That big day is tomorrow and I've got a hint or two as to what I'd like... >>MORE
Whether you are a new mom or a veteran of diapers, feedings,
whys, tantrums and hugs, this is the space for writers and readers to share experiences, lessons and laughs.
Roughly 10 years ago I discovered what it means when a sheriff's car pulls directly behind your moving van and follows at close range for a mile or two. They're radioing your license tag in at headquarters to search for prior convictions of driving under the influence. Let me... >>MORE
I asked my twin sons what they wanted for their upcoming birthdays. Isaac didn't respond. He's functionally non-verbal and wasn't interested in using his communication device to answer. Noah thought for a moment and said, "I don't need a new atlas. How about shirts? Then... >>MORE
I've always been frugal and technologically challenged. It's painful to spend money on equipment I can barely operate. In my world, a "server" is the person who brings an enchilada to my table and needs a tip, and "BlackBerry" is the jam I eat on my toast each... >>MORE
I don't like to brag, but I've changed approximately 52,750 diapers in my lifetime. And the first 38,325 were cloth, not disposable. (This does not include the five or six that my husband took care of, but since he fixes the computers, maintains the vehicles and continues... >>MORE
Although my son looks nothing like me, and is in fact, of a different race than my husband and I, I forget every single day that he did not grow in the area under my heart, but in it. I love that I forget. Since the day I laid eyes on his incredibly beautiful little 4-month-old face, I... >>MORE
Assigning more than two boys to one bedroom might sound like a recipe for disaster, but in our old farmhouse it has worked out fairly well. Certainly there were instances of, "Mommy, he got into my stuff again!" But the situation proved valuable for bonding, conflict... >>MORE
"Welcome home" banners and displays lined the highways and streets of eastern Iowa late last month as the 640 returning soldiers of the Iowa Army National Guard 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry were feted at an overflow crowd of 8,000-plus at our local minor league baseball... >>MORE
So it took me $55 to fill my gas tank today. And I keep hearing on the radio people are upset, but not changing their driving habits. Experts in the field, whoever that may be, feel prices will continue to go up. Perhaps to $4 a gallon, as the summer travel season goes into full swing.... >>MORE
Over the last three weeks, I've received press releases from companies all over the globe hoping to get a little free press for their "perfect" Mother's Day gifts.
As I sifted through the descriptions of trinkets, baubles, bouquets and gadgets, I wondered what moms really... >>MORE
My oldest son now has a license to drive --- a bicycle.
My husband and I gave him his first bicycle for his birthday last month. It has all the basic parts for a 4-year-old beginner: training wheels, pedal brakes and Spider-Man decals. For safety's sake, we also gave him a bike helmet,... >>MORE
In the last few weeks, I've heard from a few parents who are struggling to keep their sanity and maintain order in their household. It seems the kids have taken the reins of control, and the parents are playing catch-up. One of the toughest areas to conquer, it seems, is bedtime with a... >>MORE
Two months until summer vacation.Time to figure out what to do with the kids while we work and the kids vacate for a few months.A friend gave me some motherly advice: This is going to be one of your hardest summers.Thanks, I needed to hear that.Last summer was hard enough -- the "I'm... >>MORE
Any public relations professional worth his salt ought to have a few continuing education credits in the art of apology under his belt. They'll be needed in ample amounts to advise the big-mouth blowhards who keep crawling out of the woodwork seeking the public's forgiveness for acting... >>MORE
I am a big believer in the idea of lists.Forgetfulness runs in my family so I have
become quite proficient at creating lists.As a result, I have so many lists that I need a list to... >>MORE
My youngest son is going through a daddy phase. If his daddy is in the room, he wants to be near him. As soon as his dad leaves the room, he starts to cry.
And, boy, does my 1-year-old know how to turn on the waterworks. His face gets all red, tears rain down his cheeks, his lips tremble,... >>MORE
I love Calvin & Hobbes. Recently I ran across a cartoon where Calvin wakes up, climbs out his window and goes to a pay-phone down the street. "Hello Dad! It's now three in the morning. Do you know where I am?" A parent's worst fear.
My son was around 4, and was "having a moment." He'd had numerous behavioral "moments" that day, and I had just placed him in his room for the umpteenth time.
Once again, he wandered out into the living room where I had sought sanctuary from his stubborn resistance.... >>MORE
Even though the snow has started to melt around Lincoln, I hear we may be visited by flurries again in the not so distant future.
I have been amazed at the news of not one, but two children being killed while sledding. In early January, 13-year-old Luke Saathoff of Sterling was run... >>MORE
My fellow Mommy Talk columnist, Meta Hemenway-Forbes, last week wrote on the difficulty of disciplining children effectively.
While I am closer to those sleepless nights and messy diapers to which she alluded and so hesitate to disregard them lightly, I am also in the initial battles of the... >>MORE
Do you remember the episode of Seinfeld when Jerry and Kramer were all excited about the prospect of Elaine getting into a 'cat fight' with a co-worker? Elaine dismissed the idea at the time, but researchers are finding that girls are getting into fights more than ever before.
These are five words I dread. And they seem to have become the new slogan around our house lately. Since the week before Christmas one or all of us has been coughing, sneezing, had a runny nose and/or sore throat, or just felt miserable. Just when I thought we were all on the mend, New... >>MORE
Britney Spears recently introduced her new, fit look after having her second child. Her spokesperson said it was the result of dieting and exercise and that she didn't use a trainer, diet pills or a nutritionist.
Instead, she ate six small meals a day, cut out fast food and most... >>MORE
My husband and I don't go out often, but occasionally the need arises for a babysitter. None of our parents live in town, but the boys have gone to one of their homes to spend the night before. However, sometimes you just need a sitter so you can go to a party, or a dinner and a movie... >>MORE
My son is a kindergartener this year. When I found out that his school did not have all day kindergarten yet, I considered transfering him to a school that did, but changed my mind.
I am a supporter of all day kindergarten. With all the new No Child Left Behind ( NCLB ) requirements, there... >>MORE
Did you read the one about the chocolate chip cookie scented advertisement?
It seems a Got Milk campaign thought it would get people drinking the white stuff if they smelled chocolate chip cookies at bus shelters. And so, the advertiser put up scented cardboard strips for people to inhale... >>MORE
That's one suicide too many each week, no matter how the state compares with the rest of the country, which is not good. Wisconsin has the eighth-highest rate of youth suicide in the United States and fares poorly compared with... >>MORE
