I was talking with one of the other school moms this morning, and we were both singing the praises of our intrepid Girl Scout troop leader. She is like this dervish of glitter and badges and healthy snacks and perfectly organized Excel lists and always has every activity immaculately planned, plus she loves rescue dogs to boot. I mean, could we get any luckier? I am co-leader, I guess you could say Vice Leader, and much like the Vice President I don't do much. I offer moral support and ... Read more »
parenting
The long slow descent down the totem pole
I loved this recent post over at PetMd by Dr. Khuly talking about the association between becoming a new parent and having your pet pack on the pounds. I think anyone who has had a new baby as well as a pet can relate. Sure, everyone tells themselves, "Oh no! I know other people put their pets on the back burner but not me! I'm going to carry my kid around in a papoose and just go out with a jogging stroller every day at 5 am and we'll be just fine!" And yes, some people actually do that, and ... Read more »
A Tale of Two Birdies
There is something strange that comes over you when you become a mother. I don't limit myself to the idea of giving birth as the only way to inherit the title- as we all know, being a parent comes in many forms. The act of accepting responsibility for another living being sets upon your shoulders a weight that, despite its heaviness, you could no more bear to shrug off than your own skin. We've all heard and seen remarkable stories of mothers in nature doing tremendous things in defense of ... Read more »
Top 10 Reasons Being a Pet Mom Rules
As Mother's Day approaches, I look forward to the carefully painted foam picture frame and the 10 inch bead bracelet my kids have made for me and not so carefully hidden away. I also can't wait for the gummy omelet and watered down mimosas at the overcrowded Mother's Day brunch. I mean that sincerely. It is a rite of passage shared the world over, born of love and gratitude, and I wouldn't trade my lot in life for the world. That being said, coming into my seventh Mother's Day as an ... Read more »
Attitude Adjustments
It's been an oddly disquieting 24 hours. You know how they always say a modest life in an industrialized country is a life of untold wealth and riches in the third world? It's true. I mean, it's something you know on an intellectual level, but to experience it, and to live within it for even that short period of time, really cements the impression. Indoor plumbing? Luxury. Hot running water? Absolute decadence. A house with more than one toilet and multiple bathtubs? Palatial, really, by the ... Read more »
I am Capuchin
I spend a lot of time eavesdropping on the conversations of the other parents in my kids' classes. I try to participate when I have something pertinent to add, but the conversations are often about things I don't have much to say about: tanning jeans PTA meetings All three topics about which I quickly find myself in over my head. So I mostly listen, and nod at what seems like appropriate intervals. This week, the topic was Spring Break. Some parents are working, and the kids will ... Read more »
He saved the drama for his mamma
Saturday night, 11 pm. I am drifting off to sleep, in preparation for Sunday's trip to Vegas for the conference. I distinctly remember the glorious silence, thinking to myself the famous last words: It's so nice now that the kids are older and sleep through the night. 1 am: Screaming. Wheezing.My daughter, who was sleeping in my son's room, yelling for me that my son can't breathe. My son has had off and on bouts of croup since he was a little one, but it's been about a year since he had any ... Read more »
Love is in the air (at least I think that’s what it is)
Why do we humans have to make love so complicated? I've spent the last week listening to radio ads appealing to desperate men without a clue what to get for their mate: bears? chocolate? jewelry? pajamas? flowers? massages? Screw this one up and you could be paying for weeks, the ads direly imply. Kids don't have it much easier. When I was in elementary school, I would stress for days over which Valentine to give to which kid. Tommy's gross, so I can't give him the "Be Mine" ones. He gets the ... Read more »
You Will Love Me
Since we had the day off yesterday, I schlepped the kids to our local Safari Park for a little walk on the wild side. If you know anything about San Diego, you've probably heard about the World Famous San Diego Zoo (and that is how it refers to itself, the World Famous San Diego Zoo- there's confidence!) but you might not have heard about its wallflower sibling, the San Diego Wild Animal Park/Safari Park/whatever it's being called these days. Aside from its location in an often sweltering ... Read more »
Tomorrow we’re watching Nightmare on Elm Street
I think I'm going to need to start a whole new category for the myriad ways I am scarring my children for life. I can title it, "This is why it's good I did not choose a career path involving children." I'm not the cool parent. I'm not even the nerdy parent where it's ok because they know they are the nerdy parent and it's almost kind of geek-chic. I'm the nerdy parent who thinks they are cool, and that is about as bad as you can get, because I clearly lack judgment about this whole kid ... Read more »
Bathtime with Bengals
Every once in a while I come across a product so off the mark that I feel the need to write an anti-review. The last time I did it was for a product that propped the back door of your car or truck open, just enough to keep up appearances and stop the cops from busting open the window while still allowing your dog to get heat stroke in the sweltering interior. This time I'm jumping on the dog pile of vets clenching their teeth in horror at what might unintentionally be the worst dog related ... Read more »
Lions and spiders and bears…
After my post about spiders last week, Marcie from Helen Woodward Animal Center reminded me that their Fall Harvest Tour was happening this weekend. I remembered seeing the haunted house as it was being set up on my tour with Mike Arms a few weeks ago, and I was really excited about getting a chance to take my kids. Like everywhere, we have our usual assortment of pumpkin patches, hay rides (but in San Diego, that translates to a ride on a tractor around a cement parking lot) and the like, ... Read more »
Hearts and thoughts they fade
While I was cavorting at BlogPaws this weekend, my husband was getting some work done around the house, a task I truly appreciate as I despise housework with the hot flames of a thousand suns. While I would like to think this was because he just loves me that much, the cynic in me also whispered that perhaps he was just buttering me up for the abandonment that comes with the start of the NFL football season. No matter. I am still happy. One of his self-appointed tasks was to hang some ... Read more »
First impressions die hard
This week marks my daughter's second week of first grade. The first week of first grade was rather tough. They don't post the list of classes until one day before- of course this is done by design, to avoid the principal being hunted down at her home by hordes of "concerned" helicopter parents wanting to discuss the reasoning behind Timmy's classroom assignment. Of course, my daughter was given the one assignment I didn't want her to have- a combination class with a group of first and ... Read more »
Bringing home baby: Tips on furkid/ human kid relations
Happy Monday! While Brody, Koa and I are enjoying the Pacific Northwest, I have a few more wonderful guest posts lined up for the week. To kick things off, we have the wonderful Sarah from Cole's First Blog with a topic that has been a popular request: Getting the pets ready for the arrival of a new baby! I will fully admit when people ask me for advice on this topic I draw a blank- I didn't do any prep ahead of time and dealt with the consequences of an attention-starved Golden who peed on ... Read more »
I’m not cut out for the ref job
My children have spent the wee dawning days of summer re-enacting the World Cup. On this side, representing the Bipedia, we have the Daughter and the Son. On the other side, from the United Republic of Retrievers, we have Koa and Brody. And we're off! Daughter runs the ball, easily dodges Koa, and heads down the field. Son goes running after, screaming that he wants a turn. The goalie stands firm. Daughter feigns to the side, then punts the ball past the goalie, who pounces on it, ... Read more »
All I really need to know I learned while my daughter was in kindergarten
Yesterday was a really bittersweet day for me. It was my daughter's last day of kindergarten. I didn't think it would hit me quite this hard, but it really got me right in the throat to watch all the little munchkins skip up to the teacher with their little cardboard caps to pick up their kindergarten diplomas. The teacher took them down to the field for a few minutes to run some energy off before the afternoon graduation party, and while they were doing that I joined a couple of the parents ... Read more »
Things that strike terror into my heart
You all remember the Great Apple the Hamster Switcheroo I mentioned last week, right? It all went down at the home of the resident kindergarten rabble-rouser, a sweet yet entirely Tasmanian Devil-esque bundle of unrestrained kid energy. Let's call him Harold, just because. If you asked me in December who would win the "Most Likely to Accidentally Lose or Otherwise Injure a Small Animal" award I would have picked Harold. He just has that "Ohwowlookabugcoolcheckitout*SQUISH*ohwhoopshahah" sort ... Read more »
