Heather Feed

So, you've got a kid "not" going to college - ME TOO!

One of the many things I love about blogging, that really hasn't changed in the last eleventy years, is it gives parents (like me) an opportunity to revisit a moment...that may otherwise have drifted off in the ebb and flow of nurturing a family...or a much simpler time...lost among the trials and tribulations that go along with raising teens...because TEENS! Now, we have Facebook. So, it's sort of fun to be able to reconnect with childhood friends, seeing our kids all grown up and moving onto college **sniff-sniff** and how in the heck did THAT happen, because in my mind,... Read more →

© This Full House 2003-2022. All rights reserved.

3 weeks; 21 days; 504 hours; 30,240 minutes and a pair of fake eyelashes.

so, this happened. the girl formerly known as thing two (when i started blogging 11 years ago) looking all growed-up and beautiful for her senior prom. To everyone else, it's just a very lovely capture of another milestone reached in the life of a teen. To me? It is one more bittersweet reminder of just how quickly the years have gone by or how they're sort of speeding up and beginning to make me feel a little like throwing up, even. Long story, short: I've been working a lot of hours, lately. Like, if I'm not sleeping...then I'm pretty much... Read more →

© This Full House 2003-2022. All rights reserved.

Never trust a mother with a camera.

My two oldest girls are 2 years apart, so Holly was still in diapers when Heather was born, because potty training is hard enough, let alone bringing home a brand new baby sister, thankyouverymuch. They spent the next 3 years together, as each other's constant playmate, before more babies came along and, well, then it became...EVERYONE IN THE POOL!!!...while other parents looked on (in horror, mostly) wondering what it was like to raise 4 children under the age of 10: it sort of feels as if you are walking around in a drunken stupor...all day...every day. These two monkeys, however,... Read more →

© This Full House 2003-2022. All rights reserved.

Quite possibly my best parenting advice, evuh: just do you!

Her future's so bright, we gotta wear shades :) If you were to ask me to choose the most challenging aspect of our college-search journey, besides agonizing over financial packages, my short answer would be: watching my kid agonize over EVERYTHING ELSE, including my agonizing over financial packages. For my middle daughter, now that it's crunch time (applications for merit and presidential scholarships are due December 1st), it's having to submit a personal essay: specifically, introducing herself to the admissions officers, by sharing with them what SHE feels makes her unique. "But you're a pretty-terrific kid." Aaaaand, here's where Heather,... Read more →

© This Full House 2003-2022. All rights reserved.

Stupid migraines, dumbass'ologists.

I blogged about helping my in-laws with a few chores around the house and shared this picture on Facebook, of my kids helping their grandparents put up their Christmas tree, when I noticed that one of my kids was missing...just like last time. It's funny to see how each of them have grown and changed in such a short time -- seriously, Glen is nearly 6' 2" tall -- realizing that our middle girl was once again sidelined by a migraine...not so much. Heather has missed a lot of school days over the years, but her migraines have become debilitating... Read more →

© This Full House 2003-2022. All rights reserved.

Teaching our kids how NOT to take a compliment, nailed it!

I made a lot of dumb choices, early in life (okay, fine, very recently too) and now that I'm older (never you mind just how old) do I understand that stupid choices, more often than not, lead to making better decisions, later on. But, don't tell my kids...not just yet...okay?!? Oh, but I feel it safe to say that anyone who knows me (most especially, IRL) would probably agree: my husband is an example of a pretty gosh-darned good pick. But, this post is NOT about him (you're welcome, sweetie!) or necessarily even about me. It is about my husband... Read more →

© This Full House 2003-2022. All rights reserved.

ProTip: Sexual Harassment is No Joke -- Guest Post by My 17 year-old Daughter

Dealing with mean girl and mean boy mentality isn't easy, but discouraging meanness in others, outside the classroom, can be real hard -- especially, from a teenager's point of view. Unless, we're talking about sexual harrassment and my 17 year-old daughter happens to be within earshot. We don't often read about young women standing up for each other (or adults, for that matter) so, I asked Heather if she would mind my sharing her story. She agreed. So, I then asked her if she would mind writing it herself, which is sort of like my handing over the virtual car... Read more →

© This Full House 2003-2022. All rights reserved.