Keeper of the Fruit Loops

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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I Parent My Teens Through The Lens of Grieving. And It Sucks.

March 24, 2019 By Christine 1 Comment

Grieving

My teenaged son walked in the door from school and I caught a glimpse of my father. It was fleeting, lasting only milliseconds, but for a tiny moment in time, I could see the way my father’s features had melded with my son’s. And, as it happens during those moments, my heart broke a little […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: grief, teenagers, teens

My Teen Daughter Has Found Her Passion And It Takes My Breath Away

March 17, 2019 By Christine 1 Comment

Teens passion

I came to the sport of running late in life. Though I ran on my high school track team, I hung my running shoes up for many years until the strain of sleepless nights and baby weight became too much for me. In my early thirties, I dusted off on my running shoes and I […]

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

Sending a Kid to High School Is Harder Than The First Day of Preschool

March 10, 2019 By Christine 3 Comments

High school teens

When the nurse handed my son to me, I expected to feel an instantaneous bond. As I peeled back his blanket and took in his old man scowl, though, I surprised myself as the words, “I’m not qualified to raise a human” came to mind. And I promptly looked around for a grown up because […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough Tagged With: high school, High School Daze, teens

Social Media Has Brought Me Closer To My Teens And I’m Not Sorry

March 3, 2019 By Christine 2 Comments

social media

As any parent of teens will tell you, social media and technology are a part of a teen’s everyday life. From texting to snapping, teens are wholly immersed in a media world that still feels foreign to parents of our generation. And, if you are like me, it can often feel like you are struggling […]

Filed Under: Parenting My Way Tagged With: social media, teens

I Am The Mom With The Big Mouth So You Don’t Have To Be.

February 24, 2019 By Christine 3 Comments

Big mouth mom.

Recently, I dropped my 15-year-old son off for a weekend away with friends. They were going canoeing and he was excited to spend 48 hours knee deep in water and sleeping on a hammock with his buddies. As I stood with him, waiting for them to pack up their gear, I assessed the group, particularly […]

Filed Under: Parenting My Way Tagged With: teens

I Connect With My Teens On Social Media And I Love It

February 17, 2019 By Christine 2 Comments

connect with teens.

As any parent of teens will tell you, social media and technology are a part of a teen’s everyday life. From texting to snapping, teens are wholly immersed in a media world that still feels foreign to parents of our generation. And, if you are like me, it can often feel like you are struggling […]

Filed Under: Parenting My Way

Living With Teens Means Sexy Time Is Tricky

February 10, 2019 By Christine Leave a Comment

Sexy time with teens around.

When you tell people you are about to become a parent for the first time, the jokes about never sleeping again are almost immediate. And, once your friends have sufficiently warned you that you’ll be exhausted for eighteen years, the jokes switch to your sex life. Or lack thereof, that is. “Playdates with other people’s […]

Filed Under: Behind Closed Doors Tagged With: sexy time

When Cancer Came To My Family, The Hidden Stresses Were Surprising

February 6, 2019 By Christine 2 Comments

Cancer related stresses

I was compensated by Med-IQ through educational grants from AbbVie, Astellas, and Genentech to write about managing distress for cancer patients and their caregivers.  All opinions are my own. When my phone buzzed in my pocket, I was filing papers on a brisk January morning. I smiled when I saw my Dad’s number pop up on my […]

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

7 Mom Habits I Will Never Be Able To Break (And I’m Not Sorry)

February 3, 2019 By Christine Leave a Comment

Mom habits

“Do you have enough money?” “Do you know where to meet me afterward?” “You know not to talk to strangers, right? If you have a problem, look for a mom. Moms always help.” “Did you pee? Maybe you should pee before you go?” He looked at me and rolled his eyes, his patience for my […]

Filed Under: Parenting My Way

The Day I Realized My Teen Daughter Had a Voice (and A Mind) of Her Own

January 27, 2019 By Christine 5 Comments

Teenaged daughter has a voice.

She was the baby who almost wasn’t. When I was seventeen weeks pregnant with her, I was in a devastating head on car accident. The relief my husband and I felt when we saw her heartbeat, wild and strong, at the hospital where I was treated was palpable. Our girl was a fighter. She came […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough Tagged With: badass, teenagers

Parents, We Need To Talk About The Word “Commitment”

January 24, 2019 By Christine 9 Comments

Commitment

Parents, we need to have a chat.  *pauses to allow parents to grab coffee and gather ’round* Can we please talk about the word, “commitment”? Or, shall I say, the overuse of the word “commitment” when we are talking to our teens about their extracurricular activities? (My apologies to the parents who thought I was […]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: teens

I Can’t Remember A Time When My Teen Didn’t Wear A Hoodie

January 20, 2019 By Christine 1 Comment

Hoodie sweatshirt

To live with a teenager means you are familiar with the esteem in which they hold their hooded sweatshirts. Just take a walk down any crowded high school hallway and you’ll find that pretty much every teen is wearing some version of a hoodie. In fact, they wear them all day, every day. The fires […]

Filed Under: Parenting My Way Tagged With: teenagers

No One Told Me The Age of Fifteen Is So Smelly (and Also Wonderful)

January 16, 2019 By Christine 3 Comments

fifteen

Fifteen. A milestone, they say. In fact, companies give employees gold watches after 15 years of service. Even the word “fifteen” sounds official. And yet, fifteen is still young. Fifteen is “Hey, Mah, can you take me to the store, I need a poster board for school?” because you can’t drive yet. Fifteen is dipping […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough

Hubby Took Me On A Birthday Trip From Hell (There Was Puking)

January 13, 2019 By Christine Leave a Comment

Trip from hell

My father turned forty when I was thirteen. I can remember my mother secretly planning a surprise party for him and wondering what all of the fuss was about. She stashed party decorations and cases of beer and soda at a friend’s house. She wrote out invitations when he was at work and intercepted phone […]

Filed Under: The Keeper Travels, The Keeper Travels And You Should Tagged With: birthday hell

That Time Hubby Bought Me My 80s Dream Car

January 12, 2019 By Christine 2 Comments

Car from the movie Can't Buy Me Love

We all have that one object that tethers us to another place and time. Whether it’s a favorite college sweatshirt or a cherished book, the object helps us remember a time when afternoons were long and carefree and adult responsibilities were minimal. For some, the object or item may even represent at time when they […]

Filed Under: Behind Closed Doors Tagged With: 80s

Motherhood Is A Circus: 10 Truths That Only Mom Runners Understand

November 25, 2018 By Christine 2 Comments

Motherhood is a circus and mom runners run away from home.

Being a mother is stressful. Some days, you feel like a lion tamer in charge of monkeys while juggling fire batons. Blindfolded. And those are the good days. On the rough days, the ones where I can’t take it one more minute, I run away from home. No, really, I actually lace up my running […]

Filed Under: The Keeper Runs Tagged With: running

News Flash: Our Teens Are Over Scheduled And Parents Are To Blame

November 18, 2018 By Christine 1 Comment

Teens are over scheduled and parents are to blame.

When my son announced last week that he wanted to apply for his first summer job, I was dubious. Though he’s fifteen years old and quite responsible, I wasn’t sure I was ready for him to take on the commitment of a part time job over the summer. Frankly, the thought of having to drive […]

Filed Under: Parenting Is Hard Enough Tagged With: parenting, what the hell

Pneumococcal Pneumonia Will Take Your Breath Away, Literally

November 10, 2018 By Christine Leave a Comment

Pneumococcal pneumonia is deadly.

I was compensated by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases through an unrestricted educational grant from Merck & Co., Inc. to write about pneumococcal disease but all opinions are my own. It was during a game of dodge ball when I was 12 that my life changed forever. Along with my classmates, I was running […]

Filed Under: Keeper Approved Tagged With: sponsored

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