I like to think I lead a pretty average life. I guess that sounds relatively boring but I'm not a fan of drama and chaos so it works for me. I work, cook, deal with teenagers, yell at the dog to stop barking (because that works, right?) and try to keep the house clean enough that I don't trip and break an ankle when I get up in the middle of the night to pee. I do that a lot now that I've hit middle age. I've decided as I browse through my Pinterest feed that Pinterest thinks I have way more free time than I actually do. I wish I had enough time to do the shit that keeps popping up in my feed just so that I could say my life was full of excitement. Or at least full of something other than stained shirts and dog vomit. I could spend hours gluing tiny Legos to a pair of high heels … [Read more...]
Hormones and holidays just don’t mix
The last month or so has been an emotional roller coaster than I am more than ready to get off of. Seems like middle aged metabolism has been joined by premenopausal hormones and resulted in one seriously off kilter mom. I seem to spend more time crying than I do eating lately. Thanks to that little molecule called estrogen I still end up packing on the pounds and making my way through a box of tissues at an alarming rate. I cry over Publix commercials. I cry because my children are teenagers and no longer believe in Santa. I cry because there is dust on my desk and I have yet to find time to clean it. Yes, I have cried over dust. Someone please tell me that this hormonal maelstrom will die down soon! I have always been a bit more emotional over the holidays. I extend myself too … [Read more...]
Are Mom Bloggers Keeping it Real?
I have been a professional blogger for over 5 years. I gave up my career in medical research when I gave birth to my son 15 years ago and spent several years as a stay at home mom. While I was thrilled to be able to stay home with my kids, I was also slowly going insane from the lack of mental stimulation. Playing Barbies and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches isn’t exactly rocket science. I tried teaching preschool and working retail part time but neither of those was really fulfilling. I had gotten into the ‘green and healthy’ lifestyle and really wanted to teach others how to live a simpler and more ecofriendly life so I started blogging at Turning the Clock Back. Teaching others to reduce their carbon footprint and cook from scratch was my new mission. And then I blogged about … [Read more...]
Let’s just let the government do it’s job, shall we?
I know the government is a hot topic in some circles. They create a lot of laws that some people don't like. They pass a bunch of policies which are (quite often) ridiculously stupid. They spend a ton of money and apparently have no clue how to stop doing that. But, sometimes the government does some really good stuff too. Keep us safe (or safer) from terrorists. Help out other countries that are struggling with disease and famine. Destroy okra. Sure, those are all great goals! What? You don't want the government destroying okra? Have you actually EATEN okra? I think it's pretty safe to say that a large majority of Americans would be perfectly happy to never again have to eat that slimy, nasty stuff. Most of those people live north of the Mason Dixon line. I grew up in the north … [Read more...]
I am Emotionally Attached to a Swingset
I have become emotionally attached to a lot of things over the years . My parents...yup, kind of love them. Amazed they put up with me for so long. My husband? Of course...love him, too, especially when he brings me home chocolate from Europe. The kids? Definitely. Even if they do annoy the crap out of me on a regular basis. Apparently I also have extremely strong feelings for my kids swing-set, even though they haven't played on it in 5 years. You may be ugly but I still love you! Emotionally Attached to a Swingset? Yeah, so? Alex and I seem to disagree about the continued presence of my children's swing-set in the back yard. This is a swing-set that my father helped him build for our children when we first moved into this house 10 years ago. Our children were 5 and 3 at … [Read more...]
Communicating with kids: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
When I was a kid, there wasn't a lot of communication going on with my parents. They were great...I seriously have an awesome relationship with my mom and dad but we didn't sit down and discuss the stuff kids really need to know about. There was an awkward moment when I was 11 where mom handed me a few books to read and I learned what I really needed to know from my friends. I would say about half of it was probably true. I didn't want to be that mom. I wanted my kids to come to me with every single question they could possibly come up with. I maybe should have rethought that concept...I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. I have always had very inquisitive kids. They have questions and rarely do they accept a basic answer without pursuing things further. I … [Read more...]
Skinny shaming, body image and All About That Bass
A few weeks ago I came across an upbeat new song called All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor. As the mom of a tween girl I thought it would be something she would really enjoy and honestly, I loved both the song and the music video. Yes, I know...maybe 40 something moms shouldn't enjoy pop music but let me tell you that beat really gets me moving when I work out! The tween loved the song, thought the video was cute and like a good mom we actually discussed the lyrics and what they meant. Or, what *I* thought they meant! The message I got from it was to be happy with your body even if you aren't a size 2. That what YOU may think of as fat is really a perfectly healthy weight. We don't need photo shopped perfection in magazines and so what if your butt is just a tad bit … [Read more...]
Musings from the Front Door
Earlier this afternoon I went outside to shake out my bathroom rug and took a look at my front door. I'm pretty sure that today was the first time that door had been opened in weeks. The door was covered in cobwebs and the porch was buried under a layer of leaves. A sad state of affairs for something that is supposed to scream 'Welcome to my home!'. I'm pretty sure mine screams 'Help! I am being neglected!'. Musings from the Front Door Growing up, the front door of our house in Connecticut was a hub of activity. Kids came and went with reckless abandon. Neighbors brought over a cup of sugar or a pile of magazines to share with my mom. People showed up trying to sell us things like encyclopedias or a new vacuum cleaner. My parents still have the encyclopedias but the vacuum … [Read more...]
It’s okay to be a girl, just don’t act like one #LikeaGirl
Do you ever find yourself saying something to your kid that just doesn't come out quite the way you had intended it to? Like, it sounded really good in your brain but the minute the words came out of your mouth you stopped and went "Uh, wait a minute...". I had that moment with my daughter a while ago when she tried to act all squeamish over something gross and I told her "It's okay to be a girl, just don't act like one". I realized as soon as the words came out of my mouth that 'acting like a girl' was one of those generalizations that I tell the kids never to make! I loathe stereotypes. Whether it is 'black kids play great basketball' or 'white girls like Starbucks' or 'Jewish people are good with money' I tell my kids constantly to not make assumptions about people based on … [Read more...]
Game of Thrones and the Definition of Kinky
Is your teen an avid reader? Are they asking to read Game of Thrones? Do you know what is in the book? Here is one mom's quick introduction to what may or may not be in there. Are there real thrones in the Game of Thrones? Let me just state for the record that I have no idea what the Game of Thrones is. Okay, that's not totally true. I know it's a TV show. Is it an actual game? Are there real thrones involved? I have no clue. However, apparently my teenage son's friends are watching it. Thus said the boy child when he brought me the Game of Thrones BOOK that he wanted to buy at the bookstore. Like any good clueless mother I decided to Google 'Should my teenage son read the Game of Thrones book'. I may be ignorant but I am resourceful! What … [Read more...]
