Author: Laura

  • Oh Nooooo!

    Oh Nooooo!

    So, let’s say you have this red punching bag, the balloon kind. It originally belonged to your brother, but now it’s the only surviving one of three, so your mom said you have to share it. It has lost a lot of air over the course of the weekend, but it still remains somewhat balloony–it just has…

  • This Is My Circus; These Are My Monkeys

    This Is My Circus; These Are My Monkeys

    This morning I brought my kids to  church with me. Whew. Somehow I have always found getting my children to church very difficult and tiring. I’m not exactly sure why, since we don’t have to leave as early as we do for school, and there is no need for lunches or anything–but it’s possible that…

  • 50 Ways to Enrage Your Mommy

    50 Ways to Enrage Your Mommy

    For the last couple of days, my blog was down. This was because my blog, like me, is caught in transitional divorce land. You see, back when my blog was a baby, my ex was kind enough to set it up for me and make it pretty, and I have to admit I’m unsure how…

  • Night Crawlers

    Night Crawlers

    The other night, I was sleeping. I would say this was unsurprising, but in a way, when you are a parent, it’s kind of surprising, because you seem to wind up with a lot of nighttime visitors, people who need to tell you they are about to go use the bathroom, and people who really…

  • In Defense of Mother’s Day

    In Defense of Mother’s Day

    This morning, I was thinking about Mother’s Day. This is unsurprising, because today is Mother’s Day. This year I think I have encountered more counter-culture reactions to Mother’s Day than I have in past years. It seems like a few crept in each year, but this year I encountered more of them than usual. I…

  • A Tale of Two Airplanes

    A Tale of Two Airplanes

    When I chose my seat on the first airplane in this story, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was on the second leg of my trip, flying between Phoenix and Little Rock. Southwest Airlines allows you to choose your seat, which I like. When I got on, I chose a seat near the front…

  • Let It Go

    Let It Go

    I did not name this post “Let It Go” after that song in Frozen. That freaking song that started out fine, but which has started to feel like it’s growing on me like a fungus I cannot get rid of. We listen to that song approximately 8 times a day, and I think the singer’s soprano gets…

  • Intimately Connected

    Intimately Connected

    Tonight I went to a Maundy Thursday service at my church. This day commemorates the Last Supper, when Jesus broke bread with his disciples and washed their feet in a final act of service before his death. I have gone to a Maundy Thursday potluck before, where I ate church food and talked to nice…

  • It’s Broken

    It’s Broken

    Every now and then I am struck by stupid grief. This morning, I went out into my sunny garden to stretch a bit. I found a plastic container out there, one that my ex had written “baby oatmeal” on. And it broke my heart. It’s been years since this container held baby oatmeal but I…

  • In Response to Slate.com

    In Response to Slate.com

    A few weeks ago, I enjoyed reading “My Life Is a Waking Nightmare,” by Ruth Graham on Slate.com. She wrote from the perspective of a childless person who is encountering what feels like a new wave of parenting articles, spoofs, and blogs–including my post, “So You Would Like to Have Three Children.” In short, Ms.…