Speed Bump

I'm not sure which one of us registered more shock when our neighbor, fellow kindergartner, and Monday morning carpool friend, hopped out of her minivan and onto our driveway in full cowgirl attire this morning. Charlie turned to bury his head in my legs, while my brain churned ever so slowly back to an announcement that came home on Friday about Spirit Week. I'm not sure if Charlie was upset about his lack of western attire, or if he was just overwhelmed by the exuberance of an unexpected cowgirl on Monday morning. The cowgirl's mom smiled and muttered something about how she had thought about reminding me. I stood frozen, with Charlie attached to my legs, trying to think. We had nothing he could throw on at the last minute - no vest, no cowboy hat, not even a bandana. It was a major Mom Fail to start the week. As I drove to work fighting back tears, I marveled at how something so insignificant could completely wreak my morning. Turns out nothing is insignificant when it...

We are still adjusting to our new Kindergarten schedule in the Maniger household. We are out the door earlier every day and have to stick to a strict bedtime schedule or everyone is tired and cranky these days (kids too!). And because I know kindergarten is so much more tiring for Charlie than what he was used to at daycare, I try to pick him up earlier each day. School is out at 3:10 and then he goes to aftercare at the school where he essentially plays and gets out all his energy after sitting all day. I try to pick him up from aftercare around 4:30. This means we are home just before 5:00 most days and I am loving it. It feels like a huge amount of time, even compared to coming home just one hour later. When we are home at 5:00, we aren't so rushed to make dinner and get to bed and instead can ease out of our day. This time after school and before evening has become my favorite time of the day. Charlie is usually starving so I make the kids a snack and they sit at the coun...

I started this blog 6 years ago when I was still pregnant with Charlie. It has been many things to me over the years, most importantly a place where I can think out loud. Motherhood can be completely overwhelming and I found myself unprepared for the onslaught of new information, skills and knowledge I would need to be a parent. No matter how excited you are to become a parent, no matter how many years you dream of the day it will happen, there is no way to prepare yourself for the role. This blog became my outlet for all that was mysterious, interesting, challenging and rewarding about motherhood. I've written about the fright we had when Charlie entered this world , making my own baby food , and finding time to exercise . I've posted favorite recipes , shared my working mom struggles , the fun aspects of my work , as well as my views on cooking , nutrition , and exercise . I've posted photos from birthdays , vacations , farm table dinners ,  weekends around the c...