Area mom muses about toothpaste, parking, milk and other conundrums of daily life.
As I stared at the sink, a smile bloomed on my face. There, next to a mostly empty tube of toothpaste sat a brand new tube. My husband must have busted it out that very morning. He has learned over the years—we’ve been married for 13, together for 15—not to throw away the all-but-empty tubes of toothpaste. He knows I like to “finish” them—squeezing out every drop—before moving on to a new tube. He likes the swollen, shiny promise of a brand new tube, preferring not to bother with the depleted, crimped and twisted mess that belongs solely to me from here on out. No struggle, no effort, just toothpaste. I prefer to wring, squeeze, fold, and cajole until the tube itself starts to crack from emptiness. I don’t like to waste things. I can…
Local Mom takes inspiration from the bucket list trend and a friend to create a parenting list.
Recently, my friend Karen posted photos of an icy New Year's Day plunge she took with her friend Christina and the L Street Brownies. I was impressed. And curious. I asked Karen why she did such a crazy, courageous and COLD thing. She told me she has a list of things she wants to do before turning 40, and doing a polar plunge was on it. She mentioned that lots of people have “bucket lists,” and her list was made in the spirit of bucket lists everywhere. I was inspired. According to Wiki Answers, a bucket list is a list of things people want to do before they die. Here is the full Wiki definition: "The term 'kick the bucket' refers to when a person passes away. This is where the phrase "Bucket List" came from. It is a list of things that …
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1:03 pm on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Are you aware that Disney has a CAMPGROUND? It is a fabulous place! When we were kids, our parents took the family to Disney and this place was an added bonus with night activities like fireside visits with Chip and Dale, and movies like the Jungle Book. I think if my Mom had not found this option that we may never have afforded a visit. I strongly suggest looking into this, and then, perhaps … more ›
Local mom surprises daughter with trip to meet reality TV stars.
My daughter, Emily, and I share many loves. We both adore sweets, reality TV shows, baking, spin classes, and socializing. We also share an unfortunate trait of sometimes not knowing exactly what we want. Restaurant menus occasionally stump us—too many choices—and when people ask us what we’d like for gifts? Forget about it. So when the calendar page flipped to November a few weeks ago and I asked both kids what they would like for their holiday gifts, I knew my son would have a response but my daughter might be more challenging to get an answer from. We usually give our kids one “big” gift and a few little things spread out over the eight nights of Hanukkah. As expected, Zach immediately declared what he wanted. (I’d already known he’…
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1:50 am on Saturday, January 7, 2012
So lucky wished I got that for Christmas ...all I got a cake boss book...which I don't mind cuz I still jumped around.....congratulations more ›
Yesterday we turned the clocks back. With shorter, colder days ahead, how will you fit your exercise in?
As I mentioned in “don’t forget to put your oxygen mask on first,” I find exercise provides a real boost for my overall sense of well-being. Exercise is also something I rely upon to help me cope with the stress that accompanies being a parent. Before I settled into my current routine of classes at the West Roxbury YMCA (boot camp, weight training, spinning and interval training), I was a walker. I’d head out the door for a walk whenever I could—evenings, weekends, and sometimes even early mornings (and I’m no morning person). I loved being outside and noticing subtle changes in the neighborhood. A for sale sign here, a crib box there, informing me of an impending move and a new baby on the block. I also enjoyed running into other …
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Local Mom panics when her child's first tooth comes out, but gets into the tooth fairy groove after a while.
It was a long time ago that my oldest child, Emily, lost her first tooth. I’ll never forget what a pivotal l moment it felt like at the time. It signaled something big—a new stage in life. My child was getting older and growing up. Her “adult” teeth were on their way. That first tooth loss also sprung me into a panic about how to respond. Suddenly, my husband and I had to become a tooth fairy. Being Jewish, Santa had never visited our home, nor had the Easter bunny, so we had absolutely no experience acting as a beloved and much anticipated fantasy figure. All we knew was one of us needed to sneak into our daughter’s bedroom when she was very much asleep and remove the tooth, replacing it with some money, which was understood to be …
Discovering new books at each library visit—and being able to bring them home with us—was a little bit like magic.
When my children were younger, we often visited the West Roxbury and Roslindale branches of the Boston Public Library and the Putterham branch of the Brookline Public Library. We are fortunate to live within walking distance of all three (Putterham is the furthest, a mile and a half each way). We’d go for weekly story hour, the occasional holiday craft project, and for special activities like sing-a-longs and movies. As a parent of young children, I found visiting the library a great way to meet other families in the area. By attending story hour week after week, you are bound to get to know some of the kids and parents, which can lead to play dates, friendships and beyond. Like most parents, we had a collection of board books and …
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7:17 am on Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Great story!! All the local libraries have Friends grouos which you can join to show your support for these amazingresources. more ›
Local mom shares idea for introducing new fruits and vegetables to your family.
Instead of the food pyramid, the USDA recently released the new plate diagram which suggests we fill half our plate with vegetables and fruit, and half with whole grains and meat. Next to the colorful plate is a small side of dairy. This is all well and good, and certainly seems a sensible way to get us to eat healthier, but what if one or more of your kids (or your spouse or partner) refuses to eat vegetables and fruit of any kind, much less half a plate of them? My suggestion? Try, try again. Try vegetables prepared in different ways and at different meals. Maybe broccoli quiche at brunch is more interesting to a kid than plain steamed broccoli at dinner. Or, see what the reaction is to a tasty stir fry with lots of yummy baby corn, red…
Having trouble getting a healthy, hearty meal on the table every night for your family? Try these strategies.
The beginning of the school year is a tricky time, tough on parents and kids alike. Everyone must readjust to earlier bedtimes, the squawk of multiple morning alarm clocks and homework’s reappearance. Throw in back-to-school picnics, parents’ night at school and a few social events, and parents are stretched to the max. One major hassle we all face is mealtime. Already there is not enough time in the day to get everything done. How are we to put a nutritious dinner together every evening, particularly one the whole family will eat? My husband and I have come up with a few strategies to help our family get dinner on the table every night. Hopefully they will help you and your family, too. Make a menu. We menu-plan for weeknight dinners …
Columnist Anna Rubin also offers some resources for explaining 9/11 to your children.
9/11. Most of us lived through it. Some of us lost loved ones to it. We’ve all experienced the aftermath, including the need to explain 9/11 to our children. Young or old, our children may have questions we need to answer, and we owe even the youngest of our kids some information about 9/11, the day the country fell apart and then came back together stronger than ever. For a while at least. Some of our kids are old enough to read headlines and maybe even watch documentaries about 9/11. Even those too young to read will hear the term “9/11” thrown around, and may see of feel the sadness in the air during the annual commemorations, especially this year with some much happening to mark the 10th anniversary. There have been numerous …
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Love it or hate it,Labor Day marks the end of summer and time for the kids to head back-to-school.
Labor Day originated over a hundred years ago as a “national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country,” according to the US Department of Labor. These days, Labor Day weekend typically brings cookouts, family gatherings, visits to the seashores and last pilgrimages to seasonal ice cream spots (Five Seas or Sundae School anyone?). Generally, more attention is paid to the food and fun than the contributions of workers to the well-being of our country. But I digress. For parents, Labor Day is a time of transition. It is a clear demarcation between summer and fall (even though autumn doesn’t officially begin until the third week of September). It also marks, at least on the …
Tobi Klein
3:34 pm on Monday, January 30, 2012
There are thousands like us out there, to be sure!! Your spin on what love is truly about works for me, as well. Great piece!!! more ›