Hurricane Irene is headed our way, and while we are inland, our area is prone to flooding. Not sure what to expect, we have moved some of the things stored in our basement onto pallets and charged our cell phones.We are unlikely to have to evacuate, though many parts of our state have been evacuated, but I wonder whether many of our readers do keep "go" bag with 3 days worth of supplies ready to go if you need to evacuate on short notice?My children were listening to the storm coverage on … [Read more...]

I want to remember mornings like this, when I feel pulled in so many directions.I want to remember the sweet hands and voices the beckon me to join them in bed-top, made-from-scratch Lego games.I want to remember how much I'm needed--for breakfast, for snuggles, for doling out medicine, for walking the dog.I want to remember the sweet play on the floor of the living room.I want to remember the smiles and laughter and even the arguments.I want to remember the laundry still sitting in … [Read more...]

 I have often worried about what I am doing to my children's psyches by allowing them to cry a little bit as they learn to sleep through the night. That said, I know what it does to their psyches to have a deranged, sleep deprived mother, and I think that it is worth it. Plus, my anecdotal evidence tells me that the better my children sleep the happier, calmer and smarter they seem to be. I am glad to have some scientific evidence to back me up -- it turns out that the cortisol levels are … [Read more...]

My husband and I just celebrated our wedding anniversary with a 5-course French dinner in the city. (Thank you, Groupon!) During long dates, we get so carried away in conversation that I sometimes forget we have little ones back home.We agreed how hard it is to believe we've now known each other for 12 years and have been married for 7 years.Hard to believe, that is, until these four bounce into the room. I hope we have many, many more years of this! … [Read more...]