Tales from the Trenches

You Know You’re Tired When…

You get out of the shower, twist your wet hair into a towel turban and realize you never even picked up the soap to wash your bod.

Lightly? Are you kidding? No, if you have kids, there’s no such thing as traveling lightly. It’s more like “Have Children, Will Travel Like a Freakin’ Pack Mule.” Consider my checklist for my airplane carryon in light of our upcoming trip: THE BARE NECESSITIES: –Diapers, lots of them–Plastic bags, lots of them for dirty diapersRead the whole post >>

Sugar and Spice Meets Sword-Fighting Duel

Peter Pan (Madeline) daringly lunges at Captain Hook (Mommy) and nearly pierces his enemy with his unsheathed sword (a paper towel roll). Captain Hook laughs maniacally. “Ha, ha, ha! You didn’t get me this time.” Peter Pan pauses in the midst of the fierce fight and inspects his unadorned sword. “Mommy, we can decorate these?Read the whole post >>

Gift Ideas for Mommy’s Birthday, According to a Preschooler

1. Baby toy2. Some zebras (the “real” kind)3. Flowers4. Ariel figures5. A play mat for animal figures6. A notebook7. A stopwatch8. A scarf9. A ballpopper (As in the Hasbro Playskool Busy Ball Popper, a popular toy around here) Oh, and Madeline told me a few days ago with obvious pride, “I’m gonna go poop forRead the whole post >>

I May Be Old, But I’m Still Worth Something…

Another birthday is around the corner for me, so it’s comforting to know that my 3-year-old doesn’t view old people as throwaways of society. Madeline: When I’m older and bigger, I can do lots of things like put things in oven. Me: Well, you’ll have to be a lot older to do that. Madeline: AreRead the whole post >>