The mother of a new child in Maria's pre-school class asked me for lunchbox ideas that don't include peanut butter. I gave her a quick rundown of typical lunches and told her about sunflower butter, a sticky godsend for families who can't eat nut butters.
This mother showed an awareness that is growing among parents whose children do not have food allergies. She wanted to make sure anything she sent in her child's lunchbox would not harm mine.
I arrived to gather Maria from an afternoon with one of her favorite friends. They were in animal print dance-wear bouncing to The Lion King soundtrack.
She was not ready to go, and as I got closer she dashed off. She turned the corner like a rabbit running from a fox and disappeared into the sparkly pink warren that is her friend's well-stocked playroom.
My brother asked me why I blog. Why write about my daughter, my family in such a public way?
I fell into it, I explained. It started because every small business in the world of Web 2.0 needs a blog and I wanted to connect with people like me who are teaching little ones to speak a second language. As it grew, it got fun and creatively freeing, an unexpected surprise.
A friend from high school told me recently she hasn't had time to create the business she dreamed up for herself. There hasn't been time. She's a stay-at-home mom with a 4-year-old.
"I bet you feel guilty or you're mad at yourself,'' I say.
Natasha: "As of today, I've paid off one card. It's a small victory, not because it was the one with the lowest balance, but because I've been in a funk. I've never been more exhausted in my life." Updated frequently.
Denene at My Brown Baby: "Kids are experts at finding the hidden, and that little flimsy lock was no match for the wits of a curious preteen and her big brother. If we wanted to see it, it was going to get seen. But this? This I wasn't ready for." Updated Daily!
