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Showing posts from January, 2019

Redefining the "Stay-at-Home" Parent

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I'd like to talk about my dad for a moment. My memories of him and Mom fuel much of my writing. My dad was very proud of the writer his daughter was becoming. Love you, Dad. Dad was a computer scientist at Los Alamos National Lab (LANL). He loved his work there but he also liked to play and rest. He was a hard worker but not a workaholic in any way. He lived a balanced life. He was pretty happy. He was an amazing dad. In his spare time, my dad loved flea markets, garage sales, and later on, selling/trading on the Internet. He did it as a hobby but these days, hobbies like his could become jobs for those who would like to stay home to raise their kids and still make money. I am thinking of Dad while I write about my son, Daniel, and the way he is approaching parenthood as he and Mariah wait for their first little munchkin to arrive in the world. Channeling Grandpa So let's move on to Danny and talk a little about what he's doing as he prepares for a growing famil

Starting a Family -- Then and Now

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I've recently received the joyous news that both of my kids and their significant others are expecting babies this year. Wow! And it's gotten me thinking... I was older when my husband (now ex) and I decided to start a family. Well, we didn't really decide. I forgot my birth control pill one day, after ten+ years of not forgetting, and immediately got pregnant. I was 30 years old. After the first, my son Daniel, I wanted another. The decision made, I again immediately got pregnant. It was meant to be. I had Kelsey, my daughter, 18 months later. In that day and age, we both had to work to make ends meet, especially after kids. We couldn't afford a babysitter so my husband worked graveyard shift and I worked days. Work, work, work. I did, though, take my kids to see me on the job whenever I could, especially when I loved my work. I wanted them to see their mom doing something meaningful that made her happy. My kids are doing it differently. They want to be more invo