I didn't introduce the guys I dated to my children. I would absolutely not put my kids through meeting men who didn't have the potential of being a fixture in their lives. Mike and I had only been on one date. Once the kids were settled into bed, I was going with Amy to meet... Continue Reading →
Yes, My Darling, Elvis Has Left The Building
"When I grow up, I'm going to marry Elvis," my seven-year old daughter, Maggie stared dreamy-eyed at the tv. Elvis in all his glory was singing "Love Me Tender." Oh, my. Who could blame her. My heart was melting with hers. How can I possibly break this to her? I started with the safest answer,... Continue Reading →
The Art of Not Writing
The road to nowhere is NOT paved with good intentions. It is paved with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Wayfair, instant messenger, texting, 30 minute phone calls (OK, possibly much longer) with my three sisters, two daughters and various friends, playing hide-and-go-seek with the dog, making lists I will never complete, thinking about exercising, not exercising, justifying... Continue Reading →
Keep the Change? NO THANK YOU!
I stared at the contents of a toddler's diaper in disbelief. He had passed a quarter. What on Earth? Throughout the two years that I had an in-home daycare, I both figuratively and literally saw some "weird shit.” The kids that I cared for ranged in age from six months old to four years old.... Continue Reading →
I stared at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling in the courtyard of the small strip mall across the street from where we lived. I lay flat on my back, trying to piece together what had just happened and what the slimy stuff all around me could possibly be. I looked around to see if... Continue Reading →
When Baby Wipes Fight Back
I nested and prepared for our second baby, as I continued to change the diapers of our seventeen-month old toddler. Baby wipes thirty years ago came in round tubs. The wipes popped up out of the lid through a circle of plastic teeth that made it easy to tear the wipe off at the perforation.... Continue Reading →
Chicken and Tears
The first apartment I ever had was the one I shared with my first husband. At the ages of Eighteen and Twenty, with a baby on the way, coming strait from our parents' homes, we were ready to take on the world! I had no idea what I was doing, but how hard could it... Continue Reading →
“You have a collect call from the Cass County jail”
"You have a collect call from the Cass County jail." Not awake, not comprehending the directions being given me by some female-auto-voice, I groaned as I fumbled for a light, Which one of those little shits is in jail, and what the heck did they do? The call was disconnected. I dialed the most likely suspect... Continue Reading →
Love My Messy Life 