Fall is perhaps my favorite season in North Carolina. The crisp leaves crunch underfoot, and sometimes when I sit in the living room and peer out the window into the park it looks like it's snowing leaves. I heave a sigh and am thankful it's just leaves. This time of year I … [Read more...] about The (Thanks)Giving Tree
family
Great American Smokeout, Where Quitting is Winning
He was wheelchair bound but embraced the role of Fun Grandpa. He gave the boys wheelchair rides, succumbing to pleas of “Roll me in your lap, Grandpa!” I remember when his lap grew too small to tote both boys at the same time. The boys felt like they were whizzing around a track, … [Read more...] about Great American Smokeout, Where Quitting is Winning
Feeling Kind of Zitty
This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own. I am too vain to post a … [Read more...] about Feeling Kind of Zitty
Happy Birthday, Bird!
They said the time swoops in a mad dash. I didn't believe them. I was mired in the muck of motherhood. Diaper pails, baby wails, parenting flails. The milestones were a flurry of excitement in the early days. There were simple yet stunning achievements, and we cooed at every … [Read more...] about Happy Birthday, Bird!
Being Neighborly in a White Neighborhood
On a rare date night we received a frantic call. From a neighbor, not even the sitter. My heart stopped beating. I couldn't blink. "Don't worry. Your boys are fine." Breathe. Exhale. Relief. "But the cops were at your house." WTF?! And now the hairs on my neck … [Read more...] about Being Neighborly in a White Neighborhood
“Kid-Friendly” Food is a Disservice to Kids
I loathe the term "kid-friendly" when it comes to food. That is too often synonymous with fat-laden-greasy-sodium-overdose-fried-processed-garbage-cut-into-bite-size-nuggets. Let's just call it FLGSOFPGCIBSN for short. Now don't get me wrong. There's a time for … [Read more...] about “Kid-Friendly” Food is a Disservice to Kids
A Broken Child is Worse Than Our Broken System
I don't care as much about a broken system as I care about the broken children. The fact that we question who deserves to be helped is plain heartless, ugly, and shameful. It's not just insulting, it's inhumane. Don't get me started on how ungodly it is. Let's be clear … [Read more...] about A Broken Child is Worse Than Our Broken System