Ever wish you'd stood up and said something at a funeral?I'm Tara. I'm the first grandchild. Beryl June Freeman Keene was my "Nana." Nana was 41 when I was born, just one year older than I am today. From the time I was born until my college years, I spent nearly every Sunday with Nana … Continue reading What I Didn’t Say

This post was written several months ago and never published.7:00am - Test Ava, up for the day7:05am- Check messages online for 10 minutes, get shower, wake up Owen, take dog out, put morning drug on to brew, feed dog, call pediatrician's office for a CHOP referral, make breakfast for Owen, get him on the bus, … Continue reading A Day in the Life

That would be the number one question people who don't know about diabetes ask me. The answer is.... NO. Other questions often revolve around what she can and cannot eat - I guess she can't have sugar? Is she allowed to eat cake? Admittedly, that was one of the first things I thought of while … Continue reading Will She Grow Out of It?

100 days of school behind us.  100 days of tears, fighting, enthusiasm, screaming, laughing, rejoicing, threatening, pleading, failure and success.  100 days of brick-and-mortar school... and a reluctant 4th grader who stays up too late and refuses to get out of bed in the morning until I've gone in there no less than five times … Continue reading 100 Days

We lost our beloved cat - Baily - our beautiful Himalayan on New Year's Eve. Baily was my husband's cat - when we decided to share a home together, his two cats came with us.  Lucas, the white Persian, left us two months after Ava was born.Baily celebrated his 14th birthday in December, and 2 … Continue reading A Time for Goodbye

My kids fight.  I mean, they fight a LOT.  I used to worry that something must be wrong with them, or that maybe something was wrong with me.  Eight years in the Mom's Club did little to change that - it seemed most of our children, content to play with other children, seldom fought with … Continue reading What’s All the Fighting About?

This year - a new year, a new decade, and the promise of good things to come - I have decided to declare my personal goals for 2011.I will continue to seek out Joy wherever, and whenever,  I can.  And show my children how to find it too.I will do my best to give back … Continue reading Resolutions

Don't spend too much time wrapping kids' presents - they will undo your perfection in less than 10 minutes.Forget the expensive $15 toy for the dog - chewed to bits in minutes, all for the two balls inside.  Most expensive tennis balls, ever.Beware grandparents carrying very large presents.Don't go cold turkey on medication 3 days … Continue reading What I Learned This Christmas

Contains mature material, those offended by foul or vulgar language, stop here.My daughter is a class act.  And if our children really are a reflection of ourselves, I think I'd better take a long look at myself in the mirror again.  And pray.I have a tendency to be short-tempered; Ava has a reputation for being short-tempered.  My … Continue reading Did She Really Say THAT??

So what else happens when we have that revelation of our true age?  Like Al Bundy reminiscing about his high school football days, many of us still remember all too well our glory days.  Football, baseball, wrestling, hockey, cheerleading... or just walking from the car to the front door.My husband played the Big 33 in high … Continue reading My New Drug