Remember the phone book?
At least the phone book was right more often than not. | a phone / telephone book / directory Polski: książka telefoniczna (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Do you remember when we used to have to rely on the phone book to look up a phone number? Remember how much fun it was to play, “Guess what my friend, Jenny Johnson’s dad’s name is” to try to find the number that belonged to the correct Johnson in the book? I used to think it was a huge pain that the only person whose name showed up in the directory was the person who paid the bill, or at least the person who set up the phone account in the first place.
When I was a kid, I thought it totally sucked having to call down the list of Johnsons and bother a bunch of strangers until I figured out which number was Jenny’s (just kidding, I don’t really know anyone named Jenny Johnson.) But these days, I find myself longing for the days when you knew the phone number listed in the book belonged to the person who was paying the bill at that home the last time the phone book was updated. (more…)
Ann Romney hasn’t ever worked a day in her life
If I had 5 housekeepers and nannies to help me raise my children, I don’t think I would dare compare myself to the average stay-at-home mom in America. Yet, when Hilary Rosen told Anderson Cooper last week that, “Ann Romney hasn’t ever worked a day in her life,” stay-at-home moms across the country took it personally.
Why? Ann Romney’s version of stay-at-home mommery in no way compares to the average American homemaker’s life. I’ve been a stay-at-home mother myself, so I would know. Maybe I’m not the average American housewife, but I’m pretty sure my story comes a lot closer to the norm than Romney’s.
I am a veteran of the United States Air Force who decided to separate from the military and stay at home with my first new baby 13 years ago. I spent about the first whole year at home with each of my children, partly because I didn’t want to miss out on those first months of their lives, and partly because my economic situation at the time dictated that I do so. (more…)
The nerve of some people’s kids
Einkaufswagen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s funny how a random comment from a complete stranger can ruin a fun family outing.
Yesterday, I was pushing my 5-year-old around in a shopping cart in the garden section at Wal-mart looking for flowers to plant in our garden. It was a beautiful sunny day, around 70 degrees, and we had decided it was time to get a couple of plants in the ground. My younger son loves to help me out in the garden, so this was a perfect opportunity for the 2 of us to spend some one-on-one time together while his older brother was at a friend’s house. (more…)
Easy is a bad word
It's Not Easy Being... | Photo credit Wikipedia
My kindergartener told me the other day that the word “easy” is a bad word at his school. I asked him why, and he told me, “Just because something’s easy for you doesn’t mean it’s easy for everyone, and we don’t want to make our friends feel bad.” I guess I can somewhat understand the reasoning, but at the same time, I wonder how this makes the kids feel when they think something is easy and are not allowed to voice their opinion.
There are lots of things that are easy for other people but not for me (math.) I won’t hold it against you if it’s easy for you. I won’t decide I just can’t do it because it’s not easy for me. No, I just accept the fact that I have to work harder than you do on that specific task and take comfort in knowing that there’s probably something else I DO think is easy. And when I do that other task, I’d like to be able to feel proud of myself and say, “Wow, this is easy!” (more…)
