I like to share our toddler’s accomplishments with my husband when he gets home from work. Sometimes I do so with audience participation.
Me: Hey, Joe-Joe, who went poop on the potty today?
Son: Joe-Joe!
Me: That’s right! And then who peed on the rug and Momma’s foot?
Son: Momma!
Apparently we need to rehearse before putting on the show for Daddy.
Little Joe was so sweetly and lovingly holding a baby doll, hugging and kissing it, I thought, “Awh, he’ll make a good dad some day, or perhaps big brother.”
Then he banged the doll’s head on the ground and yelled, “Ow!” Not once or twice, but three times.
Nice, baby. Niiiice. A few seconds before “Wham! Wham!”
Boys.
I’m talking about, you guessed it, Chex Mix.
The sale was even better this week: 88c instead of the usual 99. (Girlfriend loves a bargain.) So I trotted my way to the appropriate aisle, and lo and behold–empty, as in, M-T. Not even a straggler hiding at the back of the shelf. You know I checked.
I bought my other items and headed for the check out line. As fate would have it, the only non-express lane was manned by none other than The CM Guy.
“I’d like to lodge a complaint with the manager,” Read the rest of this entry
One day my son is two. The next day he eats cold pizza for breakfast, so apparently he’s now in college. [My husband was on breakfast duty that day.]
My husband was googling what to do when your paint cans won’t close securely, so I asked him, “How did we find things out before Google?” He said, “We talked to people. This is much better.” Read the rest of this entry
She’ll turn it into a holder for her princess dolls.
Rather inventive, no?
A friend shared this story about her five-year-old daughter:
Daughter: “Mommy, tell me a secret.”
Mom (whispering): “I think you are sweet and funny.”
Daughter: “Now, I’ll tell you one… (whispering) Read the rest of this entry
Some time after the kids had been playing outside my bedroom window, I walked into my room, looked out the window, and saw something that made me freeze, back up slowly, and call down the hallway, “Girls? Could you come here a moment?”
Then, pointing, “What. Is that?” Read the rest of this entry
Joe pointed to my husband’s shirt hanging up on the clothes rack and said, “Dada.”
“That’s right, Joe. That’s Dada’s.”
Then he pointed to my husband’s sock and said, “Dada.”
Me, thoroughly impressed: “Yes, Dada’s.”
Then he pointed to Read the rest of this entry
Author Mike Allegra, featured last week here, is kindly hosting me on his blog this week. Check it out!
Hi, Betsy! Come on in. Pull up a chair. How do you like your waffles?
Thanks, Mike! I’m so honored to be here. As to my waffles, normally I just have syrup, but since this is a special occasion, I say go all out: gimme some whipped cream, blueberries and strawberries. I feel like living large today.
Then live large you shall. How did you get started in the advice book business? Was there an epiphany, an aha moment when you thought, “Hey, this stuff I’m doing might help others?”
There kind of was. I remember lying in bed one night running through a potential scenario with my kids, advising them how to handle whatever situation had befallen them, as I tended to do whilst trying to fall asleep, and I thought, these situations may never happen, but I should still write this stuff down.
And then I never did. Read the rest of this entry
I’m honored to be asked by Mike Allegra to participate in his Waffles with Writers feature from his blog, Hey, look! A writer fellow!
Mike Allegra is the author of the picture books Sarah Gives Thanks (Albert Whitman & Company, 2012), Everybody’s Favorite Book (Macmillan, 2018), and Scampers Thinks Like a Scientist (Dawn, 2019). He also not-so secretly pens the Prince Not-So Charming chapter book series (Macmillan, 2018-19, pen name: Roy L. Hinuss). He received an Independent Artist Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, won the 2014 Highlights Fiction Contest, and received a 2019 Creative Access Fellowship. In January, he giddily signed a deal to write a new chapter book series, Kimmie Tuttle (ABDO, 2021). You should check out his blog and befriend him at www.facebook.com/mike.allegra.
Today I get to feature Mike’s latest book, Scampers Thinks Like a Scientist. Next week on his blog he’ll be hosting me and my book, Be a Happier Parent or Laugh Trying. But first!
Mike, I made these waffles for you myself. To that end, I recommend toppings–strong-flavored toppings. So, what can I get you? Read the rest of this entry
When he spills water on my pants, it looks like this.
Heart-shaped water spot. It got fatter and wider while I called for someone to grab the camera. It was actually more distinct earlier on, but you get the idea.
The other day I heard him calling me from across the house, “Betttssyyyy…. Betttsssyyy….”
Yeah, and as if that weren’t bad enough, more recently, he opened the screen door from the outside, leaned in and yelled, Read the rest of this entry
Writing and Martial Arts 