The Next Step
My son graduated from preschool last week. I’m not sure how it happened. How did ten months fly by so quickly? One minute he’s reluctantly letting go of my hand and walking toward the door of his classroom with his shiny clear backpack and Lightning McQueen lunchbox. The next thing I know I’m sitting on a bench in the school cafeteria blinking back tears as he presents me with a hug, paper flower, and laminated diploma. I am [...]
Going back to school as a working, single parent is hard. Actually, just being a single parent is a lot of work, but add in late night online classes and hours of reading and writing and you’re left with very little downtime. I knew pursuing my master’s degree would be time consuming but I had no idea how regimented my life would become. Nearly every minute of my day is scheduled and accounted for, which unfortunately means I’ve [...]
We don’t always think about them, do we? Many times, we just do what we want and assume nothing bad will happen. We all make mistakes. Consequences are supposed to occur. We learn from them. Allowing consequences to happen is one of the ways I teach my son. If he talks back to me, he doesn't get to watch Garfield or ride bikes with me before bath time. It devastates him when I tell him no. It’s as [...]
It’s 11:00pm on a Sunday and you can’t relax. You crawl into bed, pull the covers up to your chest and start replaying all the conversations and text message exchanges you’ve had in the last week, or ahem, year. You become fidgety as you think of something you wish you’d said differently, or maybe you wish you hadn’t said anything at all. You’re frustrated and angry at yourself and you reach for your phone to consult Google for [...]
Recently, my son and I made a trip to North Carolina so he could spend some time with his dad. We were both excited about the warmer weather and change of scenery. We started our drive on Friday afternoon and arrived at our hotel 5 long hours later. How we made it from Charleston to Charlotte without stopping for food or bathroom breaks took a considerable amount of determination on both our parts, especially while we took turns complaining about [...]
My son’s birthday is tomorrow. He can’t wait to be 4. He’s excited about starting preschool and playing sports and getting taller. He cheers when he’s outgrown a pair of shoes. He loves to look at his growth chart on the wall in our laundry room. Each night he stands on his little blue step stool as he brushes his teeth and makes faces at himself in the mirror saying to me, “Mommy, I will be taller than you [...]
The weekend before Labor Day I surprised my son with a trip to the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium. I packed our bags, loaded the car and strapped my little man into his car seat. I handed him the iPad and mentally prepared myself to listen to the TROLLS movie soundtrack on repeat. Off we went. The fourth time I heard Poppy and Branch sing Can’t Stop the Feeling!, I made up new words. I got this feeling, inside my [...]
Coffee. It’s a morning staple. Part of my daily routine. I don’t even have to think about what I’m doing. My body just instinctively goes to the pantry, retrieves the bag of ground up goodness, scoops it into the filter, and pours the water. Then I wait while the smell of coffee gradually fills my kitchen. Just a whiff of the aromatic brew can perk my senses check cialis and similar here . How do I feel when [...]
Around this time last year my best friend and I were shopping at a Target in Houston. She was in Texas to receive cancer treatment at MD Anderson and I was there to offer moral and emotional support. We visited the store to stock up on essentials for her 5 week stay. The first stop - seasonal dollar items located within steps of the store entrance. Yes, we absolutely need magnets, plastic tumblers, and heart shaped notepads. What [...]
Sunday mornings. I mean every single Sunday morning. It doesn’t matter if we have 3 hours to get ready or 30 minutes. My son and I are still late for church. He wants something else to eat. His underwear doesn't match his socks. We can’t find the other shoe. The tag on his shirt is itchy. He wants to wear his pajamas to church today because “Jesus loves me the way I am.” It’s a little hard [...]