J’s first gymnastics meet of the season was today, and it was at the same Y as our first meet ever just last year. If you don’t remember, that meet ended with an excruciating awards ceremony in which my child sat hopefully and listened as many, many, many children’s names were called to receive the … [Read more…]
The fantastic thing about buying into the stupid, terrible Elf on a Shelf thing (or having your child buy into it for you) is that you can wake up and, first thing in the morning, realize that you have Failed As A Parent again. That was my morning. I woke up and headed downstairs and … [Read more…]
I’m one of six children, so I’m used to a crowd at meals. Growing up, our house was loud enough that it was overwhelming for some kids. I remember one time when my little brother’s friend, an only child, was invited to dinner, and we were having a perfectly normal meal with everyone acting naturally … [Read more…]
Last Monday, M and I attended a book discussion program at the middle school. We hadn’t been there long when one of the mothers smiled at me and said, “I hear you’ll be getting a turkey on Friday.” Umm, what? I didn’t know what she was talking about. I was told that after school on … [Read more…]
The other day Cute W messaged me with a link to a recipe. They were cookies that looked decadent, labor-intensive, and utterly delicious. I don’t know why he sends me these things. Seriously, I already make plenty of unhealthful yummy foods that I love to eat, and I don’t need to acquire more unbelievably tasty … [Read more…]
I drove over the crest of a hill today and there were a couple of people were standing in the middle of the road. It was unsurprising. They were taking pictures. This fall’s been so gorgeous that it’s tough not to stop in your tracks and try to capture it. I did it, too, walking … [Read more…]
You’ve heard, haven’t you, about the “Let’s Move” postage stamps? They’re being destroyed instead of released because the President’s Council on Fitness objected to the “unsafe” activities the stamps show. Okay, if you hadn’t heard, or if you heard, vaguely, but didn’t read an article about it, take this cool quiz. Which 3 unsafe practices … [Read more…]
UPDATE: Turns out Sky Zone is coming to Albany in 2014! While we visited Kansas City over the summer, one of our outings was to Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park. Basically, it’s a huge space full of trampolines. The main area feels about as big as a small school gym, and it’s surrounded on three … [Read more…]
Sunday was deeply dramatic. Long story short, M’s quit junior choir at church. There was not much explanation or communication ahead of time, so when we tried to force the issue, she ended up attending choir in such an actively miserable state that the choir director, one of her biggest fans, emailed me with a … [Read more…]
Tomorrow’s J’s birthday party, and the cake thing wasn’t going so well today. It was supposed to be a triple-layer cake, but after I’d successfully pulled removed one layer from the pan, the second wasn’t going to well. I panicked and left the third one to cool more, and J tried to do it herself. … [Read more…]
