“Think Pink” Week: Day 1

The boys are gone.  For the next 7 days, the Speer household is devoid of any hint of testosterone.  No stinky boys making dirty laundry.  No sweaty, muddy shoes lining the stairway or littering the living room.  No need to tolerate endless discussions of Poke’mon strategy, Bionicle creations, or Star Wars: The Clone Wars developments. … Continue reading “Think Pink” Week: Day 1

Eat your heart out, Willy Wonka!

Most of the time, I’m a pretty good mom.  That’s not to say I haven’t had moments of EPIC FAILURE in that department, but my kids will even admit – to perfect strangers, nonetheless – that as a mom, I’m certainly above the 50th percentile. And then there are days like today, when I totally… Continue reading Eat your heart out, Willy Wonka!

Catchin’ Some Rays

When you’re unemployed, all luxury spending gets cut out of the budget.  No more eating out.  No more non-essential clothing items (I’m still trying to convince Matt that a new pair of shoes *is*, in fact, essential).  No “impulse buys.”  No frivolous purchases at the grocery store, just because “it looked good.” No, all those… Continue reading Catchin’ Some Rays

Tricked-out Treats

Yesterday was our neighborhood’s National Night Out and as we always do, we hosted a friendly competition for the food.  Neighbors bring finger food in various categories and we do a secret ballot to determine the winners in each.  This year, the kids decided to outdo the parents! Crisana settled on Black Cat Cupcakes.  She… Continue reading Tricked-out Treats

The Tooth, the Whole Tooth, and Nothing but the Tooth

The first day of school is always exciting. You get to use your brand-new backpack and lunch box for the very first time. You get to wear your brand-new clothes that Mom has said “no” to every day since you bought them. You get to color with those brand-new crayons that have NEVER BEEN USED. … Continue reading The Tooth, the Whole Tooth, and Nothing but the Tooth

Into Africa, Part Deaux: Day 14

This was truly one of the longest days of my life.  Literally. All 48 hours of it. Yep, that’s right.  I got to experience an extra-long day thanks to the glory of air travel across multiple time zones. And although I left a large chunk of my heart in Africa with those precious children, I… Continue reading Into Africa, Part Deaux: Day 14