Experienced Bad Mom

Not Just a Bad Mom, But an Experienced Bad Mom

Thrifty Back-to-School Shopping Tips

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Ack! It’s Back-to-School shopping season! How much is this going to cost me? Will I ever find everything I need? I think I’m stressed already.  Which got me thinking. What if I could laugh about it instead? Yes, what if I could poke fun at all the craziness of back to school in a little [Read More]

Seen and Unseen on our Family Vacation

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“Ocean in view! Oh the joy!” wrote William Clark in 1805, thinking he had reached the Pacific Ocean. Alas, that famous member of the duo, Lewis and Clark, was looking at an estuary of the Columbia River. This got me thinking about all the things my family saw, thought we saw, or wanted to see, but [Read More]

Thirteen Things I Love About My Thirteen Year Old

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My oldest turns 13 this month. Happy birthday to my boy! In honor of this joyful and momentous occasion, here are the thirteen things I love about my thirteen year old. He is kind to his sister more often then he is a butthead to his sister. He loves cats, video games, fishing, and ice [Read More]

If Toddlers Ran the Morning News

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Watching the local morning news is part of my weekday routine. I sip a cup of coffee and let the TV news anchors fill me in on what I missed while I was sleeping. Honestly, 99% of the time I seem to have missed a new cat video that went viral. And that’s it. Watching is [Read More]

Time to Laugh

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Who needs to laugh? I know I do. After the recent tragedies in Orlando, I need a moment to giggle. Taking a second to laugh or smile doesn’t make light of the tragedies, but it momentarily lifts my soul and reminds me to enjoy life this day, this moment. If you need a laugh, I hope [Read More]

To the Family at Disney World

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I wasn’t going to write anything. Your pain is unfathomable and I have no words of comfort or care that can heal it right now. I am so sorry. I am so sorry. I am so sorry. I have stayed at the Grand Floridian at Disney World before when my youngest was two years old. [Read More]

5 Things I Love about Independence Day

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The Fourth of July, aka America’s Independence Day, is right around the corner. You may have noticed it’s coming due to the preponderance of Red, White and Blue gear and foods that shout at you from store shelves. Or the fact that summer weather has officially arrived. Or perhaps the creative Fourth of July pins [Read More]

International Delights

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I’ve finished a busy month at work preparing for a symposium that drew international smarty-pants (medical doctors and academic doctors) from all over the world. People came to the two-day event from Brazil, China, Chile, Costa Rica, Thailand, Switzerland and more. I have always liked learning about other cultures and even living in them. I [Read More]

When Your Child Doesn’t Like to Read

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If you believed everything you read on the internet, then parenting would be easy. Teach your child how to swim in 3 easy steps! Get your child to love vegetables with this 7-day plan! Turn your child into a bookworm in one hour! I tried everything on the internet–and under the sun–to instill a love of [Read More]

Things I Want to Complain About Part II

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A little while ago I shared a random list of things I want to complain about. Surprisingly, I’m not the obnoxious, lonely whiner that I thought I was. That’s because many of you joined in with your own complaining and/or commiserated with me. Thank you! Of course, this has only made me want to keep complaining [Read More]

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JENerally Informed