Giving New Meaning to Parenting

Let me start off here by stating for the record my bias, that breastfeeding my children was something I found not only personally fulfilling but also a one of the most important things I have done as their mother. I did so, even though I was working full time and had to pump milk [...]

Twinks and I are sitting together on the couch.  She is actually lying on the couch, her head in my lap.  She is exhausted; the emotional turmoil and physical pain of the last 2 months has left her with no reserves.  She drifts off to sleep, and as I look down at her, my mind [...]

I have a question.
As many of you know I homeschool my 4 boys. Most of the time if people question me at all, they ask about “socialization”. I usually answer by listing off the many activities outside the home in which they routinely participate. The questioner nods, satisfied.
I had a [...]

My son came to me the other day, asking if he could get a hotrod. Yeah, completely did not see that coming. Even as we were helping him practice driving, even as he passed his behind-the-wheel test, I did not prepare myself for “What about a hotrod?” I just figured he’d get the license and [...]

I remember when I first became a mother. I considered a day where I had showered and thrown in a load of laundry while taking care of my newborn to be a success. As time went on, things got easier, but I was still really busy. I remember having a sneaking suspicion [...]

All of you single parents out there; my heart goes out to how challenging your life can be. A few times each year I get a glimpse of how hectic it might be to be a single parent. Yet, I know these short experiences do not compare to being a single parent every single day.
Last [...]

I got a chance to talk to Joel Arquillos of 826LA this past week. The 826 projects have “outlets” in several cities, offering free tutoring and creative writing classes for kids after school, as well as doing outreach to schools during the week. They have summer writing camps. But the best part [...]

Many pieces had to fall in to place to make us reach a point where we decided to have all 9 of us live together. My mother passed away and my nephew’s non-custodial mother moved away from the area where my brother lived. He wouldn’t have left there if they were still around. My husband [...]

The kids are busy, I get that. They have school, homework, soccer, etc. But I still want them to contribute to the house and its upkeep. Yet getting them to do chores is like asking them to swallow hot coals. Still, I needed to solve this problem. Parenting advisers say, “Pick Your Battles.” Well, this [...]

We had our five year old granddaughter, whom I can’t keep calling “Little Stuff” much longer, staying with us last weekend while her parents were away.  When we took her home on Monday night, the house looked like a daycare from hell.  A puzzle on the coffee table and another on the record cabinet, her [...]