Katy Sinclair’s Parental Units: Speak and you shall receive

I  gave Baby Girl A a hot dog for breakfast a few days ago. Despite the unconventional choice, I happily served it to her. She used her words, and her reward was a turkey dog and ketchup. Baby Girl A has been in speech therapy for more than a year. She likes to talk but [...]

Katy Sinclair’s Parental Units: Having kids doesn’t make for good cookin’

As I’ve mentioned before, I can’t cook. After a recent conversation, I am beginning to think I’m a freak of nature. I was at the grocery store, trying to decide between chicken and pork. The guy behind the meat counter asked me which one I cooked better. I told him the truth: “I’m a terrible [...]

Parental Units: An addict comes clean

I am recovering from a headache, the worst I’ve ever had. It lasted for days and the pain was excruciating. Pills didn’t help. Enforced quiet time didn’t help. Chocolate ice cream didn’t help. My head hurt from the moment I woke up until I finally fell asleep at night. The intense throbbing made the simplest [...]

Katy Sinclair’s Parental Units: Save money, save the earth

M y grandfather, Carl N. Sarles, was a lifelong saver. An accountant by trade, he kept meticulous details of his spending.  After he bought something, he carefully recorded  the time, date, description and total of the transaction in a little black book. For him, money was sacred. He pondered every purchase and used cash for [...]

Katy Sinclair’s Parental Units: Magical, transforming dunes of sand

IF YOU GO What: Great Sand Dunes National Park is open 24 hours a day year-round; a permit is required for overnight camping on the dunes. The Visitor Center’s hours vary by season. Entrance fees:  $3 per adult 16 and older; $15 annual pass valid for one year. Park information:  www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm Camping and RVs :  [...]

Katy Sinclair’s Parental Units: Down on the farm at Sunflower

I’ve never been a fan of hot weather. I despise getting sweaty, and I don’t like bugs. I slather on SPF 110 and still get sunburned. Even cooling off at the pool isn’t enjoyable when your thighs are as big as mine. My kids don’t care that I don’t like summer. They thrive when it’s [...]

Katy Sinclair’s Parental Units: Enumerating a stay-at-home life

I never planned on being a full-time stay-at-home mom. I was a day-care child who watched my mother put in 60-hour weeks. She valued her job and her work as much as she valued her family. When I got pregnant with Big Girl E, I expected to follow my mother’s lead. Then I had her [...]

Katy Sinclair’s Parental Units: Mothering – reflect, pray, breathe

Rule of Life No. 49: Parenting does not get easier. Right now, I am wrestling with Baby Girl A over potty training. It’s an issue I’ve faced, struggled and ultimately resolved with a minimum of mess with Big Girl E. Yet I find myself trying to force the issue with Baby Girl A because I’m [...]

Katy Sinclair’s Parental Units: Raccoons, woodpeckers and koalas, oh my!

We are in the full swing of spring, aren’t we? My allergies have exploded this year. I wake up sneezing, my eyes burn constantly and my head is fuzzy from various medications. Adding to my snotty misery is an amorous woodpecker that insists on using our metal chimney to attract a mate. Apparently he’s in [...]

Parental Units: Eating out with kids – might as well stay home

We don’t go to sit-down restaurants. Baby Girl A just can not follow basic rules of decorum. She wants to sit on, not at, the table. She dumps the salt and pepper. She demands her own meal and then refuses to eat any of it. Then once Baby Girl A starts acting out, Big Girl [...]

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