Why wait until summer when you can take swim lessons in the dead of winter? This past weekend, as the thermometer was hovering at 2 below zero, we were driving to our tots in training swim class. The concept sounds like a real winner, but for the effort that is put forth in the execution of this short dip, my dear Spicy Girl better be able to do a perfect flip turn by the time she turns four. Besides, what (...Read More)

I recently decided we needed electric hair clippers so I could cut Luke’s hair at home. For one, I was tired of schlepping out to the Kiddie Hair Cut place where we wait for eons in a land of ghastly gaiety. Also, I’ve never been that impressed with the haircuts there. And, they are way overpriced. How hard could it be, right? (I did have a flashback to the time I tried to cut my little brother’s hair when I (...Read More)

I like to think of myself as a fairly low-key mom. I’m not a yeller. I’ll discipline my kids, but not especially harshly (no spanking or ear pulling—though I have been known to take away dessert for an entire week). In other words, I like to keep a lid on it. Losing control makes me unhappy. But sometimes? When the four-year-old has been thrashing and whining for an hour straight and the six-year-old has no idea what a social cue (...Read More)