Search Results for: blog when okay is not good enough

I’m Not Crafty at Christmas

Is it worth saving money on Christmas decorations if you spend all of that savings on band-aids and burn cream? It started out innocently enough. A good friend of mine was getting a group of us together to participate in a tradition in our small town, an annual wreath making session at the town hall. A professional crafty person would teach us how to make gorgeous holiday wreaths with a live wreath and all of the supplies included, for a mere $10. The township  actually covers most of the cost for this event, since the live wreaths alone cost more than … Continue reading →

La La La I’m Not Listening …. Your Unwanted Advice on My Pregnancy

If it seems like the moment that you announced your pregnancy (or your growing belly announced it for you) coincided with a seemingly unending flow of “advice” from everyone and anyone, you are not alone. For some reason, there is just something about the sight of a pregnant woman that makes people unable to refrain from sharing nuggets of “wisdom” with her even if they have no idea who she is. Of course, pregnancy is not the only time that you will be bombarded with unwanted advice. Just try taking your newborn to the grocery store without a hat on, … Continue reading →

Thankful For The Day That Turned Out Okay

Today had all of the potential makings of a terrible day. Last night, Dylan went to bed about three hours later than he usually does. This morning, he got up a little before his regular wake up time. Since he normally gets about twelve hours of sleep each night and does not nap most days, I was concerned to say the least. When Dylan is overtired, he does not act like himself. I am sure that most toddlers act at least slightly out of sorts when they are overtired. As we ate breakfast, I wondered to myself when the difficulties … Continue reading →

How Not To Do Laundry

My daughter just got a new job. I told her it’s her first “big girl” job, she has to dress nicely and now works in a cubicle with the rest of the world. It also means that now she is doing laundry that is a little different than her fast food restaurant uniform. When she got the job I took her out and bought her some business clothes, this child lives in jeans and t-shirts. She has a few skirts and sweaters but not enough, she needed some more grown up clothes. Fast forward just one week and she has … Continue reading →

It’s Okay To Take The Couch

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For many pregnant women, there comes a point when your bed no longer offers the same comfort and relaxation it used to. Lying flat on any surface for any period of time sounds horrifying, since you know getting back up will be painful and you won’t get much rest. Lying on your back is not recommended and lying on your side can result in throbbing hip pain. I found that the least uncomfortable position to sleep in was a slightly reclined, seated position. Since I do not have a recliner, I repositioned a few pillows on the couch to recreate … Continue reading →

When Okay Is Not Good Enough

I worked in TV news for more than a decade and during that time I encountered (and often had to interview) more than my fair share of despicable human beings, including parents who paid more attention to their cigarettes than their own children. There was the dad who told a courtroom full of people that he loved beer more than his son (which is why he threw the kid down a flight of concrete stairs while intoxicated) and the mom who let her drugged up boyfriend silence her toddler daughter with a sawed-off shotgun when the child wouldn’t stop crying. … Continue reading →

Another Batch of Tips About Getting A Toddler to Eat

It seems that you guys just can’t get enough ideas about getting your toddler or preschooler to eat good food. There must be a lot of picky kids out there (okay, which kids aren’t right?). I am more than happy to oblige with another batch of tips about getting a toddler to eat. Hopefully, some of these ideas will work for you. Magic Animals Creatively transform your food into funny animals or different characters. I find that this tends to me my last resort when a stubborn child won’t eat a certain food no matter how many times I offer … Continue reading →

Fine Dining for Camping: Not Your Mother’s S’mores

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I’m sure some of you have noticed a week long absence in the food blog. Our family went camping last week–and we have survived it well enough to come back and tell you what we ate! Okay truthfully, we chose a camping spot that was close enough to my in-laws that if we had issues we could flee to refuge! The first night it poured buckets and buckets of rain and so we spent the night inside the centrally air conditioned home of my lovely in-laws. However, we did make it out the subsequent night and went to town on … Continue reading →

Remind Yourself to Smile (It’s Good for Your Health)

Can we say enough about smiling? I know that it can become almost trite to hear someone remind you to smile (me) or to hear those reminders about how much more likely people are to smile back if you smile first…blah, blah, blah, as some of my friends tend to say. The truth is, however, that when things are getting tough and ragged, sometimes reminding yourself to just generate a smile can change a day from bumpy to at least somewhat smoother. And, as single parents, I think we need all the tricks we can gather! I cannot remember where … Continue reading →

Well, You Just Never Know: A Few Good Men

I was on the treadmill tonight (yes, a miracle I know) when a commercial came on television. Normally, this would be the time to flip over to my alternate channel, you know, the one I visit so I don’t have to watch commercials. But, since my husband, the commercial fanatic, was in the room, I left it on. I tuned out and turned up the treadmill, so I really couldn’t hear the commercial, but I heard Randy say “I didn’t know that.” I looked up and saw the commercial was for a law firm and it said something about “When … Continue reading →