We’ve had yet another rough week. Last Sunday, my daughter succumbed to the H1N1 virus, and by Tuesday had developed a minor case of pneumonia. Meanwhile, I ended up with bronchitis, a sinus infection and an ear infection. By Wednesday, we were sick, sick of each other and sick of this house. I don’t know which is worse — the illnesses or cabin fever.

Kids amaze me. They’re able to watch a movie or a show repeatedly; not just once or twice, but dozens of times in a row. We’ve been through all the stages, from The Wiggles to Disney movies and iCarly. Now, we’re on to Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean. This week alone we’ve watched “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” at least five times and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” at least six. I shouldn’t complain — at least it’s not The Wiggles. That darn “Fruit Salad” song still gets stuck in my head. I’ll take Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom over four middle-aged Aussies any day!

It’s hard taking care of a six kiddo when you’re sick, too. We’ve played Webkinz online together, napped, eaten ice cream, coughed and sneezed for hours.  (For the record, Puffs Plus with the Scent of Vicks? You rock.) Unfortuntely, it’s been gorgeous outside, and we’ve all looked out the window longingly as our neighbors played ball, took walks and hung out in the cul-de-sac.

I think we’re on the mend, but we’re definitely sick of being indoors. Anyone got any tips on what to do this weekend? As long as it doesn’t involve the television, I’m game!

The transformation is complete – my little man is just like his father. Brian can proudly say he has a mini-me. 

Brian has been trying since the kids were about two years old to make Doran a Star Wars fan. Doran received Brian’s Star Wars action figures collection at an early age and promptly lost most of them. Luckily, he managed to hold onto most of the Star Wars spaceships he inherited. And, he seems to be happy to be a little version of Brian. It’s cute to see Brian and Doran play-fighting each other with light sabers around the house (even though I’ve told them no light saber fights in the house). I really think Brian had kids so he could relive his childhood. Even though he gets tired of playing the same video game over and over with him, I know Brian enjoys hearing Doran squeal with happiness at the chance to play Lego Star Wars on the Wii again. …CONTINUE READING »

Last week, my husband and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Well, he worked and I played. On Wednesday, I trudged through Epcot to watch singer/ songwriter Vanessa Carlton take the stage during the festival’s nightly “Eat to the Beat” concert series.

I’ve been a Vanessa Carlton fan since the release of “Be Not Nobody” in 2002. The singer is known for top 40s hits such as “A Thousand Miles,” “Ordinary Day” and “White Houses” and her music is on regular rotation on my iPod. Naturally, I was thrilled to see she would be performing in the concert series during my vacation.

At 5:15, I happily took my seat at the American Gardens Theatre. She started off with a bang, playing several songs from her current and past records on the piano and singing; however, when she began one of her better know songs, she slipped up on the lyrics and stopped, using a four-letter expletive. She apologized and began the song again. There was nervous laughter around, and at the end of her first performance, Carlton apologized, bowed with her guitarist, and left the stage (that’s her beating a hasty retreat at left). …CONTINUE READING »

In the eighth grade, I met Vicki. She and I became best friends and stayed that way even though her family moved quite a bit. I would go stay with her or she would come visit me every few months when we lived in different states. The visits at her house were always raucous due to her four little brothers who were a handful.

Unfortunately, after we both started having families of our own, we lost touch but for the occasional call or email. I happened to be looking in the newspaper the other day and saw an obituary for her father, who had died after a long illness. Most of his family still resides in the city I live in so the funeral was going to be local and I was able to attend.

As I sat in the church, I was able to take a long look at her brothers, all now with families of their own. It just amazed me. Here were all of these–well, as I knew them—brats, all grown up and respectable. Two of them are pharmacists, one owns his own company and one, the baby, Michael, is a truck driver. And they are all such sweet and gentle family men. The juxtaposition of my memories of these guys with the present day reality just floored me. I guess seeing these guys as adults was more startling to me because I wasn’t around for the intervening years. …CONTINUE READING »

Well, I’m not going to win “Mother of the Year.” At least, that’s how my microwave makes me feel. It quit working this week, and I am lost without it. I never realized how much I depended on it. But, now that it’s gone, I don’t know what to do. I guess that’s how it is with most appliances.

We’re definitely buying a new microwave this weekend. However, I can’t help but wonder, how did we ever manage without one? It’s become as important as a refrigerator to me. I know, you’re yelling at your computer screen as you read this, “Hello? Have you heard of an oven?” Yes, I know about the oven and I use my stovetop a lot, but I use it for defrosting, quick “nuking” and instant oatmeal – which my daughter loves and eats almost every day. The oven is just not a match for my need for speed and instant food – a need easily met by my microwave. …CONTINUE READING »

In case you don’t have any kids, let me tell you something – parenting isn’t easy! I’m very glad that I gave birth to a healthy, strong-willed little boy, who has only grown healthier, stronger-willed, and much bigger. In fact, at age 13, he towers over me at 5’9” and 188 lbs. That means that I can no longer carry him to his room for a time out or physically make him do anything for that matter.

I’ve tried numerous parenting methods throughout the years to help keep Andrew in line. Maybe the biggest problem with all of the things I tried was me. In retrospect, I lacked consistency. I would try something, and when it didn’t work (or appear to be working), I would say to myself, “Scratch that! Now what do I do?”

So, when I came across “Positive Parenting with a Plan (Grades K-12): FAMILY Rules,” I was determined to stick to it, regardless of how difficult it was – and even if it didn’t look like it was working. …CONTINUE READING »

I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m a certifiable Disney nerd. So much so, in fact, that I’m decorating our new basement with theme park memorabilia sourced from eBay and salvage Web sites like Mouse Surplus. We go to Walt Disney World at least once every year as a family (don’t laugh but I’ve been three times this year alone) and sometimes, my husband and I combine business with pleasure and go alone (without the kiddo! Shocking, I know!). We’ll be back next week as my husband attends a convention and I hit up the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

I recently planned an entire trip from start to finish for a neighbor and her family. They’ve never been to Walt Disney World, and the kids have never flown. It was a great experience to plan someone else’s trip, albeit last minute. I put together a list of my TOP 10 Tips and Tricks for them. Curious? Here you go! …CONTINUE READING »

If I earned a dime for each time I heard a friend or relative tell me, “I don’t know how you did it with twins,” well, I would have a lot of dimes. I heard the best variation of that statement from a friend who just had a baby last week, “How did you make it with twins? You deserve an award plus a million dollars.” Ah, if only.

The funny thing is, I don’t remember how we did it. I know we had a lot of sleepless nights, Excel spreadsheets and pre-made bottles. And, we had help for the first month. After that, we were left to our own devices. So, now that my friend is struggling to care for her newborn, I can’t help but think back to my own sleepless nights. It seems like it took forever to get the kids to the scene you see in this photo: playful, rested, not screaming at us for a bottle or a diaper change. …CONTINUE READING »