Thursday, March 22, 2012
Certain situations in public venues can be awkward for parents and their children.
This weekend I was lucky enough to have a mother and son St. Patrick’s Day and, once again, take my son to see The Dropkick Murphy’s. Yes, for those of you who follow “Life in the Mom Lane,” this was our second trip to see The Dropkick Murphy’s this year. Everything was perfect and we had a great day but I was reminded of something that, at this stage of motherhood, I had almost completely forgotten about. As moms and dads of small children know all too well, there are certain obstacles when you are one parent out with an opposite sex child. For us, security at the concert posed a bit of a dilemma. As we approached the entrance there were two lines. One line, all the way to the left, for women only and another, all the way to the right, …
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Sometimes the key to parenting is listening to another point of view
One of my best friends, Eileen, and I have a unique relationship. We have not lived in the same state in over twenty years. Actually we haven’t lived on the same coast in twenty years. We are however, in spite of the distance, closer than most sisters and completely in tune with each other’s lives. We speak at least several times a week and share just about every detail of our children’s lives with each other. That, of course, doesn’t mean that we always agree. Long ago we “agreed to disagree” when it comes to politics and have an unwritten rule to simply respect each others viewpoints and not argue. Let’s face it, that kind of agreement could benefit a lot of people these days and we have gracefully stuck to it for years. That being said…
Sunday, May 15, 2011
How technology can help us keep in touch and keep up to date with family and friends
Most of us have family members living distances away that prevent frequent visits. In the last year a few important people in our lives have moved a plane ride away from us (how dare they!). And while visits occur here and there, money and time constraints mean that in-person get-togethers are not as common as we would like. Especially as we have started expanding our family, it’s important for us to keep our son close to the people we love. Modern technology has made it easier than ever to keep in touch with long distance family and friends. Services like Skype or Google Video Chat allow people to make free, easy calls while also viewing the person on a computer screen. We have spent many afternoons on Skype with our son’s aunt, who …
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Becoming a parent brings unique knowledge to men and women.
Before I became a mom, I heard all the things people say about parenthood and chuckled to myself. You know, the usual: you won’t sleep / eat / have a life / leave the house. All doom and gloom, as though welcoming a baby into your life is not the most amazing experience a couple can have. I remained optimistic in spite of all the nay-sayers, choosing instead to focus on how much fun I’d have as a new mom. Parts of it have to be fun, right? With fifteen months under my belt, I think I’ve done an okay job of “handling” it. What I didn’t realize about parenting is how apt a verb that truly is. You can’t plan, schedule, dictate, or arrange how you’ll parent or what will happen to you when you become one. All you can do is brace yourself …
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Common household items can serve as entertainment and inspiration for products in toy stores today.
Sometimes it seems the best toys are not actually toys at all. From Tupperware containers to couch cushions to empty boxes, anything can become a musical instrument, a building material, or a form of transportation. I even have a few cheap chunky necklaces that our son loves to carry around the house. I’m glad I didn’t throw those away like I had planned, because he has so much fun putting them on and making noises by clinking them all together. I’ve learned that creativity and improvisation have always been important in keeping kids busy. Our son’s new favorite toy is a blue ride-on car that we’re able to enjoy outside now that the weather is nice. It has a tall handle on the back so a grown-up can push him easily. We’ve already …
Sunday, April 3, 2011
When pre-conceived notions about parenthood meet real life
There comes a point in life when many people start to picture themselves as a mom or dad. For some it begins as a kid, by playing with dolls or watching your parents with younger siblings. For others it might be well into adulthood. For me, it took actually being pregnant to let those ideas start settling in. Call me a late bloomer. But whenever it happens, you have flashes of how you’ll be as a parent. Maybe you’ll be the good friend, the strict disciplinarian, the eco-friendly mom, the do-everything-right-in-any-situation kind of parent. Ideas are sweet. Reality is a different animal. And it kicks in the moment your little one joins the world, in a big way. I wanted to breastfeed my son for the first year of his life. I pictured…
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Spring is a time for new beginnings, so turn that annual cleaning routine into an opportunity.
Ah, spring time! It’s nice to see the snow melting and people driving around with their windows open. Sure, we’re subject to the fickle nature of the season—wearing t-shirts one day, down coats the next—but spring is the end of winter and the beginning of many exciting things. Mother Nature does her own overhaul in the spring time, sprouting new leaves on trees and filling local bodies of water with baby ducklings. Really, she’s not unlike any other mother, capitalizing on the warming temperatures to start anew. The tradition of spring cleaning is an old one, well rooted in our annual habits and collective subconscious. Some say the tradition began with the Persian practice of “shaking the house” just before their calendar new year. …
Jaclyn
10:28 pm on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
I might not have moved if we did not have skype! I am very thankful I get to see my lovie while I am across the country, oh and you guys of course! Skype makes the long distance feel a little closer. more ›