One of my favorite pastimes is sitting back and observing my 8-year-old son. It sounds so cliché and normally I’m not “that kind” of parent, but the more I come to know him, the more I appreciate his innocence, his…
Category: Birds & Bees
Dream It, Do It
This poem poured out of my pen in January 2024, during a quiet day at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter. I dedicate this piece to my daughter, Isabella. Dream It, Do It My eyes close as the mellow notes of…
Mirrors
Almost two years ago to the day I began mentoring with a writing professor. During this time, I have written piece after piece (prose, poetry, and memoir) for her consideration. Too many to count, in fact, and only once has…
Dancing Grass
I took my kids on a picnic in the backyard today. (Before you give me the credit I don’t deserve, I got the idea from a close friend, who did the same with her young daughter earlier this week. Thank…
Make-Believing Just Ain’t My Cup Of Tea
It’s been a while since I complain-bitched about anything related to parenting and that is unacceptable, so here goes … Not long ago I came across an article that proclaimed parents who play make-believe with their children are happier than…
Kindness Counts
The other night my kids and I were sitting on the couch reading Highlights magazine. It’s our first issue and seeing it arrive in the mail made me all ooey and gooey inside, bringing me right back to my childhood.…
Mental Synchronization (Part 3)
Today marks four weeks since we began my attempt to incorporate routine and structure into my children’s days. I originally began these exercises because after several months of quarantine and “free” time I noticed they were becoming bored, unruly, lazy,…
Mental Synchronization (Part 2)
We are now exactly two weeks into my mental synchronization “experiment.” Here are my key takeaways so far: 1) First of all, I do not have the fortitude, aptitude, or patience to be a teacher of young children and I’m…
Mental Synchronization (Part 1)
I’m borrowing this phrase from Frozen because it’s perfect for the plan I’m putting into place this week. Plus, it’s so fun singing that part of the song: “men-tal syn-chro-ni-za-tion.” Admit it, you sang that line in your head, too,…
Oh, Hello, Mister Sambucs
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes maintenance work on my blog (tagging and categorizing) and in the process, I noticed how infrequently I write about my son. I was initially surprised by this because he is my sweet…