Since my daughter is beginning to realize that she’s not the center of the universe, although she’s an important part of it, I thought that this Christmas would be a good one to talk about being thankful and helping others. As a family, we volunteer with an organization that helps provide fresh fruit and vegetables for those in need. We also support a foster child and do a Christmas hamper for a family every year. My daughter has never participated completely in the Christmas hamper. Last year she was aware that we were doing it, but she wasn’t particularly interested. … Continue reading →

We had a Storkcraft drop side crib. The cribs were also sold under the Fisher Price label, and they are now the focus of a massive recall across the US and Canada due to concerns about. Thankfully, with a preschooler our crib days are long behind us. However, I now have a lingering sense of guilt. Like many others, we sold our lovely crib through a consignment store, and the people who purchased it will now have to retrofit the crib to make it safe. This got me thinking, though. I am a dedicated reuse advocate. The hunting and gathering … Continue reading →

No, this is not about power struggles with your preschooler. Tonight the power went out at our house. This is a rather uncommon occurrence here. It was very exciting. It was thrillingly scary. We got the flashlight and the candles and ten minutes later the power went back on. However, the most interesting part of the whole episode was what my daughter said to me when the lights went out. “Mom, turn on your light, please!” You see, I have insulin-dependent diabetes, and I wear an insulin pump. My pump comes with a built-in backlight. This is very useful for … Continue reading →