My dad turns 80 next year. He is a bull. Looks like mafia. Avid golfer and talented haberdasher. Drinks scotch every night and sneaks smokes when my mom isn’t watching. He is also one of the best things that ever happened to me. My mom married him about two years after my daddy passed away and right before my 11th birthday. That summer, she signed me up … [Read more...] about Family Bonds: An Ode to Pops
Parental Rite of Passage
Stitches, my friends, friggin’ STITCHES! Here is how it went down: We were in a shoe store, I hear a CLANK behind me and turn around to find Jaden on the floor, holding her chin. She tripped on her own two feet, fell and hit a metal bench in the store, splitting open her little chin. Now, with her hands covering it, I didn’t know how bad it was until I … [Read more...] about Parental Rite of Passage
Fireworks
I planned on spending the long 4th of July weekend in Minnesota with my in-laws. Going to visit them is a true vacation for me as their home is on a gorgeous lake and my partner Joel’s three sisters all have kids and they run around like a wolf-pack that mystifies and envelops my oldest daughter. It is fantastic. We have been planning this trip for some time, and the last … [Read more...] about Fireworks
Just A Girl
My five-year-old daughter is a remarkable little kid and last night I was reminded that she is also a girl. One thing I know as a woman is that sometimes we just need to talk- to process what is going on in our heads and hearts. If we don’t, then the stress builds and we find ourselves “discharging” and over-reacting to things that we direct all this built up stress … [Read more...] about Just A Girl
Dirty Little Secret
I’ve talked about accepting Failure in previous posts but I have to admit that I didn’t think I would have to accept Failure in sleep training. So in an effort to accept it, here goes. My name is Quinn, and for over six months, my youngest of two daughters has not consistently slept through the night. My partner and I are hallow-eyed, embarrassed, and have been privately … [Read more...] about Dirty Little Secret