Recent PostsAbout This Blog Welcome to my blog. I'm Anne-Marie Nichols, a 40-something WAHM to Nathan, 6, and Lucie, 3. I've been married 12 years to their dad Paul, a scientist. When I'm not doing the mommy thing, I'm a freelance writer, and vice president of the board of directors for a Colorado public charter school. In my spare time I like to sleep, eat, read, and decorate cakes. I created this online journal to share some entertaining and insightful stories from my own experiences as a writer, domestic engineer, and mom. I encourage you to share this blog with your friends, and hopefully it will spark some lively discussions on issues we can all relate to. Enjoy! Blog CategoriesToday's Recipe
Here's a twist on a typical Mexican dish where you can use some leftover turkey and cranberry sauce. |
Nov 20 2008More in common than we thoughtCategory: Just MeI recently participated in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. For those of you not familiar with the Relay, you join a team to raise money for cancer research and participate in an overnight relay. Our local Relay was held at the high school outdoor track. Each hour for 12 hours, at least one person from my mom's club's team walked the track. If we weren't walking, we sat around talking and eating when we weren't trying to catch some sleep in our tent. There's nothing like hanging out all night with other people to get to know them better. I invited a couple of moms I knew from Nathan's school to join our team. One of them serves on the charter school board with me. While we knew we had a lot in common, from marketing and writing backgrounds to a love of punk and new wave, it was great to finally sit and chat with no little people or grumpy board members interrupting us. We talked about everything from religion to our families, and hope this is the beginning of a closer friendship if we can find the time to get our families together. (She has an even crazier schedule than I have.) As the entire team walked the last lap at 6 a.m., she told me of the couple of times her son, who's a year older than Nathan, had to do a "refocus" at school. Like Nathan, her son was having a tough time adjusting to school. Then she told me about a friend of hers who is having a tough time with her six-year-old son's rotten, teenage-like behavior. I could really relate. I looked back at the struggle I had with Nathan's problems almost a year ago. At the time I wondered what I had done wrong to cause a sweet little boy to become so defiant and stubborn. Talking with my new friend, I realized how normal Nathan was after all. It seems that many of the boys we knew in that age group -- all of them smart, shy and sweet -- were struggling with behavioral issues and strong emotions at school. Funny how we had all kept our little secret to ourselves and that it took a sleep deprivation to chat about it. We moms definitely need to talk more.
Nov 19 2008Party boyCategory: At HomeWe had a party for Paul's coworkers over the weekend. This meant getting the house cleaned up, food bought and prepared (even though we had it catered), chairs set up, and making sure coolers were filled with drinks and ice. It also meant dressing up in our Broncos finery since we were planning to watch the game. Paul picked out one of his Broncos Super Bowl t-shirts. I chose a button up Broncos shirt from the '80s that I had found in a thrift store. The old logo is very retro and "old school." I don't know if Nathan was nervous about people coming over or just very excited since I found him standing in the middle of his room, deep in thought, and wearing just his underpants. He was trying to decide between three outfits -- two kinds of long pants, one pair of shorts, a too-small Hawaiian shirt, two t-shirts, and two different pairs of shoes. Nathan was beginning to panic, so I came in to help. Due to the chilly weather, we quickly eliminated the sandals and shorts. Since the Hawaiian shirt was too small, I told him to wear the Broncos t-shirt. Instead he chose the "Blame my sister" t-shirt and opted to change into his Broncos shirt during the game. Gosh, at six-and-a-half (as he likes to remind me) he's already acting like a teenager on date night. Lucky kid, as long as it fits, he looks good in just about anything. Wish I could say the same.
Nov 18 2008Power Rangers bring peaceCategory: Just MeI finally have found one way to get the kids to stop fighting -- let them watch the Power Rangers together. That's almost as pleasant as saying I let them shoot rifles or throw knives at each other -- I hate the Power Rangers that much. I think the show is stupid, ridiculous, and boring. The special effects are lousy, too. Yet the kids love it. It's maddening. However, there's an atmosphere of cooperation when the Power Rangers are on. The children sit together quietly. They agree on things. They diplomatically assign each other roles in the show. "Nathan, you can be the black Power Ranger and I'll be the pink one," says Lucie. "O.K.," says Nathan, "And mom can be the bad guy." I'm always the bad guy, which is fine by me. I'm willing to march around waving my imaginary claws in the air while making Godzilla noises. It's worth sacrificing my dignity so they won't fight. I'd do anything for a temporary detente.
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