admin, Author at Mothering in the Middle

It’s Christmas Time!

by Andrea Lynn

It’s Christmas time, and my kids are 2 and 4. Magical, as everyone keeps telling me. This is the year. They must be so excited. And they are, I assure you. But boy, the pressure is really on ME now to live up to the hype. Traditions must be kept, or started. Decorating the house, buying the tree, the advent calendars, the gingerbread houses, the Christmas books. As each special thing happens, I wonder, hmmm, does this mean I have to do this again next year? Paper chains until they are how old? And, crap, I forgot to string the Christmas cards – is it too late? […]

A Sens-ational Holiday List

by Jane Samuel

Okay parents, I know you want to make your kids happy for the Holidays. After parenting three children, one of which has sensory processing disorder, I have amassed a list of our favorite toys and activities. I can attest that not only will the following items bring laughter and joy to your house this season; they will work your children’s brains and bodies developing their cognitive, physical and emotional skills. Happy Holiday shopping; potential websites for ordering items are listed as well. […]

“A Gift Of Time” Holiday Gift Certificate for Your Writer Friends

Here’s a gift idea that every writer can appreciate: TIME TO WRITE.

What to write under “Details”:

Depending on your relationship with the recipient, you could offer to do dishes for a week, pick up the kids from school, # hours of running errands, grocery shopping, babysitting and so on.

Just print it, cut out the certificate using the guidelines, fill in the information.

Ideas for presenting the gift:

– Slip the certificate into a white envelope & then decorate the envelope with Christmas stickers, sparkles, etc.

– Roll up the certificate and tie a colorful ribbon around it. Present it as is, or wrapped in gold tissue paper.

Enjoy!

Courtesy of (cartoonist and writer) Debbie Ohi: www.debbieohi.com

Lessons and Carols

by Peg O'Neill, M.D.

Thanksgiving
For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything thy goodness sends.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)

Leave it to a seemingly-clueless sixth-grade boy, who still needs to be reminded of some of the basic principles of functioning in life, such as the importance of brushing one’s teeth before leaving the house in the morning, or using something other than one’s shirt to wipe one’s mouth, to come home enthusiastically sharing the wisdom of his newly-discovered gift of an old poem, which pretty much sums up what is truly important, a flurry of words so crystal clear in simplicity and truth, reminding us of what really matters. […]

Perri Meno-Pudge

Happy Holidays to You and Yours from Perri MenoPudge!

https://www.facebook.com/PerrieMenoPudge

The Tao of Motherhood – An Interview with Vimala McClure

With all of the demands on their time, how can Moms make time for their spiritual life?

I believe that caring for children is spiritual practice. Many people think that prayer and meditation constitute spirituality, but when you have a baby, your practice must shift; everything you do with and for your child can be spiritual practice. […]

Quote of the Day

Daughter: Mommy, I want an American Girl doll.

Mommy: No. Why would you want one? You already have two other dolls.

Daughter: Because I don’t think I had any toys in my past life.

Trying to Make Sense of a Senseless Tragedy

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” – Fred Rogers

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued guidelines for talking to children about disasters. Their suggestions can be found at: www.aap.org

Submitted by writer Peg O’Neill, M.D.

Fertility Diet Trumps Statistics

by Cindy Bailey

I recently attended a seminar at a wonderful local fertility clinic on the topic of PGD and PGS in IVF. It was fascinating, especially to see how far such testing has come in recent years, and it was very well-presented. However, I found myself getting increasingly uncomfortable with all the charts and tables that showed the age-related, over-the-cliff drop-off of successful pregnancies in women in their late 30’s, early 40’s and mid-40’s. (They don’t even bother with late 40’s.) […]

The Tragedy in Sandy Hook (A Commentary)

by Valerie Gillies

Dear Reader: Valerie’s daughter attends school one mile away, in the town of Sandy Hook. Her school was on Lockdown earlier today.

How do you talk about this? What words are there for explaining to your child that someone, for whatever reason there could possibly be even in the most warped brain that has ever been made, even if the person was mentally ill and couldn’t help himself, could have walked into a school that is around the corner from hers, and killed 18 little children, babies really, mowed them down with an assault rifle? And if he truly went there to kill his mother in her kindergarten class… OMG OMG. There is nothing, nothing at all that a person can say that works, that will make sense, that will make it better. […]

About admin