The Valentine's Day Party was wrapping up. As my husband and I grabbed coats and wiped off smudged hands, a fellow mom I'd just met said, "Thank you. Thank you for letting your daughter get messy and play on the ground. I'm just now learning that lesson myself."

I laughed and said I understood, but internally, I really appreciated her words. I know not…

This weekend, my husband and children and I are spending a few days with friends who live near a ski resort. For the first time ever, Monkey is going to learn how to ski and boy, is it expensive. Since Monkey is not yet six, he has to have a private lesson, which at only $10 more than a group lesson, is going to cost around $100. I'm looking forward to seeing if Monkey enjoys skiing, but part of me is incredulous that I am spending $100 on a 90 minute class for a five year old. Some…

When we moved into our new house and offered to host Christmas (well, with all the different beliefs in our family, we call it Christmakkahwali) I envisioned a family trip to a tree farm where we'd drink cider and sit on bales of hay as we toured the farm to pick out our perfect tree. After the drive home, I imagined playing holiday music and the four of us wearing awful Christmas sweaters, while baking cookies and decorating the tree. In reality, it turns out that most tree farms are 45…

There are a lot of good days when it comes to parenting. Fun days outside or lazy days spent snuggling on the couch. Today was not one of those days. Instead it stretched painfully, gray and dreary like the rain that fell all day. Because Monkey's school was closed, I'd lined up a three-hour Lego class for him while I worked and a trial gymnastics class for both kids in the afternoon. In my mind, the kids would be excited for the change of routine, I'd work efficiently while the…