I was about to start feeling sorry for myself. I was trying to get the kids down last night and after I’d read thirty stories and sung myself hoarse, Fi popped out of her room and asked for “some seltzer and a cut up pear.”
How old is she, eighty? What kind of bedtime snack is seltzer and cut fruit? Isn’t she supposed to ask for cookies and milk? Pear or no pear, I said no, and shuttled her back to bed… at which point Efram came down, claiming Bennett had interpreted “Get into bed and read” to mean “Please take time to throw things around your room.” I wasn’t getting anywhere with any of them, and because seven days of summer vacation with five kids is really like having thirty-five kids, I was starting to wallow ever so slightly….
… and then I saw an email from my delightful friends at Parent Map announcing that I was among the winners of the 2012 Golden Teddy Awards!

Even cooler is that I get to be mentioned in the same breath as the truly funny Meredith Bland and Jenny Lawson, as well as an actual, real-life M.D., Wendy Sue Swanson.
I’ve been writing my whole life, but it took a bunch of kids to get me to write so publicly. I knew writing was rewarding, but what I didn’t expect was how much I’d appreciate hearing from people who don’t know me or these badly-behaved kids and still like to read about us.
Thanks!