Thursday, December 8, 2011
Sometimes if you just relax a little, he will come.
Well, after his long-awaited arrival, he finally came. Luke Finley Hodell was born on Wednesday, Nov. 23, right in time for turkey. If you read my last column, you know how anxious we were all getting for him to come, and in his own time, just a day before his due date, he decided it was time. Luke was born at 8:57 a.m., after my sister decided to go into the hospital at 1 a.m. earlier that day. He was just 7 pounds and 2 ounces, and 19 inches long. What finally put her into labor? Likely it was the relaxing. She finally sat back Tuesday night and we watched two rented movies. In the middle of the second one, she said her contractions had continued, and she decided to retire for the evening to get some rest. That didn’t last too long. …
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The Montco Mommy shares a week in the life of a very busy parent, and its subsequent, full on 'mommy breakdown.'
There can be tears. There can be yelling. Sometimes, there is just throw-down-on-the-floor, kicking, screaming full-fledged meltdown. As a mother, I’ve seen it all. Tantrums come in all shapes and sizes. And, this past week, it wasn’t the 6-year-old son. It wasn’t even the 3-year-old daughter. It was mommy. It was a full on Mommy Meltdown. This past week has put my motherhood to the test. It was just one of those weeks that it all started piling up. I have numerous projects going on at work, including preparing holiday guides and starting a massive year-end reviewing process. My husband has started a new job that we are all still adapting to as a family. I have yet to nail down his varying hours that we are not alerted to until the Friday …
Friday, November 4, 2011
Patch editors from throughout Montgomery County helped restore nearly 100 flood-damaged trees at the Trust during Patch's community service Give 5 program.
As part of Patch's commitment to community service, Patch editors from throughout Montgomery County travelled to Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, for a day of service. Patch calls its community service program, "Give 5," as in the editors spent over five hours at the Trust, pulling invasive porcelean berry vines from trees and straigtening nearly 100 saplings that were damaged by recent flooding. Most of the editors were astonished at how quickly the service opportunity went, and how much fun they had working in the woods. "I may not want to return to the land of technology," David Powell, Patch Montgomery County associate regional editor, said. --- For the full story, please click on the above video.
40.143771
-75.084526
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
2955 Edge Hill Rd, Huntingdon Valley, PA
/articles/patch-editors-give-5-at-pennypack-ecological-restoration-trust
2023910
/locations/5745972
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
For some parents, knowing that their child will enter the first grade is scarier to them than it is to their child.
It is only two weeks away. Just days from now, my son will be in school full-time for the first time ever. First grade is a big change for him, but at the moment, I’m stuck dwelling on the end of summer blues. I can’t believe it is almost over. Lots of moms I know are thrilled to return to a “normal” schedule and have the family’s routine back into place. I’m not. Fall used to be my favorite season of the year. I love hayrides and pumpkin patches. I love the crisp, cool air. I love digging out snuggly flannel pajamas. I love football. But, now, I know what fall means. It means my kids have to go back to school. Until now, I could console myself knowing it was just for a few hours. For both pre-K and Kindergarten, my son was only gone for …
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
It’s hard to see the day when your little brother grows up and gets married.
I met Jude Harter on the back of my dad’s pickup truck. He was all of about 6, nearly the age of my son now. I eyed him up and down, and within minutes decided to dub him “Jude Farter.” If it helps to explain it, I was only 8, but this freckled tot on my dad’s truck was going to soon become my baby brother. His mom married my dad, and we were bonded ever since. His life as my brother didn’t get much easier from there. We nearly killed our dog sledding down School Street hill, and then our neighbor by mixing potions of cleaning solution and perfume. No matter what, one thing was clear to me—he was my brother. In our family, words like “step” or “half” have totally dissolved. Instead, we are who we are, and we love who we love, and that …
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
A family bonding moment takes place in a movie theater.
I know. You thought you were safe, right? They promised “it all ends,” but I hate to tell you, it hasn’t. Not in our household, at least, because here, Harry Potter will go on forever. I’m sure if you are not fanatical about this topic, you may have already tuned out. But there is something special about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, flying cars, horcruxes, Quidditch and circular, wire-rimmed glasses. The books may have come out on June 30, 1997, but at our house, they weren’t being thoroughly examined until about 2005. That August, I found out I was expecting my first child. His father and I were not married at the time, but lived together. To bond with his child, and so that the tiny growing tot inside my belly could hear …
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
With sisters, it's not so much the destination, but who goes with you.
I’ve read a lot of cheesy stuff about sisters. From tacky bumper stickers to Facebook statuses, it really is a relationship term that gets thrown around a lot. But, I have three sisters, and I am truly thankful for each of them, all cheesy quotes aside, and to have them all in my life. The siblings in my family are well spread in years. I’ll skip the lengthy history, but let’s just say there is a good 15-year stretch amongst us four. Since I went to college, however, one thing has remained the same. To remain close, to have time to ourselves and to enjoy one another’s company, we’ve developed an annual tradition: The Sisters’ Weekend. One weekend a year, we drop it all. We leave behind our husbands and children. We drop the job. The teens …
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
There's no better day than our nation's birthday to come together and celebrate just being a family.
I love the Fourth of July. It is my favorite holiday. Why? Because I believe it is so simple. I wouldn’t call myself overly patriotic. I mean, I love my country, and I admire all of the amazing people that make it what it is, but I wouldn’t say it is the day’s actual purpose that makes me love it. Instead, I think it is nearly the only holiday, all year long, that we get to spend as a family and not have to do anything other than relax. There’s the food, for example. There is no major meal that has to be prepared. Sure, some neighborhood barbecues might come to pass, but that’s just for fun. There is no family obligation involved. You can just grill up a burger or a dog, and you’re ready to go. This mommy will take a hot dog and a cold …
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Like any other member of the family, it's important for dog owners to send them to the right school.
I am the mommy to two beautiful kids. Sometimes I joke that I am the mommy of an adult husband, too. This summer, I am a pseudo-mommy to a teen, as my sister stays with us for three months between semesters at college. Since December, I’ve also been the mommy to a four-legged fluff ball. Sir Oliver Jaxon Treacy, better known at our house as Ollie, has been an added member of the family. We’ve accepted him, since day one, as such. Just like our kids, we wanted to be sure our dog was well educated. So, last week, it all began. Ollie was off to doggie school. Finding a dog school was about as difficult as finding a preschool. We scoped them out, asked for references and checked the prices. We tried to make the best decision for all involved. …
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Montco Mommy is due for a vacation.
It is total meltdown mode. This week was complete Murphy’s Law. For those that aren’t familiar with the term, in short it means that everything that can go wrong, will. It seems I can never get out of town on vacation without the week prior going to hell in a handbasket. Someone is trying to make sure I am at maximum stress before I am allowed to de-stress in any way. This week, as you saw from my last column, started with my 5-year-old son smashing in our television screen. (No, we still haven’t gotten a new one, and no, he hasn’t quite worked off his debt, despite generous contributions from the grandparents.) From there, we had a flat tire in the truck. This is, of course, the truck we are driving nine people to the airport in. Right …
Keith Heffintrayer
6:41 pm on Saturday, November 5, 2011
Someone desperately needs to teach Leann how to use a mallet. She's trying to gain upward and downward leverage simultaneously. more ›