Live and Let Di

Rites of Passage

From the time I became pregnant, my mind was awhirl with all of the steps of the pregnancy, delivery, parenting, etc. I was always looking toward the next rite of passage whether it is the first step, the first day of kindergarten or the day my daughter enrolled in driverâs ed. We anticipate the biological rites of passage that they will experience and make certain that we provide them with t…

Posted 7 mon. ago.

Everything you always wanted to know about ...

If you ever want to get a rousing conversation going amongst a group of moms, I have one word for youâ¦.SOCKS!

Posted 7 mon. ago.

April Showers

Almost everyone has a big baby shower for the first baby. In my case, there were three of us in my office due within four weeks of each other, so we had a big joint shower. I got some gifts that I had no clue what they would be used for in the coming months. That diaper genie thing really had me confused. There were lots of adorable baby clothes which were perfect for my first child who was not a …

Posted 7 mon. ago.

The Big Toe

Carolina Tarheels all over the country are crying their eyes out. As Iâm writing this and pushing the envelope to get it published, it was just announced on SportsCenter (which runs on a continuous loop at my house) that the Tarheels went bowling to unwind during this crazy week leading to the Final Four. A petite blonde came up to Ty Lawson to ask for an autograph and dropped her 10-pound bo…

Posted 7 mon. ago.

The Ten-Year Nap

This is not about my afternoon sleeping habits ... and my naps rarely reach the length where they are measured in years! The Ten-Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer is the best book I've read in, well, years! Or maybe it just seemed like that since I wolfed it down over the course of two rainy, gloomy days a couple weekends ago.

Posted 8 mon. ago.

The Good Stuff

The "good stuff" has been defined both as high quality liquor and the good life. (If you don't believe me, listen to Kenny Chesney singing "The Good Stuff" and I dare you not to tear up just a little.) At my house, itâs actually good STUFF. We bicker over who gets the good stuff. Sometimes we hide the good stuff where others canât find it and take it over. Sometimes we magnanimously give…

Posted 8 mon. ago.

Tax Deduction

The other day, The N&O published a letter to the editor from a reader who is appalled at the gross overpopulation of our planet and the resulting burden on our resources. He admits that, âit may be too late to overcome the basic problem,â but we âmight begin by stopping our national and state subsidization of bearing more than two children by allowing tax deductions for each depende…

Posted 8 mon. ago.

Friends: We are all different. We are all the same…

On a typical Friday at "The Cantina," you might find a gathering of the following women:Â a part-time working Mom of two (me); a stay-at-home (although sometimes I think itâs âstay-in-vanâ) Mom of three; a full-time working Mom of one; a stay-at-home Mom who would much rather be working than battling breast cancer; a corporate attorney who has chosen not to have children; a singl…

Posted 8 mon. ago.

Waiting

There are several comfy chairs in the orthodontistâs office where I am sitting. When we arrive for each appointment, I cast my eyes around the waiting room to see which of the comfy chairs best meets my requirements, which are: 1. away from the toddler with the green stuff coming out of her nose and a cough like an old guy who has smoked three packs of Camels (unfiltered) a day for the last 5…

Posted 8 mon. ago.

They Grow Up So Fast

They grow up so fast!

Posted 9 mon. ago.

about this blog

Live and Let Di

Diane is a TriangleMom2Mom featured blogger, appearing every Wednesday.

I try to be the voice of Moms with teens. My daughter Haley is 16. She's at that age where she is convinced that I know nothing. I'm thinking I'll seem a lot smarter when she's 22. We bond over Broadway shows. My son Rory is 13. He started reading the sports page when he was 5 and his passion for anything sports-related has grown ever since. This year he beat out 9 guys in their 40s to win his Fantasy Football League. Watch for him on ESPN in a few years.

My husband Hurley works from home, but travels quite a bit. When he's gone, I usually take a break from making dinner and cleaning the house. Oh, I don't do those things regularly when he's here either! Our parenting philosophy is "choose your battles." The only problem is that we often choose different battles. It keeps it interesting!!!