I can tell you exactly how many ornaments were on my Christmas tree this year—99. I know this because I counted them as I removed them from the tree one by one and documented each in a notebook. By each number, I’ve written a description of the ornament, where it came from or who made it, who it was given to and any interesting stories or tidbits of information about the ornament.
For example, I have tiny slingshots that my late grandfather made by hand, and I hang them on the tree as...
One of my biggest hopes for my children is that they grow into adults who put gratitude into practice. I whole-heartedly want them to appreciate the people in their lives and the things and opportunities that they have.
To kick start the holiday season with a thankful heart, we made a Thanksgiving tree to hang on the wall by our kitchen table. Trust me. If someone as unskilled as I am in all things crafty can do it, anyone can. I drew the tree on brown packing paper and made leaves using cut out leaf...
This month we said goodbye to Breezy, the wheelchair that had become a daily part of our five-year-old son’s life since he broke his leg Aug. 3. Though temporary, the experience of having a child with special physical needs has been an eye-opening experience for me.
I never fully appreicated the challenges that people in wheelchairs face each day until I had to push my son around in one. Just because a place is wheel-chair accessible doesn’t mean it’s easy to get into. I’ve...
Beware of the bee spider. It’s venom causes sleeplessness and loss of reasoning in children. If you’ve never heard of a bee spider, don’t worry. I hadn’t either until my 3-year-old son woke up in the middle of the night claiming a bee spider was in his bed and had crawled onto his foot.
My youngest son hardly ever wakes up at night, so this was unsettling news. I could tell he was terrified because he kept repeating “There’s a spider on my foot.” He grabbed...
August marked the beginning of a new chapter for my family as my five-year-old twins entered kindergarten. As the big day drew near, I grew more nervous. Are they really prepared for kindergarten? Should I separate my twins or keep them together? Will they get upset when I drop them off that first day? What if they don’t go inside? How will I get them inside?
Oh, and don’t forget that one of my kindergarteners has a broken leg and is in a full leg cast. I’ll be the first to admit...
I’m usually not a superstitious person, but I have to admit I’m now freaked out about the month of August. For the second August in a row, my son, Eli, has broken a bone. Last summer he broke his arm on Aug. 10, and on Aug. 3 of this year, he broke his leg. Next August I’m covering him in bubble wrap and pillows.
I’m pleading temporary insanity. Somehow I walked into a store with the intentions of buying a birthday gift for my children’s friend and came out with not only a gift but our first family pets. Two African dwarf frogs, Flower and Buggy, are now living in my house. It only took the short drive home for my lapse in brain functioning to hit me and for buyer’s remorse to set it. Meanwhile, my kids were giddy in the back seat as they celebrated their newfound friends. On some level, I’m...
Girls aren’t the only ones who care about what they wear. I’ve learned that little boys care just as much about their attire. Let’s just say my 2-year-old son is quite passionate about what shirt he puts on each morning.
Siler’s fashion rule No. 1 is the shirt must have a picture on it. Rule No. 2 is that picture better be of a ball. We basically rotate between three T-shirts….a green soccer ball shirt that has the number “8″ on the back, a blue soccer ball...
I’m now the mother of five year old twins. I’ve had a few weeks to practice saying it, but it still sounds so strange to hear it come out of my mouth. In many ways, it seems like just yesterday that my husband and I welcomed our baby girl and baby boy into the world. They were the tiniest babies I’d ever held in my arms. My son was only 4 lbs., and my daughter was 4 lbs. 7 oz. They weren’t even as long as a loaf of bread. I have the...
Some words should never go together to construct a sentence. For example, a mom should never have to utter the words, “There’s a dirty pull up stuck in a tree outside my house!” I, however, said those words Wednesday morning just after 7 a.m. I walked into my two-year-old son’s room to find him without a stitch of clothing below his waist and poop on the floor.
I asked, “Where is your pull-up?”
“Out there,” he said, pointing to the window.
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