Short-Winded Blog

Author: Laura

  • I Am Still Here

    I Am Still Here

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    by

    Laura
    in ,

    It has been weighing on me that I have not been writing much lately. I have been unsure what I could possibly respectfully and sanely share during a weird, transitional sort of time in my life. But not writing does not do much for me either, so I am just kind of…writing. This change from…

  • The Spaces Between

    The Spaces Between

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    by

    Laura
    in ,

    Please bear with me. This is a sad post, and it is an attempt to process my grief a little. If you hate complaining, don’t read it. But this is the part I would not have chosen. The part where my kids are going to be gone half the time, all the time. It struck…

  • The Things She Carried

    The Things She Carried

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    by

    Laura
    in , ,

    I often ask my daughter to clean her room. Her response is often to cry, get overwhelmed, or get distracted. I will not get into how crazy this all drives me in this particular blog. While she is away for a few days, I think I will do us both a favor and just whirl…

  • Calculating My Weighted Parenting GPA

    Calculating My Weighted Parenting GPA

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    by

    Laura
    in ,

    There are times, as a parent, when I feel like I’m doing a good job, and I happily give myself an A. Child spills milk all over the table when I am about to finally sit down. “It’s OK. Here is a rag.” Mind says: You stayed calm. No big deal. Good. See, you are…

  • Laughing When Life Is Stinky

    Laughing When Life Is Stinky

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    by

    Laura
    in ,

    There are many unknowns in this life. It is reassuring that you can always make a seven year old crack up when you use “toilet” or “stinky” in Mad Libs. I learned several years ago that once you become a parent, you don’t get to grieve, not really. When my grandmother passed away, I wanted…

  • A Happy State of ’Fairs

    A Happy State of ’Fairs

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    by

    Laura
    in ,

    This review is a bit long in coming. Oddly, I seem to be struggling with getting everything done lately. You would expect more of a working mom of three, right? Just kidding. So I got to go to the California State Fair, and I brought Selah, my friend Danielle, and her daughter Victoria. I will…

  • Solo Bike Ride

    Solo Bike Ride

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    by

    Laura
    in

    Riding uphill Out of breath Sing a little song The wheels sing with me   Looking down Rugged coast, rocky ocean White church, sharp steeple Quaint Unknown lives   A little lost Downhill Estuary’s quiet waters Slippery gravel   Bunny!   Peace Quiet redwood forest Daisy path Snowy flowers peppered with Yellow buttercups   Quickening…

  • Nobody Has It All

    Nobody Has It All

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    by

    Laura
    in , ,

    I hear a lot about these alleged “mommy wars” in the media. Working mothers and stay-at-home mothers* are pitted against one another, and are made to seem like enemies decrying one another’s life choices.** We all know this is crap, right? I mean, sure, we all encounter individual people full of opinions about what we…

  • Perfect [Bleep] Storm

    Perfect [Bleep] Storm

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    by

    Laura
    in , ,

    I grew up camping. Many of my favorite early memories involve sleeping in tents by some lake or river somewhere, with my parents, two siblings, and dog (see Go Home Lassie, You Are Drunk). In my mind, these trips were relaxing, easy peasy, simple. We’d eat sandwiches in the dust and swim in the [insert…

  • She Needs Groceries: Written Version

    She Needs Groceries: Written Version

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    by

    Laura
    in

    I remember those days clearly. There I’d be, shopping in Target with all of my disposable income, buying something frivolous, like a CD or a new toothbrush when my current one was two and a half months old. And then, bam! My peace would be shattered by a shopping cart full of wailing toddlers. Or…