Ages & Stages

Spring break is here and for many of us Southerners, that means packing up the family and heading to warm sandy beaches to shake off the chill of winter. Parents are busy packing suitcases making sure they have everything their little ones need hoping all this planning will result in a stress-free vacation where mom and dad get some much-needed fun and relaxation.   Ahhhh … the memory of those enjoyable days. But as I sit here and type this today, I find myself preoccupied with checking my phone to see if there is an “I’m alive” text from my college-aged son who is spring breaking on some island living his best life or from my daughter who is buried alive...

To Go to Summer Camp Or Not :: How I Make The Decision for My Children Do I send my kids to summer camp? Or do I not send my kids to summer camp? Summer camp is such a commitment. The kids only get so much free time in a year, and it’s hard to decide whether summer camp is a do or don’t. So I make lists for both, along with the pros and the cons of each to help me make a decision. I also have questions that I have to answer first and after answering those questions and going through the lists, it usually leads me in the right direction. If I am NOT going to send my...

I don't know about you but I still vividly remember my senior year of high school. I remember wanting it to FLY by so that I could get into the "real world" and work, earn money and do what I wanted to do with it. There were many times I was ready to feel like an adult and be treated like one but also, tender moments where I just wanted someone to take care of me and make ALL my decisions for me. As I type this I realize, as a 34-year-old woman, I STILL want that some days. As I have raised my children and my oldest is now a senior in high school, I am trying to navigate...

What keeps me grounded when work becomes too much? My babies. My 3-year-old twins and my 5-year-old boy always reach for me to be held. I’m reaching for them as well. How did I ever do life without you? I’ve always been adventurous, brave, and a self-sufficient person. As an only child, I created my own fun. How I was as a child correlated to my adulthood. My career and relationships along the way have taught me a lot of character and life lessons, but my babies are teaching me things I never knew I needed. Patience… I take after my dad’s demeanor. He loves big but is impatient. I hate waiting and my anxiety makes me want everything to happen immediately. My...

Confessions of a Science Loving Mama A little background for you - I have always been good in school. I have always been especially good in science. It just made sense to me. All my other girl friends loved English and Art. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I got good grades in those subjects, but I can’t tell you the difference between and adverb and a preposition if my life depended on it. (That will probably be obvious as you read through this essay so don’t come for me too hard). In high school, my science classes were mostly me and a bunch of boys. When I got to college, nothing about that really changed much. I guess it was...