Sunday, October 14, 2012
I’ve yet to meet a single parent who thinks raising kids is a piece of cake and is completely filled with sunshine and blissful joy the majority of the time. (If you disagree, I bow before you and would love to drink what you’re drinking!)
Sometimes, I like to think parenting can be compared to eating a deliciously awesome hamburger: there’s nothing better when the burger is grilled to your exact liking, and the perfect combination of condiments just make your taste buds sing. But, even with that type of perfection, how many times do you bite into that juicy concoction only to have your teeth nosh down on one of those hard, grisly things completely ruining the love affair you were having with your burger? Ugh! If you’re like me, you just want to gag and throw the whole burger away. Not that I’m comparing the complex role of parenting with that of a grilled goody, but in essence when everything is going along well with your family life, there’s just nothing better. But, when…
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Patch offers readers all things local, but by golly, nothing can grab more attention than the coveted Police Log that runs several times throughout the week. Why? Can someone tell me the reason why?
It’s been nearly two years since the South County Patch sites launched our grass roots online source for all things local. I was and still am thrilled to be a part of it! From my very first ThiNK Family column alongside the many community based articles I’ve written since October 2010, when folks in town discuss our internet presence for all the latest, local happenings which are updated every 24 hours, I smile and love to acknowledge the time, effort and journalistic thought that go into making this type of news source resonate with our interested and supportive reader base. As an author and writer, I continually set professional goals for myself and measure them throughout the year. My niche is family humor based pieces, for which I have…
Saturday, September 15, 2012
If you think "The Real Housewives" is a reality TV series to behold, you haven't met Honey Boo Boo!
Last week I had the surprise of a lifetime. Sadly, I wasn’t visited by the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Prize Patrol, but something else unexpectedly caught my attention, and from what I understand it captured three million other Americans' attention as well. Stumped as to what roused many of us to be transfixed to our TVs for a few hours last week? Nope, it wasn’t Billy Clinton sharing his values and morals with us during the Democratic Convention: it was something even far more outrageous from them thar parts down south. It was a six-year-old Georgia Peach by the name of Alana Thompson—affectionately known to her family and fans as Honey Boo Boo! If you haven’t had the ultimate pleasure of becoming familiar with America’s newest reality …
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Back to school time is the perfect catalyst for changing up the "same old same old" conversation!
I will probably receive a lot of “hate mail” for admitting this aloud, but I’m not one bit sorry that summer is coming to an end. (Wow, did that feel good to admit!) I enjoy hitting the beach and having non-scheduled days as much as the next guy, but let’s face it, how much nirvana can one mother take? One of the reasons I welcome back-to-school with such wide, open arms is not because my kids will no longer be attached to my hip 24/7 (you believe me, right?), although it does tie in with preserving my sanity. After 10 summery weeks of kidlicious endeavors I start to get a little worn down by the conversations we’ve been exchanging with one another, or not! Never mind the tedious waste of breath that utters “I’m bored! Can’t we do …
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Summer’s here and the living is easy—however, some of the questions I have to answer when my kids get curious are not!
There are some parents who can drive 50 plus miles with their kids in the car and the silence is absolutely deafening. No matter what engaging tidbit is presented to hopefully entice even the smallest of nibbles, the kid won’t offer up so much as a sigh. Well, in my world, that never seems to be the case. Whether it’s the ride to church, the jaunt to the milk store or even a ride to the emergency room to have a Lego removed from an ear canal, somehow my powder blue minivan becomes the catalyst for whining, joke-telling, bodily functions (ah, you’ve got to love 10-year-old boys!), tattling, chattering, confessing, complaining and most of all – questioning. The questions vary on any given day, but a reliable sampling of these riveting …
Monday, July 9, 2012
I completely admit that going to see "Magic Mike" was supposed to be more or less of a thrill--but turns out I was wrong--it was even better--it prompted a hopeful,rut-free summer!
Independence Day has come and gone, and with that summer can officially begin. Seven glorious, sun-drenched weeks of vacation left, just waiting to be spent any way you like with friends, loved ones, pets and we certainly can’t forget—our children. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? Ok, so maybe “glorious” and “heaven” aren’t quite the right choice of words when you wonder what type of stimulating environment will keep your kids even remotely happy if your beach days get rained out or when the thoughts of using a glue stick, pipe cleaners and glitter for any more craft projects is enough to make you lose your mind. There are many of us who tend to find ourselves in a bit of a rut midway (yes, I realize we’re not even close to midway …
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The family bed is a very controversial topic, but what about when it includes the family pet?
Now that I’m a mid-lifer (you do the math) I’m realizing more than ever how little I actually have control over in life. I no longer fret over my child’s public comments concerning her dentist’s bad breath or worry that I’m really too old to wear my hair up in a cheesy clip. So if people want to talk about the things happening in my bedroom (especially all the noises, more on that later), let them. It all started (bear with me, this will end up in the bedroom, I promise!) when my husband began traveling on a regular basis for work two years ago. Ah yes, thanks to our thriving Rhode Island economy (hey, it’s not that I like I’m bitter, I’m just telling it like it is) he has had to do business elsewhere, as in not in the Ocean State. But …
Sunday, June 24, 2012
We all have dreams--and after reading one of my son's reports on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.--I now have a new one!
My kids got out of school last Friday and no sooner did the bus roll out of the hood, their backpacks – heaping with everything they could possibly clean out of their lockers – came tumbling into the living room and landed on every possible open walking space all within 35 seconds. I twitched momentarily then gasped for breath knowing that they’re in my charge now for the next 10 weeks! As I sifted through piles of reports, essays, math packets and petrified food remains, I reminded myself that I’m not a newbie summer-vaca mom, and that every year the 10 weeks of summer gets a little longer, I mean easier. I may be a S.O.B. (Save Only the Best mom) but I treat the belongings of their last-day-of school treasures much differently than …
ccryder
8:06 am on Monday, October 29, 2012
the editors seem to put their own spin on the police log instead of just reporting what is in the police report. people read the police log because they "want to know". The same reason I look up criminal history on RI judiciary. I thought one editor for the patch was a bit "odd", so I looked up the criminal history and sure enough.....I thought oh great does this person have access to everyones … more ›