Last week I saw a play called Reunion at South Coast Rep. It was the story of three high school buddies who get together after their high school reunion and rehash the memories, hurts, and relationship dynamics that shaped them. It was a powerful play (local folks, check it out) and it got me thinking about how oddly emotional high school reunions can be. My 20-year-reunion was this past summer. I was a class officer my senior year, which means I’m responsible for planning our reunions . . . . . .
That’s what she said: Your personal pitch, dealing with homophobic comments, the emotional toll of homework, and more . . .
477 Child Deaths: How Florida Preserved Families But Lost Kids | Tampa Bay Times Rather than go to court to force parents to get treatment or counseling, the state often relied on “safety plans” — written promises by parents to sin no more. Many of the pledges carried no meaningful oversight. Children died — more than 80 of them — after their parents signed one or, in some cases, multiple safety plans. Parents were given repeated chances to shape up, and failed and failed and failed again, and . . .
Best mock signs from the “White Man’s March”
Did you know that last weekend there was a “White Man’s March” across our nation? In a handful of cities, tens of people showed up to hold signs and decry diversity, “promote the interests of white people,” and don their hoods in public. It was a cringe-worthy exercise in xenophobia, and I’ll admit to a bit of glee upon learning that this attempt at rallying white pride across the country was so poorly attended. As photos of the protesters began to circulate, twitter rallied and did what . . .
Planting the seeds
This post was sponsored by the Century Council in collaboration with the Talk Early campaign, an initiative to empower parents to talk with their kids about alcohol. I have plenty of failings as a parent, as any reader of this blog knows.I fail at signing the homework folders. I am atrocious at meal planning. Laundry . . . oh boy. But one area where I feel like we are doing alright is creating an environment where we can talk to each other, open and honestly, about anything. This is a huge . . .
15 stupid threats that parents should stop using
One day not long ago, I was at home with the kids. Mark was somewhere else, the boys were being noisy, the girls were fighting, Karis was crying, and I’d had it up to my eyebrows with household drama. No one in my house but me seemed to care that I had work to do. Important work! For money! So I said something: a sentence my parents used to say to me and that I swore I’d never speak to my own kids, because it’s just so, so ridiculous. “If you don’t stop crying, I’ll give you something to cry . . .
What I want you to know: the power, the stress, and the blessing of being a foster parent
What I Want You to Know is a series of reader submissions. It is an attempt to allow people to tell their personal stories, in the hopes of bringing greater compassion to the unique issues each of us face. If you would like to submit a story to this series, click here. Today’s guest posts is by Samuir. My name is Sarah. My husband Brent and I have five children. Our first 3 children were born into our family in the “traditional” way. Our second 2 children were born into our family . . .
Have a kid obsessed with Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Here’s what to read next.
If your kids are like mine, discovering Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid books opened up a whole new world to them. The funny stories (read: lots of farting), creative illustrations, and short chapters have been ideal for getting young readers hooked on “chapter books”—providing a welcome transition from simple children’s books to slightly more complex stories for kids . Which leads us to this question: What next? Once your kids have devoured all 70-bazillion books in theWimpy Kid saga, what . . .
Questions of eternal significance: what is your favorite cocktail?
We are talking cocktails today, even though at my ripe old age of 39, I'm finding it more and more difficult to indulge in even one drink without feeling horrible the next day. What is the deal with that?I'm not a big wine drinker. I know it's more sophisticated and I've tried to develop a better palate, but the truth is, my personal preference is always a girly cocktail over a glass of wine. I like sweet drinks, but not too sweet, and if there is some fruit and some kind of herb involve, even . . .
How we do St. Patrick’s Day
This is how we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. A $3 box of cereal. Green shirts. The end. You can pin that if you want to. (Last St. Patrick’s Day the fever pitch of craft ideas online paired with my children’s unrelenting grief over our lack of a leprechaun trap spurred me to write this little screed, which became the most-shared post on my blog.) I hope you are enjoying your day, no matter how you do it! . . .
Urban vs. Suburban: figuring out where to plant roots
The post was sponsored by Trulia, but the dilemma about where to settle down is all my own. Over the past ten years, I’ve had a growing sense of discontent about the neighborhood we live in. It’s a fine neighborhood by all accounts. We’ve lived here for 10 years now (our new house is just around the corner from our previous home). We’ve gotten to know our neighbors and the kids are happy enough. But there are some aspects about it that concern me as well. Our current neighborhood is situated in . . .
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