Tag: mothers

The Chicken Whisperer

by Karen, posted in family, raising chickens

This morning, as I was rushing around the coop, trying to let the chickens out in their run, feed them, and give them a treat before I left for work, one of the smaller ones slipped past me and got out into the garage. I wasn't too concerned at first, hoping that she would hear … Continue reading The Chicken Whisperer

What I didn’t do today

by Karen, posted in books, writing

These are all of the things I didn't do today on my day off from nursing, wife-ing, and  mothering. Read. Well, okay I did read a little, but only the local newspaper, briefly, while I was eating my minestrone soup, with a cup of coffee and a gingerbread muffin chaser. Knit. I have a hat that's 3/4 … Continue reading What I didn’t do today

Buon Natale

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, italian, local fun, tweens

I took my daughter to Buon Natale, the Italian Christmas bazaar at St. Peter's Church on Federal St. in Portland. This was something my Italian grandmother always took me to when I was growing  up, and it remains a happy childhood memory for me to this day. I wanted to share this with my daughter. … Continue reading Buon Natale

Secretariat

by Karen, posted in family, local fun, movies, tweens

I took my daughter to see this movie with a bit of trepidation. First of all, it is 2 hours and 3 minutes long, a very long time for a tween to sit still and remain engaged, especially in the uncomfy old theater seats. Second, although it is a Disney movie, it isn't a kids' movie per … Continue reading Secretariat

Midlife crisis, part one: losing my mind

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, Midlife Crisis, tweens

I was standing in the kitchen talking to my husband last week, and he told me he was irritated because of something I'd told him earlier in the week that turned out not to be true.  What was it? I sure don't know. I didn't know then, and I don't know now. He remembered the … Continue reading Midlife crisis, part one: losing my mind

What Moms want

by Karen, posted in family

The headline this week in The Portland Phoenix is "What Women Want"...which of course echoes the famous Freudian question. This got me thinking...isn't the real question, which heretofore has failed to be asked, this: What do Moms want? Anyone? Anyone? Well, I'm here with the answer to this never-before-asked question. Mom's want (what my friend … Continue reading What Moms want

The rule of tree…I mean three

by Karen, posted in education, friends, Someone's gotta say it, tweens

So, although I'd been complaining in an earlier post about the homework my daughter's teachers had been assigning to the parents...I mean, the kids... I have to revisit my resentment some in light of the unexpected gifts that one of these assignments has had for us. The (dreaded) Tree Project is the assignment to which … Continue reading The rule of tree…I mean three

Girls’ Night

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, family, friends, local fun, restaurants, tweens

On the (rare) days when the male members of the family are off at work, but the females have the day off, we have a Girls' Night. Today, Girls' Nights started early, at 7:24AM. The men were out for the day so the females were left to  our own pursuits. This is what my daughter … Continue reading Girls’ Night

A child’s “firsts”

by Karen, posted in family, good grief

I had my first child when I was 29 years old. I started back to school and back to work when he was 8 weeks old. As a full-time student and working mother, I missed a lot of my child's "firsts". Certainly, I knew it was going to be a trade-off; get better educated to get better … Continue reading A child’s “firsts”

Signs (from the dead relatives)

by Karen, posted in family, good grief, tweens

Ever wrestle with a decision, wondering what is the right thing to do in any situation? Sometimes when that happens to me, I'll think, "What would my mother or father do?" or "What would Nana think about this?". Well, the other day I was going back on forth about something, then made my decision and … Continue reading Signs (from the dead relatives)