January 30, 2012 Dear Charlie, Today, you turned four years old. Four. I think I’m finally getting used to the notion that having a baby makes time seem to float away like fairy dust leaving tiny sparkles behind in the wake of each phase. A glimmer to replace the time spent eager for you to [...]

“Okay, honey, give Mommy a hug and kiss goodnight  and then you need to close your eyes and go to sleep!” I help her start to get into bed and under the covers. “What color kiss you want?” she asks with a smile. “Hmmm…how about yellow.” “Let me see if we have any.” She looks [...]

First, let’s talk about the absolutely ridiculous weather Mother Nature threw in our path two days before Halloween. I honestly thought the weather guy on the radio must’ve been kidding when he said “snow.” Snow in October. C’mon now. I stayed in the denial stage right up until I saw the big fat flakes. But [...]

I am no pundit. Nope. Oh, I have my beliefs and my opinions, but never feel well-informed enough to take on political debate in any serious way. And of course, in typical middle child fashion, I prefer to play the diplomat and peacekeeper anyway. But still, I’m a Democrat and will stand up for what [...]

AT WORK: The second day at my new job. Cubicle Land. Meh. All day long, I am schizophrenic–  I can do this. I can’t do this.  This isn’t so bad. This is torture. Hooray for structure. Really? This? All day? Every day? I miss my girl. Finally it is 5:15 and time to go the [...]

This past week, Charlie’s preschool was closed, so she was home with me. Me and the Muffin together. All five days. We didn’t do anything too spectacular. We made trips to the mall to buy Charlie new shoes and me a new purse, and then to return the purse. We made a visit to grandma’s [...]

The thing about my daughter (or perhaps any typical three-year-old) is that she knows when she’s doing something she’s not supposed to. She’ll be alone playing in her bedroom or the play room for a bit, and naturally I’ll pop my head in or verbally check in with her at regular intervals. “Charlie, are you okay?” [...]