Roaringacres

Keep the Killer Clowns at Bay

“Mom, have you seen the movie It?” My first grader asked innocently on the way home from school. “Yes sweet pea, why did you ask me that?” “Gio has seen it. He told me about it during center time.” As I dismissed his inquiry he chirped on in the back seat about the boy’s yellow…

I Am My Children’s First Impression

“So who takes care of all this?” It’s a question I get every time someone visits our home. The big house, 30 plus acres, farm animals, pond and three energetic kids tend to overwhelm people as they watch the sights and smells unfold in real time. “We do.” I answer. A little insulted that people…

Be the Good My Little First Grader

‘Do they have cameras to keep the bad guys out?’ It was a question I did not anticipate from my 6-year-old son. We were throwing the football as the sun set the last Saturday of summer. I had asked him if he was nervous about starting first grade at a new school on Monday. The…

Just Wear the Goshdarn Bikini

We just returned from a seven-day trip to Florida. And by “we” I mean myself, my six and four year old, and my youngest who is almost two. My husband was there for the first few days before returning for a work trip, but this post isn’t about him. Because when it comes to pool…

Channeling Your Inner Chicken

‘Did you grow up this way?’ I laughed, loudly, and then immediately apologized for appearing rude. But the truth is, anyone who knows me from childhood, college or, heck, four years ago would never picture me living on or anywhere near a farm. But as I walked around our property showing my friend’s family our…

Why Early Kindergarten Is Not For Us

“Because…really…what’s the rush?” It’s a canned response I’ve dished out lately when parents have asked about testing my four-year-old daughter for early admittance into kindergarten. Willa bakes cakes, packs her own lunch for preschool, and has been picking out ensembles and dressing herself since she was three. She’ll be five in October, which means she…

What I Learned the Day I Called 9-1-1

It was Good Friday. My 6, 4 and 21 month old were home alone with me on Easter break. I’d had a fever since Wednesday but was waiting to see the doctor when the kids were back at school. Vander, my youngest, slept in until about 8:30 that morning but I didn’t think much of…

Not a Princess, But a Warrior

It’s 8:15 in the morning. The baby is smashing pancakes while my four-year-old daughter shouts in Korean. “Watch my crane kick, mom!” She executes a move with her skinny legs and just about falls over. I give her a high-five as she chops and shouts her way to the family room. A few months ago…

How to Read Your Little’s Mind

“We don’t typically write an incident report when the only first aid that’s required is an ice pack.” This was the principal’s response to my inquiry. A classmate tackled my son on the playground during recess. It wasn’t until the incident had escalated to something physical that my five-year-old told me this had happened more…

Resolutions for the Type-A Mama Bear

Seventeen. I had to rest my spoon on the side of the Nutella jar to keep scrolling, but that’s about when I stopped counting. Seventeen posts with pics of yoga mats, clean eating plates and organized toy rooms. While I’m pleased as punch all my friends hit the ground running in 2017, my resolution is…

Willa for President

I didn’t need Hillary to win last night to prove to my daughter that girls can do anything. That hard work sometimes doesn’t lead to the results you want, but you must never give up. That the world isn’t her oyster; it’s a sea of all sorts of fish. Some of them are delicious and…

6 Reasons Not to be a Halloween Hater

Halloween is around the corner. It’s one of my favorite times of year. Fall weather, pumpkin patches, my kids leaping off furniture dressed as their favorite superhero. What’s been surprising to me lately is a small number of parents who are—let’s call them—Halloween haters. To sweeten their animosity towards this kid-friendly holiday, here are a…