I have to say, I find one of the greatest insults to our attempts at proper childhood nutrition (both as parents, as someone who attempts to guide others on a path for proper nutrition) is the Child Menu at restaurants. Who are you, restaurant X, to tell me that my child only likes and so should choose from chicken nuggets, pizza or a burger? Who are you to tell me that my child wants to drink juice or soda? Who are you to undermine my attempts to get my child to enjoy the

I saw this once somewhere in Internet land. Since boys are home from school for a week-long break, this is completely useful right now! I am not responsible for fixing everything for my kids. I am not responsible for their happiness. You're bored? Okay. That’s your choice. What are YOU going to do about YOUR boredom? Your brother is irritating? Well, welcome to life. People are irritating. What are YOU going to do so that you can enjoy your day even when other people don't d

Let's face it: your kid(s) has needs that you need to meet. Some are needs (little n) and some are NEEDS; honestly, at times, it can be hard to distinguish between the two. And, to make things even more complicated, thanks to commercialism, our whiny children, and the powerful effect of peer pressure (both adult and youth), it can be hard to determine what can help meet those needs. You, as a parent, are constantly bombarded by what you need to accumulate (read: if you don

(aka 10 things I am so very happy that my kids have learned from us during these years overseas) Life stuff 1. Good toilet paper is a good, no, a necessary thing. There is no point at all ever that 1-ply toilet paper is appropriate. Nor should toilet paper be colored. White. 2-ply. Period. I've tried, honestly we have but we just can't do the local stuff. Okay, I admit: I can't do the local stuff. I am a toilet paper snob. The same can also be said (but perhaps not q

You know what my kids did today? They took a net and three plastic cups to a beach near our house and caught two fish. Little ones, not sure of the type. Just the garden-variety little fish. Not that it matters. The point here is that as much as I wanted to stop them and ask them not to crawl on the slippery rocks and to please please please be careful because I didn’t want to have to call the emergency medicine folks for urgent attention, but I didn’t do that. Instead,

We are living in a world with a great divide: to be (a gun owner, properly or not, and maintain one's right to bear arms and protect themselves and property) or not to be (a gun owner, and allow for the proper authorities to maintain peace and keep the bad guys at bay). Big big question. I'm not going to tell you whether or not it's proper to have a gun in your home or on your person. I'm not going to tell you who should or should not bear arms. You have decide what is rig

‘You can be smart, you can be beautiful, but if you don’t know how to treat people, if you don’t walk into a room and say hello, if you don’t say thank you, if you’re not looking out for the kid who’s sitting alone by his or herself, then who are you?’ Michelle Obama One of the things I truly love about parenting is when I hear something I believe is of value coming back out of my kids’ mouths. Oh sure, this very same parroting has come back to bite me in the keister more o

There are days when I wish at least one of my children were a wallflower. Not a sentence most moms would utter, I know, but it would be so nice to just be absolutely sure that I am not gong to have the kind of conversations I have (repeatedly) had today telling me about what my sons did yesterday on the bus. Oh, I know my boys are not angels, and I know they definitely had a large part in the goings-on, but you know what else I know? Two things. A: there are multiple side