Becky
I am a Dayton native who vowed to pack up and leave for bigger sights but never made it further than Centerville. I've been married to a fellow Daytonian for five years, and we currently play house in the Englewood area. I have two bonus kiddos - a daughter (13) and a son (11) - and one daughter (3). When we aren't playing soccer or hockey, our family enjoys checking out our Metroparks and visiting local farms that host family events. To detox from life's stressors, I love running, eating mass quantities of chocolate, and praying -- sometimes all at the same time.
Is This the New Slang? {What the Kids Are Saying These Days}
“You are such a bomb, honey!” My friend’s mom said to her from the front seat of her minivan.
“Mom, it’s Da Bomb… You Da Bomb,” my friend replied with a roll of her eyes.
The...
Yoga for Mommy!… Mommy?… Mommmm?!?!
"Practice yoga for stress-relief," they said.
"Try stretching and breathing for pain relief," they said.
Taking “their” advice, I Googled YouTube yoga instructors, finding results like Yoga with Adrienne, Yoga with Tim, Yoga by Candace… you...
The Joke’s Not on Me {Realizing My Self-Worth}
To all the women who crack a joke at their own expense, I’m with you. To the women who use it to break the ice, I live in your shoes. To the confident women...
My Nutty Holiday {National Peanut Butter Day, Sunday, Jan. 24}
Take a peek inside our family’s pantry, and you’ll see five different kinds of peanut butter. With almost an entire shelf dedicated to everyone’s favorite preferences, we are pretty prepared for a nutaggedon or...
Elf on the Shelf: Covid Made Me Do It
It’s been six years since I first declared Elf on the Shelf would never enter my house. It’s been three years since my child first found out about it from her dance teacher. It’s...
The Village {And the Importance of Raising Your Child In One}
The door was open, and I could just make out a snippet of the conversation between my awe-struck 6-year-old and her aunt.
“You remember what I told you about shoes, right?” Aunt E asked. “When...
Things I Swore I’d Never Do
If I could go back in time and talk smack to only one person, it would probably be me - before kids. I’d march right up to a table at a restaurant that I...
The Unprepared Tooth Fairy
The day had been coming for a while. My daughter’s tooth had been holding on by a gossamer-thin thread for days, and it was just a matter of time. Somewhere in the dusty recesses...
All Dogs Go to Heaven {Saying Goodbye to My Fur Baby}
Long before I had a larger-than-life daughter, before I had two creative and talented stepkids, before I even knew my husband was walking the earth, I had my first baby: a fur baby.
She came...
Yakety Yak: Don’t Talk Back
“What does she think, telling me to brush my teeth. She doesn’t even know what she’s talking about anyway… Grumpy old lady.”
The door to the bathroom was cracked just enough for me to hear...
Marie Kondo vs. Packrat: Quarantine Edition
When the Marie Kondo ship sailed in, I never jumped on board. I meant to. Oh, how I love the idea of getting rid of all the clutter. Some days I’d look at the...
The Language of Autism
I have a 5-year-old friend named Harry. He loves numbers, marble runs, and snap circuits. He reads portions of the encyclopedia to family and friends, and he delights in sharing this knowledge. He is...
Surviving the Stomach Bug Without Grace or Dignity
It happened at 1:30 in the morning. Because doesn’t it always happen in the middle of the night? I’d been asleep for maaaaybe two hours when I heard a cry for me accompanied by...
Leap Year… Even If You Don’t Care
If you can’t remember the last time you knew when Leap Year was, yet alone did anything special in honor of it, you’re in good company. I’m pretty sure that I haven’t given Leap...