Adventures In Motherhood

Everything I learned about parenting I learned from episodes of The Simpsons! Not exactly true as I responsibly recount smatterings of Parenting With Love and Logic along the way; however, as sure as the streets of Portland (creator Matt Groening's hometown) point to Springfield's namesakes, I can't help but admit my admiration for the show's creativity has impacted my parenting style. At my wits end this past month with my boys' hormones on fire and my patience wearing thin during 'May End-of-School-Year Madness', I reached for a consequence. D'oh!! Bart and his chalkboard antics came to mind and I reminded my children that parenting their Bart Simpson behavior was also in my playbook! Don't knock it until you try it! Seriously, parenting from a cartoon has its benefits. My children believe in the authenticity of sentence writing, having seen Bart's disdain for chalkboard punishment firsthand on T.V. Writing sentences on a notepad in the solac...

The past month has been anything but dull, consumed by two kids with birthdays, a new job involving travel for my husband, 5th grade science projects, band/vocal concerts, baseball games and track meets! Most days I'm treading water, barely surviving the end of school year/spring athletic schedule for our four children and bigly outnumbered. Just when I believed I had thought of everything, meticulously plotted out on our antiquated wall calendar, the low-balance lunch alert email came. My kids really despise all school lunches, with the exception of Thursday pizza, so there are worse calamities; nevertheless, I was confident I had diligently pre-loaded all of their accounts at the beginning of the school year to eliminate it from my to-do list. Dumbfounded, I activated my spy tradecraft to uncover the perpetrator weaseling away funds undetected. Busted! I caught the sneaky 7-year-old bandit with the toothless grin, who spilled the beans before I was forced to play my CIA 'lie ...

When people ask me "What do you do?" I laugh and reply, "Whatever it takes!" From non-profit fundraising and career work, to volunteer service and parenting one day at a time, I simply do whatever it takes! This is especially true with regards to my writing, whether personal stories or letters to persuade legislators, I'm certainly not in it for fame or fortune. Writing is personally cathartic and while it's my hope to lift the spirit of others, my true passion resounds with my children and memorializing our experiences. I cannot help but reflect on this passion today, April 20th, an important anniversary of the tragic Columbine shootings and other 4/20 'cultural' events, it also happens to be the date of my late father's birthday. My father would've been 71 today, had he lived longer than 47 years (a surreal number I'm fast approaching). It's hard for me to fathom experiencing only 20 years with my children, the short length of...

Parenting is a mixed bag of emotions requiring a thick skin. My husband and I must stay strong, rather than succumb to the pressure presented by our seemingly 'less fortunate children'. I am reminded of our children's inequities in relation to their peers on a daily basis. It seems we cannot keep up with the Joneses! "Everyone in 5th grade has a iPhone mom, but me!" exclaims my 11-year-old son. His 13-year-old brother with a flip-phone decidedly nods in agreement, chiming in "and you are the only parents who don't let us game all the time like my friends do!" "How come I'm the only one who has to buy her own cellphone?" shouts my 15-year-old daughter in frustration. "Why can't I have a laser tag ninja warrior party this year?" my 7-year-old inquires, keeping up with his siblings' attempts to wear us into submission. "Why do we have to do dishes and garbage?" they complain daily as we attempt to ease o...

This past Easter Sunday I was reminded of a less than stellar parenting moment from 2008 when we visited my brother's family in Chicago. With three small children under the age of four, we embarked on another unforgettable Forced Family Fun (#FFF) vacations. I'm quite confident that following our Easter escapades, my brother and his wife had second thoughts about expanding their family of three! Living in Colorado at the time, it was an adventure to fly to Chicago, where we resided during the 'honeymoon' phase of our marriage, post-college and pre-kids. Enjoying museums through the eyes of children was a surreal experience as we had finally arrived mature, responsible adults, rather than audacious adolescents of a decade prior. Feeling nervous as we entered my brother's pristine Chicago bungalow, with cream colored oversized chairs and neutral area rug, I somehow knew it was only a matter of hours before my children would leave a ruinous thoroughfare of destruct...

It seemed we had created our own street playground in Portland, with no less than a dozen children corralled every afternoon playing four square, tetherball, basketball, football, whiffle ball, you name it! A veritable dream for both children, eager to compete in fresh air, and smiling parents, tired of their kids' addiction to electronics, dreaming of yesteryear when street play was our only option as children. Balls were literally flying everywhere, cut-through street traffic was calmed, laughter resonated for blocks, and we created community, until February 9th, when we received a city citation claiming violation of the right-of-way ordinance for recreational items in the street. Shaking my head in disbelief as I read the notice, I was astounded that anyone would report such positive activity, let alone in progressive Portlandia! I was determined to overcome this vigilante justice. With negative news daily, children seem to be a beacon of hope for our future. Who would wan...

I will never regret playing hooky with my daughter this week. A justified 'mental health' day, we called it. A day to unplug and reset. To sleep in and rejuvenate. The day our souls connected in peace. Free from the fear of mass school shootings. Free from the pressures of social media. Free from the judgment of strangers. Free from the stress of schedules and to do lists. Free from negativity and injustice. Huddling together under blankets in the darkness. Sharing the experience of 'Pretty in Pink'. Realizing high school hasn't changed much. And clothes are back in style. I want her to know I understand. I'm here for you sweet child, no matter what. I have your back everyday. Even if threats at school persist. And you experience discomfort. Your world grows but I never waver. We continue to feed our souls. Thai food and yoga. Connecting in restoration and breath. Nurturing what's needed. Practicing stillness and letting go. Tru...