Bonnie Rochman

Trouble in Toyland

Someone's not playing nicely in the sandbox, and it's not little kids this time. The City of Raleigh is worried about a perceived overabundance of toys in Roanoke Park in Five Points and Pollock Place Park in the University Park neighborhood, situated between Wade Avenue and Hillsborough Street and, as luck may have it, behind my house.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Sweet Spot

Something has happened in my house that involves sugar and lots of it. Dessert has become a ritual, a tradition, a virtual birthright for my kids. Every night, I am expected to execute a sweet finale to the dinner meal, and often more than one. This is not something that hearkens back to my own childhood. Then, dessert was reserved for special occasions. On most nights, it was applesauce -- if we…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Silky

When I was a new mother, back when I imbibed parenting magazines like an alcoholic does liquor, I read somewhere about the concept of pushing a security object on your child. The idea resonated with me.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Stripes and Polka Dots

One of the best things about having a little girl is dressing her. One of the worst things is when that little girl no longer wants to be dressed. I can do it myself, Shira asserts with the supreme cockiness of a 3-year-old. Suffice it to say that her fashion sense differs considerably from momâs. I like to match. She doesnât. I donât wear leotards to the grocery store. She does.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Pretty in Pink

Back-to-school time is bittersweet for every mom, but for few moreso than Renae Newmiller. Renae is the mother of Ella, who turned 5 last spring the same week she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain stem tumor. But the tumor is hardly all there is to Ella.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

First Day

Last Wednesday was Aviv's first day of kindergarten. Itâs a milestone Iâve alternately dreaded and desired for at least a year now. Like so many other things, the anticipation was worse than the reality. For sure, Iâm a little bit in denial. He attended a month of summer camp that lasted until 3:30, so itâs not like Iâm unaccustomed to him being away for so many hours. Bu…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Vacation?

With kids in preschool, it never really mattered when my family vacationed. But with our son due to make his public school debut this week, we took the opportunity to see and be seen this summer.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Coed Sleepovers

As I write this, my son is sleeping in his queen bed with a girl. I sanctioned it. I even coordinated with her mother. Theyâre having a sleepover. Amazingly enough, at 8:30 at night, theyâre both actually asleep. Heâs shirtless, clad in his Incredible Hulk sleep shorts. Sheâs wearing a butterfly nightgown. Last I checked, they were holding hands. Theyâre too young to kno…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Buy Lipstick, Help a Mom

Much to my mother's chagrin, I donât wear make-up. âYou look so pretty with a little eyeshadow,â she cajoles. âI wore make-up when I was your age.â I just smile back. I mean, really. My mom, of all people, knows what my life is like. He wants Life cereal for breakfast; she wants oatmeal. No, waffles. Actually, make that pancakes. Pancakes? Sheâs having pancakes? Now…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

More Whine With That?

Would you like some whine with your dinner? Or breakfast? Or lunch? That's no typo above. Whine is served at every meal at our house and at nearly every interval in between. Itâs not on my menu but it must be on my daughterâs. Shira, 3, whines when she wants things she knows are not likely to be hers (cookies half an hour before dinner) but also when her requests are likely to be grante…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

about this blog

Bonnie Rochman

Bonnie is a TriangleMom2Mom featured blogger, appearing every Monday.

She lives in Raleigh and has written for The News & Observer since 1998. She has covered political unrest in the Middle East and chronicled the experiences of entrepreneurs in Vietnam, but that was long before her new bosses -- there are three of them, one more demanding than the next -- presenting her with her most challenging assignment to date: juggling the needs and perceived wants of boy/girl preschoolers and their baby sister.

Bonnie also writes kids music reviews for TriangleMom2Mom.