mara williams on Feb 7 2012 - 06:00:00 AM

I'm not proud of the ugly green stage mom in me - 187 views
I don’t know why, but for some dumb reason I thought that once your kids were in college the crazed mother mode that comes over us moms making us fight like heck to get our kids into the best of every thing would end. Wrong. My oldest is a junior in college and he needs an internship. Suddenly I feel the old sickness bubbling up inside of me. I’m turning green, bulking up, breathing steam through my... - read more

Kim Nakahodo on Feb 6 2012 - 06:00:00 AM

Is a “soft soul” a bad thing? - 417 views
DH and I had and interesting week.  We had a parent-teacher conference at school on Thursday morning.  I thought the meeting was about the fact that eventually, they are going to have to hold Niko back a grade because his birthday is after the cut-off date of most schools.  I really didn’t think much about it. We were completely caught off guard for the meeting we were walking into.  ... - read more

Emily Parnell on Feb 5 2012 - 06:00:00 AM

Inspiration under pressure - 260 views
Towing around my munchkins, I’ve lost plenty of things in public places. I left my purse in a bathroom at the zoo. I’ve crawled on hands and knees in a department store looking for a baby shoe. I’ve dropped gloves, cash and water bottles — some I got back and others I didn’t. But (I’m knocking on wood right now) I have yet to misplace my kids in a public place. It could... - read more

Susan Vollenweider on Feb 4 2012 - 06:00:00 AM

I missed you! - 431 views
When I was in Kindergarten, I met this kid. A couple of weeks ago I saw her again.    “I like your socks,” I said.    She smiled, reached into her purse and handed me a brand new and identical pair, “I thought you would.”    That’s what happens when I go home. I get to reconnect with the people who have known me for a very, very long time. People who I... - read more

Tasha Fabela-Jonas on Feb 3 2012 - 06:00:00 AM

New clothes, who needs em? - 493 views
Well, I kinda did. It's been a long LONG time since I've bought new clothes for myself. Surprising? Well, I spend hard-earned money on other stuff I deem more valuable, like stuff for our son, our house and maybe plane tickets. I mean, would you rather have a mini vacation on the beach with your husband or a new Giorgio Armani outfit? There comes a time though, when one needs a few new items. My favorite... - read more

Christi Diggs on Feb 2 2012 - 06:00:00 AM

Putting the center back in community—Welcome back JFK to KCK! - 262 views
A good old gym can bring back memories. Wednesday afternoon in Kansas City, Kansas, I was so excited for the children sitting and standing in one of my favorite ones. After being closed for 10 years, the Harlem Globetrotters and other local important folks, such as Mayor Joe Reardon and City Commissioners Nathan Barnes and Tarence Maddox joined the festivities as the JFK Community Center at 1310 N. 10 th Street... - read more

Valorie Engholm on Feb 1 2012 - 06:00:00 AM

Which is worse: paying taxes or paying a tax preparer to file your taxes? - 624 views
They oughtta just not have taxes. Well, okay, not really. But that's how my husband and I felt, at least, after we got home from filing ours. I am all for taxes. We need taxes to pay for things like roads, schools, police, fire department, parks, social programs, and what have you. I get it. But, look. We were at our tax preparer for over two hours. We thought we would just take our stuff in and they'd punch... - read more

Laura Bauer on Jan 30 2012 - 06:00:00 AM

Son: "See, Mom, your bottom looks a little big" ... - 575 views
Youngest said these words (OK, he really didn't include the word little, but it makes me feel better...) and then saw the horrified look on my face. You could tell he knew maybe, just maybe, the words sounded a little harsh. (Let’s just say I started breathing hard and tried to flatten out my backside, like this would really help anything… Did I mention he pulled me to the bathroom mirror to make me... - read more

Lindsay Metcalf on Jan 28 2012 - 06:00:00 AM

Reliving the ridiculousness through my teenage journal - 472 views
My parents visited last weekend, carting with them two tubs of my high school junk that had been collecting dust in their attic.  In one tub sat a perfectly preserved Five Star notebook that held my most dramatic and teenagery thoughts of 1998. The funniest is a 14-page tome about meeting the Hanson brothers on a Tulsa tour stop. Although typing this for all of you gives me hives, I was a Fanson. And amid the... - read more

Jim Cosgrove on Jan 26 2012 - 06:00:00 AM

I've been sleeping on the couch lately. - 877 views
Our couch is really pretty comfortable for sleeping. And the recliner isn’t too bad, either. Recently I’ve been rotating between the two. Here’s how I ended up there… This morning it happened at four o’clock. Sometimes it’s at three a.m. or as early as 1:30. But lately it’s been two or three times a week that one of our two girls crawls into bed with us in the wee hours.... - read more