1. Yes, they really need all of that gear. You don’t realize all of the places that chafe and rub until you’re starting to rack up the miles. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Rubbing that’s not even noticed at mile three can turn into a deep red burning patch of inflamed skin by mile eight. Depending on the temperature, different weights and … Continue reading 5 Things Spouses of Runners Need to Know
You know how when you sing, sometimes you can’t hear when you’re off-key? It seems like a lot of people tend to think they are better at singing than they actually are (especially after imbibing adult beverages) but, not me. I can hear my off-key-ness LOUD and CLEAR and you know if YOU can hear it, it must be really bad. Really really. So, it was a … Continue reading Singing Off-Key (And Loving It): A Small Collection of Remixes For Parents of Toddlers
Building strength can be hard. The first part is deciding to get stronger. That’s really the hardest part, even though it doesn’t even involve a workout regime. It’s just a mindset, at first, a determination to make improvements to who we are. Until it becomes habit, reminders are needed. Sticky notes that say, “go work out!” and a calendar on the fridge with the workout plan on … Continue reading The Gratitude Muscle
Not too long ago, one of my friends, who reads many of my blog posts, said to me that she was always, “reading about how sad you always are”. Her words rocked me back on my heels for a second, catching me off guard, for a number of reasons (it also made me think that all of those truly anonymous bloggers are really smart cookies). Even … Continue reading Depression ≠ Sadness
Today we are honored and privileged to have the distinguished Clint Edwards, author of No Idea What I’m Doing: A Daddy Blog, sharing one of his gems with us. I hope you enjoy hearing about his struggles dealing with the crazy-ass (pun intended) scenarios, that are an inevitable part of parenting, as much as I did. THE DAY WE CAUGHT OUR KIDS LOOKING AT THEIR BUTT HOLES … Continue reading The Day We Caught Our Kids Looking At Their Butt Holes – A Guest Post by Clint Edwards
My daughters come from a long line of strong-willed individuals. Before they were born Mr. Grouch and I wondered what our kids would look like, or what they would be interested in, but one thing we knew for sure. They’d be headstrong. Our girls have aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents, and, lucky for them, great-grandparents too, who are full of strength, who say to themselves, “I will … Continue reading We’re Full of Bull
My first job out of college was working as a general ed high school biology teacher. On day one, during second period, a woman I had never met before walked into my room, alongside the kids. She introduced herself as a special education teacher in the building and informed me she was assigned to work with me during that hour. At first I thought she … Continue reading Dear General Education Teacher: Surprise! You’re A Special Ed Teacher!
As a working mom, I have a love/hate mentality about leaving my kids in someone else’s care for what amounts to about 40% of the time my child is awake, each week. Sometimes there are things I think should be done differently, sometimes I question how well I really know what is going on there when I’m not around, and sometimes I have concerns about the sheer … Continue reading These Are The Reasons I Am Thankful For My Childcare Providers
So, there’s the tantrums. And the screaming. The “Mine!”s and the “No!”s. The bazillion toys with annoying musical themes. There’s the feeding and the changing and more feeding and more changing. There’s the blowouts and the spit up and the adult-type vomit that begins at a much earlier age than you would expect. There’s the cleaning food off the walls and off the floor, … Continue reading I Am Equally Terrified of Having More Kids and Not Having Any More Kids
A lot of people say they never understood exhaustion until they became a parent. That wasn’t the case with me. I’ve dealt with exhaustion from sleep issues, and depression/anxiety, so after Baby Grouch Number One was born I think I actually felt better in the mornings than I used to. I was tired, of course, but I was always tired and honestly having a kid just gave … Continue reading As If Moms Need More Proof Sleep Deprivation Is Real
A Morning Grouch 