I pretend not to notice, when they stretch out on the sofa, lounging around instead of sitting upright at the table eating their breakfast, like proper school boys. The alarm is set early every morning, for this very purpose. The older boys come straggling down later, and they are on a time crunch: they do [...]
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Courage, and blinders. The two ingredients you’ll need to see the end of life as a celebration. Courage allows us to feel the hurt, while simultaneously letting the joy seep into our hearts. Blinders came in handy too — you’ll need those to stop yourself from looking beside you to see that the next steps [...]
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But I don’t. The minute I pick the kids up from school I’m hit with no less than 15 requests for play dates, queries about “what’s for snack, ” and an avalanche of forms that the school needs my signature on immediately. My mind is whirling to fit in homework, dinner, sports… and a much [...]
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A defining moment of motherhood comes when you feel as if you’re getting a “break” when you’re down to two, rather than four, kids. I still laugh when I remember that a break was Daddy coming home to watch the baby, just so I could get a shower. My blessed break came this week when [...]
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The boys wanted to pack these cookies before we left for the lake today, as the lunches from Tuesday have been devoured by now. These no-bake cookies are a great last-minute snacks. Karen asked if I have posted this recipe, and I haven’t until now because it’s so common — yet this recipe is often [...]
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The tobacco companies are poised and ready to create a whole new generation of addictive customers: our children. Camel Sticks, like toothpicks, and Camel Strips, similar to mouthwash strips are next. The packaging looks similar to gum and candy packs. It’s handy, small, and appealing to small hands.
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By 9 p.m. Thursday, I had not a drop of inspiration for my newspaper column, due at 9 a.m. the next morning. Then, a snippet from a conversation that night carried the article –all she said was, “And we have graduation parties next weekend…” Then it hit me. I was looking for a way to [...]
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The kid’s are reluctantly shuffling off to bed, I’m mopping the floor, and then, I hear it: That grating vibrato of a wanna-be soprano belting out the lyrics for the judges. That pitch, that amateurish sound, that is the hallmark of the show, is grating on my nerves. I just spent an entire day with [...]
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Although my teenager does have this tendency to morph into moods that make me ponder, “Who are you and what have you done with my child?” overall, the lines of communication are open and clear. This rapport of ease may have something to do with the fact that he is a boy. But, the strength [...]
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