Lydia, my Fashionista
Indeed, summer is almost upon us and very soon the kids, meaning in my case, all three teenagers will be out of school with time on their hands. Well, that is just all fine and dandy to have some down time, but at this point in the game, they all need to engage in gainful employment. That is, they need to secure at least part time jobs and churn up some spending money to handle the expenses associated with their new found leisure time. My pocketbook runneth empty already especially now on the heels of …
Towering Treat!
Mother’s Day. We wait all year for a day that the whole family will concentrate on pampering us and showing some appreciation. My family did a great job of making me feel special this year. They demonstrated that they really do know what makes me happy.
On Saturday, Katie and Mark headed out to get a few things at Lowe’s. They were picking up lightbulbs and a replacement doorbell button. (The need for the new doorbell is a whole different story for a different day!) I figured they might …
Chicago in Bloom
As per an earlier blog I have recently had the pleasure and awe to be visiting the great and windy city of Chicago. I was there on a mission of course, to help Kassiane get all packed up to come home for the summer – yeah!! So most of my time was spent with sleeves rolled up, wiping sweat and we (I) heaved and pulled with her various belongings to secure everything either in suitcases or packing boxes for the stuff to be stored during the summer. No small task indeed folks!
Still, I was able to …
The recent events in Cleveland, where three young women, abducted during or close to their teens, has left a lot of us moms (and dads, I suppose) shaken. It is impossible to hear such a story and NOT worry about such a thing happening to one of our own. On the positive side, it’s given all of us a “teachable moment,” and I imagine I am not the only parent who has talked to their offspring about how to avoid being abducted and that it’s hard to decide just what person means you harm. It’s led to countless discussions about not taking rides …
Heights and Sights of Chicago
Once again, I’ve been traveling – this time to Chicago for a 3 day maddening adventure in packing. I made the trek to assist Kass with getting it altogether for moving out and heading home for summer. As you can imagine, mobilizing all of her personal and worldly belongings all the way from Chicago to the East coast is not exactly a small task – no indeed! Lots of planning went into it before I ever hopped the plane. It was really out of the question to make a driving trip there …
My Cinco de Mayo baby, celebrating with friends
Well, it’s official now. I am a mother to two adults. I really can’t get my head around that one. Katie turned 18 last weekend. How is that even possible?
I remember the day Katie was born. It wasn’t an easy day for me, to say the least. Katie really was who she was from the beginning. My pregnancy was pretty easy, but Katie was a real “mover and shaker,” right from the start. She was not compliant regarding …
In my business, I read a lot of books and articles about children and how they learn. Behavior is also a frequent topic. Occasionally something I read professionally has a great parental crossover application. For my work in education with preteens and teenagers, I recently read Dr. Barbara Greenberg’s 2010 work entitled, “Teenage as a Second Language: A Parent’s Guide to Becoming Bilingual.” Dr. Greenberg presents strategies to help parents of teens navigate through those crucial conversations with their teens. Following the nearly inevitable metamorphosis from happy little kid to surly teenager, parents will sink or swim if they don’t figure out how to communicate with people, teens, who often …
Clean and folded, with pockets emptied
Ah, the laundry…never-ending bane of my existence. I still haven’t managed to get to a place where I enjoy the chore. I’ve read about moms who love to do the laundry, getting a peaceful feeling and enjoying doing something so personal for her family. Yeah, right.
But I did get a reminder last week of just how exciting doing the laundry can be. It’s one adventure after another around here. There seems to be some sort of buried treasure in every load!
Back in the day, when the …
One of the joys of parenting a teen is dealing with the rollercoaster of emotions that are partially driven by changing body chemistry and partially driven by some form of temporary teenage insanity. I am told by older parents that this too shall pass.
One issue that gets some attention in our home is the problem of getting upset too quickly. Chan is a passionate young person. Some time ago, my teen’s school participated in a water scarcity project; an effort to understand the role of water and the limit it places on folks in different parts of the world. It was an interesting and worthwhile project. Little did Chan know …
Late night dinner companions
Last weekend Katie headed out in her little convertible for her first solo drive to East Carolina University. She was headed there to visit her friend and future roommate and bring her back for an overnight visit at our house in Jacksonville. It was Katie’s longest solo trip to date and she managed it without a hiccup.
I am pretty excited that Katie is going to room with Veronica next year. It’s great to have a roommate who already has a year at college under her belt and who is already a friend of the family …
