Tag: children

Supertween is a super snacker

“I’m putting the leftovers out for dinner. Where are the green olives?” “I ate them.” “Where are the shrimp?” “I ate them.” “Where are the black olives?” “I ate them.” “Do you want me to fix you a plate of meat and vegetables?” “No. I’m not hungry.”

I’m the Thanksgiving Grinch

At some point, I need to crawl out of the quicksand of depression and fake Ça ne fait rien long enough to tell the youngest children that Starving Artist isn’t coming home for Thanksgiving because travel costs are doubled on holidays. After I tell them, I will resume hating myself for encouraging Starving Artist to […]

little things with large impact

When I’m not playing mom taxi this summer, I’m tackling the house, one room at a time. Every room is getting the three pile treatment before being carefully organized. An old toy in a new location gets fresh attention. Lost socks are found in completely inexplicable locations. That ‘weird’ smell is finally identified as a […]

Girls v Boys – Stomach Bug

Girls – At the first hint of digestive difficulties, girls stop eating to avoid vomit. They would rather sleep on the bathroom floor than have an accident in their bedroom. Girls will quietly play or watch a cartoon between naps. The first sign of recovery is the girl changing from pitiful to cranky. Even when […]

rocks in the pocket

Last year, I was constantly digging rocks out of the smallest child’s pockets, the washing machine and the dryer. Then, summer arrived and although said child spent large parts of each day outside, there were no rocks in my laundry. School began two weeks ago and the rocks have returned. I am perplexed by the […]

Packing for camp

The aisles at the big, red, bullseye store might be decorated for back-to-school, but the shopping carts revealed that there was a lot of summer camp purchasing happening. Two women in the soap/body wash aisle discussed the quantity of body wash their children would need at camp. “If they shower after every swim, they’ll need […]

They are not blank slates

I went to eat lunch in the elementary cafeteria and the 8-year-olds told me where to sit. “There’s always an empty seat next to the end, cause that girl doesn’t sit beside the rest of us.” The horde of girls chattered away with a predictability that made me wonder if they have the same conversations […]