Try Not to Cry, Mama: Preschool Graduation

My kids are four years old and they are already onto me.  Whenever there is a sappy commercial or they do something particularly sweet, they know if they look into my eyes they will find them already wet with hot tears. They can see it from across the room now and they get a little dimpled …

Why do moms think it’s ok to scare the crap out of first-time pregnant women?

I had a conversation at preschool drop-off this morning about pregnancy and delivery.  We have these conversations a lot lately because our favorite preschool teacher is pregnant with her first baby.  As is warranted, she's scared and excited and feeling all the feelings we all do as her delivery date approaches. She said that her …

Love and Marriage and Mold-A-Ramas

Every time we go to the zoo, we have to get a Mold-A-Rama. I think it's a law in Chicago.  We grew up with the molded plastic animals, warm to the touch after coming out the machines and highly collectible. Just the waft of them can spark up nostalgia, and if there's one thing my husband …