I think I’ll walk down a different aisle.

I’ll take the stripey ones on bottom, if you don’t mind.

My daughter was helping me shop for a wedding present. The bride had registered at Kohl’s and I had a copy of her registry. I decided to buy a sheet set. When we got to the linen section, I handed the list to my daughter.

“Just read off the first few letters of the merchandise number,” I told her, “so I can find the right sheets.” I started down the sheet aisle. Behind me my daughter called out in a clear, loud voice, over and over,

Thank Heaven for little girls

While sitting with some other moms at my son’s baptism reception, one of them alerted me to the fact that the kids were playing with a doll–a gender specific doll. A group of little girls were giggling while watching my seven-year-old daughter make her male doll

How to make your mark at a new school

playground equipment–untattooed (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When we moved, I enrolled my children at a private school known for its rigorous academics and discipline. I was eager for them to make a good impression, but when my mother called after their first week to inquire how my children were doing, I said, “Oh, you mean the cheat, the forger, and the vandal?”

I got a call from the principal or a teacher nearly every day that week. First was

Everyone needs to do his or her part

Scotch Whiskey Old Smuggler (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At my children’s Sunday School class, their teacher, a friend of mine who relayed to me this story, was teaching a lesson on stewardship. “One example of stewardship is when you do something for someone else,” she told the class. “It’s kind of like having a job. Do any of you have jobs?” she asked them. My ten-year-old daughter raised her hand and said, “I have a job. My dad pays me to

Backseat copper

As I was driving, my seven-year-old son asked, “Why are you speeding, Mom?”
“I’m not. I’m going 50, the speed limit,” I said.
He responded, “The sign said

Do as I say, not as I do

When I was giving my daughter a bath, I washed one arm and asked her to give me her other arm.

“Other arm,” I said. That arm was occupied with a bath toy and did not immediately present itself to me. “Other arm,” I said again with some irritation.

My daughter slowly thrust forth her arm and said,

Black Friday Bliss

Right now you’re thinking, “You’re kidding me, right? How can shopping on the craziest consumer holiday of the year be blissful?” Did I find fantastic unbelievable deals? Not really. Where the stores and parking lots miraculously near-empty just for me? Hardly. Did my husband and I get to buy Christmas presents for our children without them being in tow? Bingo!

We dropped the kids off at their aunt and uncle’s house for three glorious hours as we bought princesses, a princess bike, a princess helmet, princesses, art supplies, princesses, a couple of games, and, oh yes, a princess book. (Did I mention we have three young girls?)

So, with everything safely hidden in the trunk of our car, we collected our children after their fun-filled time with their cousins. All was well. We had pulled off our Christmas coup until later in the day my perceptive seven-year-old asked, “Did you go Christmas shopping for us?”

I tried to deflect slyly by saying, “Maybe.”

She looked at me for a moment and said,

Oh, that wasn’t the end?

Cover via Amazon

It’s a good thing the theater was dark. When I took my two-year-old son to see “The Lion King,” he was overwhelmed by the  part where all the animals are lined up to greet the new king. When the music finished its crescendo and finally came to an end, my son

Like father, like son

Snapshot of the larger LDL put out by The Weather Channel. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sometimes you don’t realize what bad habits you are passing on.  One day our four-year-old son took the TV remote, flopped down on the couch, and turned on the screen while announcing,

Must be time for a haircut

Amur Tiger, Panthera tigris altaica (Photo credit: ArranET)

When I was tucking my two-year-old daughter in at bed time, she was being extra snuggly. She hugged me tightly and said, “I love you, tiger.” I thought, “Oh, that’s so sweet.” I hugged her back and responded, “I love you too, tiger.” She sat up abruptly and said, “No,