Miki
Beyond the Dreamhouse: Barbie Promotes Justice for All Genders
Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers for the Barbie movie. Read with caution.
Who expected the Barbie movie to convey a searing indictment of the patriarchy, its impossible expectations of women, and the alarming erosion...
Driving Lessons: Learning to Communicate with My Teen Son
Honestly, I didn’t really think through the process of my teen son learning to drive and getting his license. Specifically, I completely ignored the fact that someone would have to give him driving lessons,...
Spring in Vermont: Top 10 Signs It Has (Finally) Arrived
After suffering through six long months of winter, Vermonters celebrate the arrival of spring with abandon. Kids of all ages shed long pants, shirts, and coats in favor of shorts and t-shirts as soon...
School Safety: The Impact of Gun Violence in Schools on My Family
School safety has been a major concern for me ever since my oldest child started kindergarten over a decade ago.
At the time, I worked from home, so I drove him to school and...
Divorced Moms’ Anthem: Adele’s “Easy on Me” Amplifies Our Voices
After six years of silence, Adele finds her voice, offering up the ultimate divorced moms’ anthem in “Easy On Me,” the first single from her new album 30.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3ASj1L6_sY
This morning, I woke up to a...
Fall School Reopening: What Does Readiness Look Like?
Disclaimer: The opinions stated in this post on fall school reopening are my own, and only my own. I am a working mother in Vermont, and my views do not reflect the views of...
My Family Is Home Together with Nowhere Else to Be
Except for two standard-length maternity leaves, I have worked outside the home throughout my motherhood tenure. In the wake of school closures in mid-March and the ensuing “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order, my kids...
Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Studios: Tips for Your Visit
I read all the Harry Potter books in my 20s before having children. Much to my delight, Universal Studios opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on June 18, 2010, less than three months...
Winter Driving: Tips and Tricks for Navigating White Knuckle Conditions
Winter driving is not for the faint of heart. Honestly, even the most seasoned among us (like my husband) still encounter nearly impassable white-knuckle conditions from time to time. Growing up in Florida, I...
Mary Poppins Returns: What She Means to Modern Parents and Children
Disney released the original Mary Poppins movie in 1964. Speaking for myself, I watched Mary Poppins as a child and fondly remember the catchy tunes and uplifting story.
At the end of 2018, 54 years...
Two Simple New Parenting Guidelines for the New Year
As we end one year and start another, the temptation to set resolutions for the New Year creeps in. In my experience, the desire for a do-over runs strong among modern moms.
Instead of resolutions,...
Middle School: An Open Letter to My Son in this Time of Transition
Since my sensitive son entered 5th grade two years ago, his middle school experiences cause me to remember this awkward time of life in vivid, unwelcome detail. As I witness his struggles helplessly from...
Vermont Summer Camps in Retrospect: Lessons Learned from a First Timer
I enrolled my kids in Vermont summer camps for the first time this year. While lots of parents can make the same claim, my newbie status carries the additional weight of initiating this process...
Mom’s Best Advice from the BurlingtonVT Moms Blog Writers
Celebrating Mother's Day brings up reflections on how our moms parented us, including how our moms' best advice continues to guide us to this day.
While mother-daughter relationships run the gamut from close to distant...