The note that came home from school titled "Bank Day" certainly caught my attention. Bank Day is something that the Cheese Eater's school offers to all the students through Washington Mutual's School Savings program. Looking for more information on the bank's website, I was pleased to read the following: "Started in 1923, the School Savings program gives students hands-on lessons about how to handle money responsibly using their own Washington Mutual savings accounts. Our Financial Centers work with elementary schools and… Read More

For the past eleven months, the Cheese Eater has been telling me the same thing over and over again.

"Mommy, for Halloween I want to be a clone trooper."

That's right. A clone trooper. As in Star Wars, Darth Vader, and his galactic army. As in my son seems to be reliving my childhood except I always wanted to be Princess Leia. Last Halloween, a next door neighbor had worn the very costume to which my son was referring. He had already decided--and we… Read More

Just the other day, I was having a typical mommy conversation during a playdate at the park. We were discussing our children's diets. This good friend told me how much her daughter, who is 2-years-old, loves broccoli.

"You're kidding me! I'd do anything to get one of my kids to eat a leafy green vegetable," I told her.

That's when my friend made an EXCELLENT point that I had never considered before.

"Well, she always sees my husband and me eating it, so she… Read More

It was only a matter of time, mind you, but someone in my house has a black eye.

The only good thing was that it didn't happen on my watch. I had taken Saturday off of work (i.e. motherhood) to pamper myself a little with a hair appointment and a facial, topped off with sitting in a corner of a local cafe with no one else but the latest book that I'm reading. The Golfer was more than happy to stay… Read More

At the Cheese Eater's school, parents have plenty of opportunities to volunteer--PTA, fundraising, classroom parent, etc. So at Back-to-School Night, when there was an opportunity to sign up to volunteer in the Cheese Eater's kindergarten classroom, I didn't hesitate.

I always knew that I would be a PTA parent. You know, one of those moms who is willing and eager to help out. As a past teacher, I can certainly appreciate all that parents do to help make schools successful.
… Read More

The Cheese Eater was born with a small, little birth defect. The muscle in his right eye lid didn't fully develop, leaving the lid to droop over his eye about the center of his pupil. It's a condition called congenital ptosis. (It's not quite as bad as it looks in this picture.)

When he was first born, we thought that his eye was just swollen from the delivery, but as the weeks passed you could really see that his right eye lid didn't match… Read More