Newbie McPhotographer
When we went out Friday I hoped to get a good shot of the three kids together for the Christmas Cards this year. I found a nice little nook with pretty leaves and good shade and forced them to sit there until they could sit there no longer. I just hoped that if I jumped and laughed and made funny faces enough that at least ONE shot would turn out good. And I was right. ONE shot did. But let’s examine a handful of the misses for a moment as proof that often times? When I show you these great pictures of my kids? There are 20 not-so-great versions sitting on my computer at home. I’m a shotgun photographer, I guess. Focusing more on quantity and just hoping for a chance of quali

I Did A Very Bad Thing…
…which gave me the best day I’ve had in a VERY LONG TIME. Let me give you some background first: I like to torture my teenager. We’ve done things in the past like midnight movie showings and he’s done things like concerts and such on school nights that make the early morning alarm and evil thing. LilZ has some friends whose parents don’t mind the periodic skipping of school to make those days easier. And I understand that as it doesn’t happen often. But – it’s not something I ever do. EVER. Or at least, no more than once or twice since middle school. And maybe never…I just hesitate to say “NEVER!” because my memory

Scheduling Conflicts Of Motherhood
I often wonder how people with more than three kids do it. How do they keep up with activities and school as a taxi without demanding wrinkles in time on a daily basis? Technically, I only have two kids requiring my taxi services and I run into conflicts daily. It’s a good think LilZ will be driving before AndyZ starts with extracurricular activities, or someone would just have to be okay with walking home from soccer practice. It’s only about 8 miles! No problem! I’ve taken large effort to find ways to eliminate as many potential conflicts as possible. NikkiZ’s dance class actual happens while she’s at school. School gets out at noon. The only

Updates Galore
First – let me do a follow-up on yesterday’s post. You all are wonderfully amazing, truly. I felt much better about the “negotiating” thing by the end of the day. Which made me feel much better in general because sometimes I’m just not confident enough in my parenting decisions to let them stand alone without validation. And I’m aware that is a whole other issue right there, I’m sure. Bedwetting: Last night I took NikkiZ to go potty before I went to bed. I just snuck in the room, picked her up, brought her out to the pot

Open Request For Parenting Advice About Feeding My Kid Dogfood
Most bloggers who write about the struggles of parenting at some point have to tackle the issue of ASSVICE – the unwanted, and often snottily given, parenting advice. I have very rarely dealt with this (thank goodness) but it has happened in small doses a handful of times. No biggie. However, recently I’ve been facing an odd assortment of dilemmas I think I’d just like your input. Especially on the oldest child because I’ve learned that those of us who have teens, also respect their privacy and aren’t going to discuss any parental qualms that relate to them. However, the questions that relate to the teenager are more me getting a feel for other Parent