http://mothermirth.com Living, loving, parenting, laughing. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:03:26 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In the short list of things I do well that doesn't include making coffee so strong that it can change your gender, I would list the following: Diagram sentences Independent eyebrow movement Procrastinate Write Swim Now, you probably knew the first four of those, if you know me at all. But I don't get to show ... http://mothermirth.com/archives/underwater/ After a dozen people showed up Sunday, June 1, to help with move in, leaving us with a house full of boxes, most of which now live in the basement, I decided I was NOT going to leave the house until it was organized and box-free. And then I decided ... http://mothermirth.com/archives/first-week-as-an-arlingtonite/ I'm blogging from our new place in Arlington, MA. We're just outside Boston -- specifically, we are 3 houses down from the bus that brings you to the terminus of the red line of Boston's subway, which brings you anywhere IN Boston. It's quite a change from the sleepy suburb ... http://mothermirth.com/archives/hello-boston/ The sibling rivalry has become an epic battle of wits. Disagreements are often solved either with screaming--in which I get to intervene before it becomes hitting--or rock, paper, scissors. You'd think the 6 year old would hold the upper hand here, but the 4 year old knows how to strategize, ... http://mothermirth.com/archives/the-war-turns-literal/ In the How To Raise Laurel handbook, I have noted the challenges of day-to-day activities involving my amazing four year old. Getting her to put on clothing appropriate for going out into the world is a daily challenge. Getting her to go to the potty is a challenge, and one ... http://mothermirth.com/archives/revising-the-parenting-handbook/ I've been using up a lot of spare brain cycles on wanting to find ways to reduce my family's use of resources and our footprint on this earth. We're most likely heading into a recession, both as a family (ha ha) and as a nation, so I figure some serious ... http://mothermirth.com/archives/our-footprint/ The last few conversations with Kelsey, for posterity: Bob Both girls have long been interested in the story of my father, who passed away in 1998. We talk about him as though he is present, which he very much is. Kelsey asked me the other day if my father was proud of ... http://mothermirth.com/archives/conversations-with-a-big-girl/ Day 5 of single parenting, and I have decided that I would rather be a Las Vegas showgirl than a single mother. I can't believe I just said those words. And to all the moms and dads out there who do (or did) this single parenting thing full-time, all the ... http://mothermirth.com/archives/they-are-eating-my-brain/ Today, I am full of fail. But I can't blame anyone but myself. I must exude fail today, like a musk, and everything that encounters my failstench has to make with the bashing. Or something. The morning routine does not go well. Both girls fight getting out of bed like ... http://mothermirth.com/archives/how-was-your-morning/ Some may ask why there are always more photos of my younger daughter in my gallery. Some even hint that maybe I LOVE one more than the other, or that I play favoritism. I don't play favoritism. I charge for it. I take cash only, as you just can't trust ... http://mothermirth.com/archives/well-call-her-stubby/