Joys of Single Motherhood

Spring is almost sprung and it struck me yesterday that as I get older the decision to have kids late in life has more apparent consequences. For instance, I am just about to the point where I will need reading glasses to cut Kid 2's fingernails. Also, I keep meeting my kids' friends' mothers and they look younger and younger. And blonder and blonder. Cest la vie. I just received a six page document via email outlining the remaining activities etc. planned for the 5th grade...the class going into Junior High. Boy, it's going to be a tough season for keeping tongue in cheek and dismay disguised. There are parties, trips, rehearsals, days off, half days, beach outings, free jewelry from Tiffany's (I made that one up)--all in all--an appalling display of much ado about not much. You'd think they'd all attained early admission to an Ivy League school upon graduation from high school. Instead, they're going to junior high. That's some achievement--they ma

My baby boy just turned 8. He still likes stuffed animals and Ben 10 but there are definitely more utterances and mannerisms that I associate with "real boys". For his recent birthday, he received "Destroy All Humans II" from his favorite uncle, a set of Doctor Who DVDs, some nice books and a so-called "Ugly Doll" which he immediately started taking to bed with him. But the "real boy" makes his presence known unexpectedly sometimes. The other day I asked him to do some small task. He replied "I have to do it a little bit later, I've got a date with a poop." I furrowed my brow and looked both shocked and puzzled simultaneously. "WHAT?" I asked. "I gotta go poop and it's going to take a while". "Gross! shrieked my daughter. I tended to agree with her. He seemed to think such a comment SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). I thought "TMI". Like a boy, he showers as infrequently as he can. He only