Crazy Is My Life

Wanted: Instruction Manual

I remember it clearly.Â As my husband carefully navigated the drive home from the hospital, and I sat in the back seat, anxiously watching my newborn son as he slept in his car seat, I wondered:Â âWho gave me permission to have this baby?â Despite the hours I had spent reading what to expect during and after pregnancy, despite the advice sought from friends, despite the information…

Posted -240537 sec. ago.

Facebook Friends?

I did it. I just "unfriended" someone from Facebook. Don't worryâit wasn't you. In fact, it wasn't even someone I knew. It was someone who knew someone I knew, so when the person requested friendship, I figured, why not? I trusted our mutual connection, and I knew it was harmless.

Posted 4 days ago.

5 Things I Know Now That I Didn't Know Then...…

Have you ever wished you knew how things would turn out, in advance? While Iâm short on precognition, I have realized that some of the things I know now that I didnât know when I was a young mother might actually benefit those of you who are at that stage. In no particular order, here are my pearls of wisdom:

Posted 1 week ago.

Curses!

When my boys were little, I wouldnât let them watch the cartoon, Rugrats.Â That Angelica, she was downright disrespectful. And when she was surprised by something, sheâd exclaim: âWhat the----â leaving the ending unsaid.Â But really, what could she possibly have ended with that wasnât either a profanity or a substitute for one?Â I didnât want that chickieâ…

Posted 2 weeks ago.

Diversity Appeal

It may sound a little strange, but I really want some diversity for my children.Â I know it seems ironic because in many of our circles, my family and I are the ones who provide diversity to the group.

Posted 3 weeks ago.

It's a Black (History) Thing

The other day, my daughter said she didn't like Black History Month. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the contributions made by African Americans, or the fact that those contributions were being recognized. But she wondered why these contributions had to be singled out. After all, she told me, there was no Caucasian History Month. I had to explain to my eleven-year-old about the way things use…

Posted 1 mon. ago.

No More Snow Days....Please?

I really hope that by the time you read this blog, it will be outdated.Â We typically submit our blogs about 5 days before it appears, so I start writing about a week ahead.Â (Usually.) So here it is, Tuesday.Â And we have a snow day.Â Our second school snow day, but in reality, the fourth day of being more or less homebound because of the weather.Â Thatâs four days with three …

Posted 1 mon. ago.

You Don't Say!

Sometimes I am amazed, flabbergasted and just plain gob stopped by the comments that come out the mouths of adults. Like when I was six months pregnant with my second child, and the checkout clerk at Toys R Us told me I looked like I was eight months pregnant.Â I may have thought I was big, but I certainly didnât need a stranger confirming that opinion.

Posted 1 mon. ago.

Me, 2.0

When I was growing up, I hated gym class. Although I used to ride my bike around the neighborhood, I never did anything related to a sport. Apparently, strength, speed and coordination were useful attributes in pursuing athletic endeavors. My lack of athletic prowess did not go unnoticed by others. In fact, it was a good day when I got chosen second to last, but not dead last, in dodge ball. Even…

Posted 1 mon. ago.

A Major Decision

I'd like to think it was an innate desire to help people that made me want to be a paramedic. Or it could be that I was unduly influenced by the excitement, drama and danger that the paramedics experienced on my favorite show, Emergency! (And yes, the exclamation point is a part of the show's title.) Or it could be that even as an 11-year-old, I could tell that Randolph Mantooth, the actor who pla…