Illyse Lane

The Dark Hours

While I loved those young years of motherhood, I wouldnât want to go back.Â I like my sleep.Â Children that are toilet trained.Â A world without temper tantrums.Â A world without other children being hit by mine.Â But sometimes, when I see whatâs on the horizon, I wish I could trade the parenting struggles I face now with the ones I faced not so long ago. Itâs not tha…

Posted 9 mon. ago.

Ban the Pretty Boys - For Now

One of the challenges I face as a mom is putting aside my dislike of all things potentially dangerous. Of course, my version of dangerous would not be shared by the paramedics.Â I can pretty much say with confidence that the stuff I view as the most likely to inflict bodily harm would be called nothing less than âboys being boysâ by the hospital. Â

Posted 9 mon. ago.

Times Like These

Hello, U.S. Economy?Â If you are listening, I have a request. Please end this nasty game.Â We've all had enough. Â If you were trying to get us to wake up and pay attention, itâs worked. We are all listening.Â Except you donât really have anything nice to say.Â And, as I have taught Big Guy and Little Guy, if you have nothing nice to say, donât say anything at all.

Posted 9 mon. ago.

Sleep Magical Sleep

Last Thursday morning, when I opened my eyes, I was out of sorts. Discombobulated. It was dark in my bedroom.Â It was dark through the window.Â It must have been the middle of the night. But it was not night.Â It was 6:30 a.m..Â My usual wake-up time.Â And as I trudged slowly and sluggishly to the bathroom to brush my teeth, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.Â For that s…

Posted 10 mon. ago.

Brotherly Love and the Crazy Place

It was nearly two weeks of being home. All of us. Together. All day. And it was going so well. The weather was a big factor, contributing to long days spent outside. But everyone has a breaking point. Even on a warm winterâs day, it was inevitable. I shouldnât have been surprised.

Posted 10 mon. ago.

We Are Our Own Worst Enemy

It all started with a story.Â A story intended to get us talking.Â You see, something horrific had happened.Â A mother of a toddler told us how, while at the grocery store, she observed another mother holding a can of soda to her barely-a-toddlerâs mouth. And giving her a sip. Â Being friends who would NEVER do such a thing, we could instantly rattle off a handful of reasons why t…

Posted 10 mon. ago.

Snapshots of a Different Kind

If you open my nightstand drawer and dig under the few random souvenirs I have saved (such as the receipt from dinner the night Really Big Guy proposed and the boyâs hospital bracelets from their births), you will find sheets of paper neatly stacked.Â Dated by the year.Â Scribbled with New Yearâs Resolutions.

Posted 10 mon. ago.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

It's Christmas. Well, almost. Technically, it's Christmas Eve. And getting here has been filled with traditions. It's buying our tree from the same lot we have for the past 15 years. The pre-kids, pre-engagement lot. And make no mistake. We are dedicated to this little bunch of trees. Even if it means telling Little Guy that we are going to bypass the inviting, giant snowman set up on the s…

Posted 11 mon. ago.

The Break Up

Oh dear Target. My heart is heavy. I have to confess. Iâve been unfaithful. Itâs not my fault. I tried to make us work. Weâve been together for such a long time. But in the end, I had no choice. Tide, Eggos, Lucky Charms and those awesome frozen, steam in a bag, veggies are cheaper some place else. It pains me to say this. You know how I feel about you. And I canât really co…

Posted 11 mon. ago.

The Daddy Boat

We've never been a football family. Sure, like most men, Really Big Guy enjoys watching a game.Â But even though we both attended large universities with strong football teams, weâve pretty much managed to have the television off on Saturdays for quite some time. And because of this, Big Guy and Little Guy have never jumped on the football bandwagon. Yet lately, something is different.Â …

Posted 11 mon. ago.

about this blog

Illyse Lane

Illyse is a TriangleMom2Mom featured blogger, appearing every Thursday.

She is a stay-at-home mom who also works as a freelance writer. She resides in Raleigh with her husband and two sons, ages 8 and 10.Originally from New York, Illyse fled the cold to attend Florida State University. After a brief return to life in the city, she relocated to Raleigh to work for GE Capital and has never looked back. Illyse is sure that as long as all the boys in her home continue to speak, she will have plenty of material to write about.