Today is my birthday. A couple of days ago, I got a birthday card in the mail. An actual, physical, handwritten birthday card. It’s probably been twenty years since that’s happened. It was nice. It feels really good to get a card from someone who cares. It definitely made me smile. Then, I noticed something….
I love Christmas- the spirit, the music, and the joy it inspires especially in children. You wouldn’t be able to tell from my living space though. I don’t put up decorations because it’s such a hassle. And at the top of that hassle list is the Christmas tree. We had a rather ornate tree when…
Seven and a half years ago, I self-published a short eBook called What Happened to Mommy’s Boobs. This is what I had to say about it at the time: A short time ago, a good friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer. When I asked her if there was anything I could do, she…
I’ve recently had two interesting conversations with my daughter about bad words. I’m going to tell you about the second one first. She was watching YouTube. I wasn’t really paying attention until my daughter said, “She’s going to get demonetized.” I looked up and asked why. My daughter said, “She just said shiitake mushroom. YouTube…
My daughter and I are starting a new hobby, gardening. This weekend, we went out and got nine new houseplants, a bunch of seeds, and various supplies. It started as a plan for filling our yard with flowers, but it’s still a little too cold to start outdoors, so we got the houseplants to keep…
I act as a censor for what my daughter is exposed to. There’s a lot of TV, movies, and YouTube that she’s not allowed to watch. There are games I won’t let her play. I keep some news stories from her. I’ve never specifically told her she can’t read a book, but I have warned…
I got a card in the mail from a friend. She wrote a little note inside saying that she was in town and thought of me, so she sent me a card. It wasn’t a huge gesture, but it made me really happy. That’s the power of friendship. It has a unique way of enriching…
My daughter asked me, “What’s your favorite part about Christmas?” I told her that my favorite part is watching her open her presents. She said, “Why do you like watching someone else have fun if you’re not having fun yourself?” I told her that it’s hard to explain, but that it’s part of being a…
I hate wrapping presents. It takes a shocking amount of effort to get them to not look like they were done by a five year old in a hurry. I used to work retail at a place that offered complimentary gift wrapping. I dreaded customers requesting it. I passed it off to my coworkers whenever…
There’s very little in life as satisfying as getting someone the perfect gift. Just the idea that you can make another person that happy is great. It’s true for everyone, but I’ll bet parents know it better than most. It’s challenging getting the perfect gift. It’s even hard for Santa. But, when you can do…
