Search Results for: blog my bad luck

When Other Moms Are the Enemy

You know how they say we can be our own worst enemy?  When it comes to parenting, I think we can have two enemies—not only ourselves but other moms. Ever notice how men don’t compare their fathering skills to one another.  But women do? Of course, get a group of men together and it’s highly unlikely they are going to be discussing their children anyway.  Their conversations tend to swirl around work, sports and the latest home project. But put a group of women together and their children tend to pop up in the conversation.  And unless it’s a group … Continue reading →

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

As a child I begged my mother to read the Alexander books to me, now my little Logan asks for them the same way I did. As a child I remember having days like poor little Alexander, when it seemed like every little thing went wrong. As an adult it seems like those days happen more often. Today happens to be one of those days. As a single mom it is hard to carry the weight of the world around on your shoulders. Your children depend on you for so many things. You don’t have anyone else there to pick … Continue reading →

When Lady Luck is Not On Your Side

During a recent trip to Six Flags Great America my 7-year-old was inundated by gamers calling out for players to press their luck at various activities. The teen workers enthusiastically described the thrills of the ring toss, basketball throw and balloon pop, and then waved humongous stuffed prizes in the faces of kids who stopped and sized up their chances. After unsuccessfully trying her hand at an array of games, my daughter begged me for more money to fund her pursuit of a large stuffed Scooby-Doo. When I told her that I didn’t have any more money she frowned and … Continue reading →

When Bad is Good

I think about her a lot. Especially on the days I am forced to function on less than four hours of sleep. She’s the single mom of three children, who takes two buses and one train to a job that pays her six bucks an hour; a job in which she cleans other people’s homes while hers sits in utter disarray. When she’s done sanitizing someone else’s space, she gets back on the train and heads to another job; this one serving strangers hamburgers, fries and compliments hoping that her smile and attentiveness will score her a fat tip to … Continue reading →

And You Thought Hot Dogs Were Bad For Kids

Don’t you love it when other parents agree with you? I had to chuckle reading fellow blogger Matt Pinkston’s take on hot dogs. The dad of four kids is as repulsed by the popular kiddie menu option as I am. As he noted in a previous post: “After four years of undergraduate science, and understanding thoroughly what sodium nitrates and nitrates, corn syrup, food colorings, and parasites in hot dogs will do to people, I’m not a fan. The conflict intensifies when one child requests hamburger, which I then prepare, then insists on hot dogs, an item seldom in the … Continue reading →

Where Are My Elves?

I took the day off work today to relax. This time of year is so busy that I just need some down time. Today seemed like a perfect day. All the shopping is done, the house is clean, presents are wrapped and the cooking doesn’t need to be started yet. Time just for me, read, relax, take a hot bath, whatever I wanted. I was just sitting down to get caught up on some blogs when I hear the dog dry heaving, under the Christmas tree. I grab some napkins and start moving the presents from under the tree so … Continue reading →

Corner Cabinet of my Dreams

I just found the coolest cabinet ever! I want to remodel my kitchen, I surf the net looking for neat kitchen ideas. I drool over beautiful islands, wood floors and lots of space. The reality is my little kitchen is never going to be described as spacious so I need to find things that make the most use of the space I have. I don’t like those lazy susan corner cabinets, they are not a very efficient use of the space. My whole kitchen is a lesson in how not to design a kitchen so I collect drawings and pictures … Continue reading →

Single Parents Are Not Bad Parents

I get so tired of reading about how harmful it is to children to be raised by single parents. I look around at some of the young adults that I know who were raised by single moms and I wonder where these statistics come from. No, being a single parent isn’t anyone’s idea of ideal, but it is not as bad as the media makes it out to be. I’m sure there are children who struggle in single parent families, just as there are children who struggle in two parent families. What is the deciding factor for our children’s well … Continue reading →

My Ex in Disguise

Some days I wonder if there are any good men in the world. I’m sure plenty of you have wondered the same thing from time to time. It seems like there are a million bad ones and every once in a while a good one gets thrown into the mix. Needless to say I’ve dated a few bad apples since my divorce. For some reason I tend to go for men who are very much like my ex husband. Maybe it’s just what I’m used to. When I had been divorced for about six months I met a guy who … Continue reading →

Cheap Doesn’t Have to Taste Bad

Remember how I suggested that buying store brand instead of name brand food items would be a great way to save money? Well, here’s another tip: Don’t buy generic ketchup. Live, learn, and modify, right? So, the ketchup idea was not a good one, but I wouldn’t have known unless I gave it a try. And no, I don’t plan to waste it and the money I spent on it. Rather, I plan to use it in recipes that call for ketchup instead of eating it straight up on fries. It doesn’t taste that bad, though I prefer Heinz. Now, … Continue reading →