Moms & Family

There used to be four of us. Birthdays, vacations, anniversaries –- two parents, two children. Now it’s different. Four has become seven. Two sons, two parents, one wife, one girlfriend and one mother-in-law. When your kids find worthy life companions, you don’t argue or complain about the normal being other than the old configuration, almost never hanging out – just the four of you.

In my twenties, I fell in love with BMWs.  I loved their history, their styling, and their ability to live up to pure car enthusiast standards in terms of performance and handling.  I scraped together all my money and stretched my budget completely thin to buy my first BMW.  I absolutely loved the car.  I loved how it drove, loved how it looked and I meticulously hand-washed and waxed the car to keep it beautiful.

I spent the whole of Wednesday buried under my covers feeling sorry for myself. My daughter Paige and I have been fighting like cats and dogs as of late, maneuvering our way through the typical mother-daughter dynamics (I hate you! I love you!). I'm not exaggerating when I say that there have been some knock-down, drag-out screaming matches and threats of boycotting each other -- 4-ever! It's completely unrelenting.

The most enlightening advice I've received as a parent has been about toys. When celebrating our first Christmas my aunt warned me not to buy my son too many gifts because he'd be more entertained by the wrapping and boxes. She was totally right. And as my son quickly approaches his third birthday, he is still intrigued by the most unusual things. Like a kitten, he will play with a bit of string or a piece of ribbon for hours on end.

Recently at Mommytrack'd, Leslie Morgan-Steiner wrote about companies offering to let new moms bring their babies on the job. And for the thousandth time, I wondered if I ever would've been able to pull that one off.