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I am The Keeper of The Fruit Loops, Manager of the Fecal Roster and the Driver of the People Mover. In other words, I'm a mom.

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News Flash: Gifted Kids Are Not Always Valedictorians

September 13, 2020 By Christine 1 Comment

Gifted kids

From an early age, our son was inquisitive, precocious and speaking full sentences by the time he was two. When I was out in public with him, older women would always comment on his verbal ability. And they’d all say the same thing, “Oh, he must be gifted. He’s going to go to Harvard, I […]

Filed Under: Parenting My Way Tagged With: gifted teens, parenting teens

When Should Teens Get a Part-Time Job? Hubby and I Disagree

September 6, 2020 By Christine 2 Comments

part-time job

I can distinctly remember my first job interview. I was fresh out of high school and was hoping to make extra money during the summer to pay for college. I scheduled an interview at a local temp agency and was hired for a part-time job doing secretarial work in offices in my area. On my […]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

The Day My Son Got His Driver’s Permit –and an Unexpected Gift

August 30, 2020 By Christine Leave a Comment

driver's permit

My son’s interest in toy cars has gradually been replaced by an interest in a car of his own and he eagerly awaited the day he could finally get his driver’s permit. When he was a toddler, he was obsessed with trains and cars. Practically every picture I have of him during those years includes […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough Tagged With: parenting teens

The Sweet Valley High Books Made Middle School Easier For Me

August 16, 2020 By Christine Leave a Comment

Sweet Valley High

BONUS CONTENT: Would you like to read a chapter of the Sweet Valley that never made it to print? Spoiler alert: I make a cameo! Yes, really! When I was in fifth grade, my family moved from the Northeast to Texas. I was a fish out of water in my new town, and I struggled […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough Tagged With: books, reading

5 Things I’d Forgotten About Being A Teenage Girl

August 9, 2020 By Christine Leave a Comment

Teenage girl

When I was a teenager, I distinctly remember spending an entire afternoon organizing my makeup into a Caboodles case. I spent hours arranging my Cover Girl foundation, blue and green eye shadow palettes, and hot pink blush kits in my carryall. I’m not sure why I thought I was going to need to haul every […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough Tagged With: parenting teens, teen girls

It Takes A Village To Raise Teens and I’m Grateful For Mine

August 5, 2020 By Christine Leave a Comment

It takes a village

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to wade through this motherhood thing with some pretty amazing friends in my parenting village. In the early years, the moms who commiserated with me over potty training battles and nap time dramas were my life line. As my kids hit the halls of elementary school, I was grateful […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough Tagged With: friendships, parenting

My Teen Had a Difficult Teacher and He Survived. Yours Will, Too.

August 2, 2020 By Christine Leave a Comment

My son had a difficult teacher

Over the years, my kids have experienced a variety of teaching styles in the classroom. And, though most of their teachers have been awesome, my son has had two teachers that made life more challenging for all of us—and learning how to deal with difficult teachers taught us a lesson in resiliency. My son walked into […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough Tagged With: parenting teens, teachers

I Graduated from Marvel University…with Honors

July 29, 2020 By Christine Leave a Comment

Marvel

I was nine years old when Return of the Jedi hit the theaters. I remember sitting in a darkened movie theater on a hot summer day with a bucket of popcorn on my lap. As I watched the X-wing starfighters fly across the screen, I distinctly remember thinking that science fiction movies weren’t my thing. The Ewoks […]

Filed Under: Parenting My Way Tagged With: marvel, parenting teens

This Viral Hearing Experiment Proves Teens Can Actually Hear You

July 26, 2020 By Christine Leave a Comment

Teen hearing music

Once again, a heated Internet debate is flaring, only this time, it’s pitting kids and teens against parents. And it’s glorious, trust me. Spoiler alert: a hearing experiment that has taken the internet by storm proves teens have been ignoring you since forever. Yes, really. The people of the Internet love a good debate, particularly […]

Filed Under: Parenting My Way, Uncategorized Tagged With: friendships, parenting teens

Don’t Hate Me: My Teens Are Best Friends (Yes, Really)

July 22, 2020 By Christine 1 Comment

best friends

I hear the slider door of our beach house squeak and the sound of footsteps as they amble down the wooden deck stairs. I can hear them before I see them: my teens are headed out on their summer evening ritual. Every night, shortly after dinner, they grab an ice cream from our beach house […]

Filed Under: Parenting My Way, Uncategorized Tagged With: parenting, parenting teens

My Son’s Senior Year Feels Like Time Is Running Out

July 19, 2020 By Christine 3 Comments

Senior year is coming

I hear the mudroom door slam and the sound of my son yelling, “I’m home, Mah. What’s for dinner?” floats up the stairs to my office. I find him, rummaging in the refrigerator, ravenous after a full day of working on a house renovation for a local realtor. His job this summer has kept him […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough Tagged With: parenting, parenting teens, teens

Musings on a Pandemic and Where The Hell I’ve Been for 6 Months

July 19, 2020 By Christine 2 Comments

Pandemic musings

Welp, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve graced this site with new content. Six whole months, in fact. <throws side eye to the global pandemic> Back in December 2019, I had big plans to hit the ground running in 2020. I was going to write all the blogs! I was going to say all […]

Filed Under: Parenting My Way Tagged With: pandemic life, parenting

Everyone Needs To Be Rescued: My Skiing Adventure From Hell

January 10, 2020 By Christine 2 Comments

skiing

Seven years ago, I strapped on a set of ski boots and skis and immediately fell down a ski mountain. For real. Did I mention I suck at skiing? A little back information: though I grew up in the Northeast, my experience with skiing was limited to a few attempts in high school and college. […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough Tagged With: skiing, wtf

A Break Up Letter To The Elf On The Shelf: We Are So Over

November 1, 2019 By Christine 2 Comments

Elf on The Shelf with Christmas decorations

Dear Herbie the Elf, I feel as though it’s time we had a talk. I’ve been very unhappy for a very long time and I bet that if you were honest with yourself, you’d admit that you have known for a while that things were not right between us.  I’m sure that you’ve noticed that […]

Filed Under: Holly Daze Tagged With: Christmas, Elf On The Shelf, Holly Daze

Dear Publix: Thanks For Making College Parents Ugly Cry At The Holidays

October 23, 2019 By Christine Leave a Comment

ugly cry

The holidays are upon us and many of us are waiting anxiously for our college kids to barge in the front door yelling, “I’m home!” And, for those of us who sent our first kids off to college this fall, it can feel like an eternity as we count down the days to having all […]

Filed Under: Holly Daze Tagged With: Holly Daze, home for the holidays, thanksgiving

Grandparents Are The Real MVPs When It Comes To Raising Teens

October 19, 2019 By Christine Leave a Comment

Grandparents

When my husband and I were planning our wedding, our videographer asked us for pictures of us as kids for an opening montage he was planning. As my future mother in law and I combed through photo albums, it seemed every picture of my husband made her sigh even louder. As she reminisced, she told […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough

Beyond Flowers And Food: There’s Only So Much Lasagna You Can Eat In A Crisis

October 10, 2019 By Christine Leave a Comment

Bereavement gifts

On the day my father died, I drove to work on that crisp October morning with my mind fixated on the pumpkin spice coffee I was going to treat myself to on the way. “Maybe a muffin, too,” I thought. Why not?  I bustled into the office where I was subbing as a school nurse […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: grief, grief sucks, grieving

I Didn’t Expect My Son’s Sixteenth Birthday To Hit Me So Hard

October 1, 2019 By Christine 2 Comments

Sixteenth birthday

As the waitress slipped the huge piece of chocolate cake across the table, the candle that she’d added illuminated my son’s teenaged face. With a big smile, he listened as we sang “Happy Birthday” to him and he eagerly tucked into the cake when we were finished. He joked that he’d probably need to order […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough Tagged With: teenagers

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