Where have I gone wrong? Just when I thought things were getting easy, I have to retrieve another change of underwear and shorts from the dresser drawer for my youngest son. My kid is 4 years old. This should not be happening. With our first son, we knew he was ready for potty training by 18 months. He found it fascinating to visit the bathrooms in random places such as Kohl’s, Babies ‘R Us and restaurants around the Lehigh Valley.  As soon as we were situated at a table he announced to everyone, “I haffa go potty,” and off he went with dad for the next bathroom tour. He didn’t always ‘go,’ …

Isn’t it amazing how a certain song can take you back to a time and place? As I sit here, Norah Jones’ silky voice is doing just that. Her album, “Come Away With Me,” debuted just as I was about to deliver my oldest son in May 2002. After having him, rather than watch Judge Judy on the hospital room TV, my husband and I chose to listen to music the entire four days of my recovery. Every time I hear “Don’t Know Why,” “Come Away With Me” or “Sunrise,” feelings of love fill me, just as they did while I laid there with our first-born. I like to think that the music we listen to in our home will …

I got sweaty. I was itchy. I had dirt, twigs and leaves in my hair. A caterpillar was crawling on my back. And I felt like a kid again! A new fort has been built, thanks to the hard efforts of my boys. During a visit to "the farm" over Labor Day weekend, my 9-year-old and 4-year-old were getting along surprisingly well. They breathlessly ran up to me after disappearing into the woods for some time and announced, “Mom! We have a new fort!” This was music to my ears. So often I hear the opposite...“I’m bored,” or “There’s nothing to do.” But this might just be the beginning of a new phase of …

I’m all about livin’ it up “Little House” style, or at least I thought I was, but when the power clicked off at midnight Aug. 28, fear spread over me. I thought I was ahead of the game--laptop charged, iPhone ready to go, four pitchers of water in the fridge, and a few headlamps if needed. I was especially excited about my secret stash of strawberry wafer cookies. What hadn’t occurred to me was the lack of Wi-Fi. My laptop doesn’t do a whole lot of good without that lifeline to the rest of the world. All of a sudden I had no idea what was happening to my friends and family. I had no Facebook …

Have you ever sat back and thanked your lucky stars you live in a place as beautiful and opportunity-filled as the Lehigh Valley? Don’t roll your eyes. I’m serious. Look around and you can easily identify verdant forests, rolling hills rich with farms and agriculture, and a mix of shopping, cultural and leisure opportunities.   Now imagine being born into concrete, traffic, sirens and occasional gunshots. For some, it's a dream to live in a place such as the Lehigh Valley. For the second summer in a row, this year our family hosted Robert, a 9-year-old boy from the Bronx. Robert didn’t get to…

Slippery metal slides, electric bumper cars, shooting ranges and hand-peddled carts may seem archaic in an age of high-tech rides and electronics, but sometimes an experience is not about technology. With many of the existing rides installed in the early 1940s, a day trip to Knoebels Amusement Resort is like taking a trip back in time. For one thing, you walk right in without paying an admission fee. To top that, the parking and entertainment are free, too. Unimaginable! Want to experience what Knoebels touts as "America’s Best Bumper Cars?" Be sure to take a ride for a jarring-good time. …

Having recently read the disturbing book, A Child Called “It,” I'm left wondering: how could a mother do such horrific things to her own child? Beyond that, would I see the signs if a child I knew was being abused? The book is written by Dave Pelzer, who writes that his mother psychologically and physically abused him from the time he was 5 until age 12, when school staff finally picked up on his situation. What mother could force her child to drink straight ammonia and Clorox, lie in a cold bath for hours on end, and go without food for days at a time? These are minor examples of the …

I have an obsession with connecting people, whether it’s people with jobs, people with houses or people with people. I get a sense of satisfaction that makes me want to keep making matches. It first began when I worked as an IT recruiter. I loved the fulfillment that came from finding jobs that people loved, and finding people that employers valued. Once I became a stay-at-home mom, I decided to join a local moms’ club. My passion for networking developed into matching moms with moms, kids with kids and families with families. So when a friend began telling me about her hopes with an online …

I seem to have bad luck with electronics when traveling. These two stories top them all. They also illustrate stories of remarkable honesty. August 2006: During a trip to Colorado, I accidentally left my new Canon DSLR on a rock near a dam we stopped to see. Even worse, the card inside held over two weeks worth of irreplaceable family vacation photos. I felt physically sick when we reached our trailhead in the heart of the San Juan Mountains and realized it had been left behind. When we returned to the dam after a 60-mile round-trip drive down dusty, bumpy roads, the rock was there, but the …

Living in the East I sometimes forget how fortunate we are to have the commodities we do. Things like fresh water, electricity, strong cell phone signals and paved roads are all taken for granted here. Having recently traveled through the barren landscape of southeastern Utah, I was reminded of how spoiled we are. I was also made aware of the many people who still live without these conveniences. It got those wheels turning in my mind as we journeyed down a long, dusty road from Hovenweep National Monument in the middle of nowhere. How do people live this way? How can they survive without a …

It seems strange to be sitting in an open meadow of Colorado wildflowers and writing my column, but that's exactly what I’m doing. I'm at the Continental Divide where the elevation is 11,750 feet. I'll admit, it's a little tough to breathe, but I love it. I wish I could write from this spot every week. This is a true “Mountain View.”* Talk about inspiration! In front of me lies a ring of 12,000-plus-foot peaks known as the San Juan Mountains, many still covered in snow. Snow in July? Yes! My boys just enjoyed a great snowball fight as a matter of fact. This is just part of why I love Colorado…

Take a minute and think about a place that has special meaning to you--a place that makes you feel calm, focused and at peace. Maybe you have more than one! Perhaps it’s a vacation spot such as a rental house at the beach, a tranquil lake home, a pine-scented camping spot or a little hunting cabin in the mountains. For some it’s as simple as a special room in your home, a backyard garden or a swing on a quiet front porch. Maybe it’s just taking a drive down a certain country road as the sun is setting. For our family, that special place is known as “the farm.” It’s been in my family for more …

Most kids can’t wait for summer break. Visions of swimming, catching fireflies, picking raspberries and eating juicy watermelon come to mind. The countdown begins somewhere around April. (And I know it does for all you teachers, too!) “Less than 100 days till summer!” can be seen on countless Facebook statuses across the land. But this year, something’s been a little different in our household. For the second year in a row, we’ve noticed a distinct difference in our older son’s behavior as soon as school comes to an end. At first we didn’t realize what was causing the behavioral change. Now …

My "mom emotions" were stirred up this week. It’s funny how differently we see the world once we become parents. It all started when I covered an assignment last week for Upper Saucon Patch at Southern Lehigh High School. As many of the local high schools have done over the years, the high school conducted a S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions) demonstration in the parking lot of the high school. It’s often done during prom season as a reminder to students to avoid drinking and driving. An accident scene was staged involving two vehicles. Students volunteered to act as the …

As of Memorial Day 2011, I have a 9-year-old. Holy cow. This is the last year that my oldest son, Addison, will turn a single digit. Next year he’ll hit the big 1-0. The scary thing for me right now is that I clearly remember being "ten." I remember the camaraderie I felt with my softball teammates, the fun I had at summer camp, the invigorating feeling of the cold 'crick' water as I searched for crayfish, and the arguments I had with my parents about getting my ears pierced. I could never have imagined being a parent at that age, but here I am with a 9-year-old who’s doing many of the same …

This column may not be popular with everyone, but I write what’s on my heart. At this time, I feel this must be said. We teach this concept to our two little boys, but I think some adults have missed this lesson. As Thumper states in the classic Disney film “Bambi,” – “If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.” Everyone knows the saying, so why is it so hard to follow? With online media such as Patch and other websites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and blogs, people seem to think it’s OK to log in under false names and attack others.   In my opinion, things are starting to …

This Mother’s Day I shed tears...tears of pain and tears of joy. I have been blessed with two beautiful boys. Not all women can say that. I know many struggle with infertility or other reasons why they aren’t able to enter the often-coveted world of “motherhood.” I know I am one of the fortunate ones this Mother’s Day time of year. My heart goes out to those who have carried the heartache of not holding the title. I know I am privileged to be able to call myself “mom.” However, I’ve also felt some pain through the process of becoming a mother, and I'm not referring to physical pain. The topic…

Helping the needy has always been in my blood. I grew up in less than desirable circumstances until I was about 8 years old and learned to appreciate the little things in life.Long story short, I lived across the country in army tents, semi-constructed homes, small apartments and even a converted 1958 GMC school bus for a few years before my parents settled down in a traditional house.I know what it’s like to live on potato soup, canned beans and oatmeal. I know what it’s like to get cardboard creations as Christmas gifts. Looking back, I am so thankful to everyone who helped us through those…

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is my absolute favorite poem. If you don't know it, read through it, and I’ll tell you why it means so much to me. The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim Because it was grassy and wanted wear, Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves …

For those of you who have been with Patch since the beginning, you might recall a column I wrote about “lying about Santa.” It never occurred to me until I had my own children that the whole concept of Santa sliding down the chimney and the Easter bunny hopping through the front door were essentially just lies told to our children. I mean, really, they are. Call it tradition; call it bribery. Either way we are all still telling our kids that, this Easter Sunday, an eight-foot-tall rabbit is going to make his way to their house bearing baskets full of tacky toys and teeth-rotting treats. I’m …