the park for an hour, then back home for homework and a science experiment. On Friday afternoon, I got to assist him in the old ’suck the egg into the bottle’ trick, and we all jumped and laughed in surprise when …read more
I couldn’t sleep last night, and wound up thinking too much. First, I thought that I should go buy myself a body pillow to sleep with at night, take up some of the empty space in my queen sized bed.
I’m lonely. I’ve had the rug pulled out from under me in all areas of my life lately, and no one gets it. Oh, all my friends are trying to help — they call, they send me e-mails, they invite me to go places and do things, but they don’t get it. And that’s a big problem. In general, I mean.
I …read more
My son and I have been excited all summer for the start of Little League t-ball. I registered him as soon as the online form went live. I found him baseball cleats in his wide size. We’re waiting. Eagerly. Every morning he asks me when t-ball is going to start.
I don’t know how to tell him it probably won’t.
Our Little League doesn’t have enough coaches. Only one coach volunteered, and 41 little kids signed up. I’ve reached out through every channel I possess to find volunteers for these kids. I’d coach, myself, but I don’t have a car and so …read more
This video is flying around Facebook right now, and it’s impossible to watch, but imperative that we do. Here is the note that accompanies the YouTube video:
Katie Shank: Producer-
A new public service announcement out of England is part of a campaign to curb teen texting while driving.
The video shows three young girls in a car. The driver is sending a text message when she gets in a major accident including several other cars. The girl is seriously hurt, and her friends and another driver are killed.
The PSA is being shown to high school students in England, to show the serious …read more
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