By Ann Brown, Parenting Consultant There are some really uncomfortable moments while raising kids. There are moments that embarrass you – when, say, you’ve run into an old flame from high school and you’re holding your two year old in your arms, thinking you look pretty darn fetching, and your kid says, “Mom! You […]
By Ann Brown, parenting consultant I’m sitting on the living room couch as I write this column. My twenty-month old puppy, Phila, is snuggled next to me, her head on my lap. She is snoring happily. I am petting her, completely content. I’m also watching out for Robin because as soon as I see him […]
DAY FOUR OF THE SNOWSTORM! From what I’ve gleaned off of Facebook, people are ignoring the alerts to stay indoors and they are leaving their houses. In the snow and ice. To go places. I really don’t get it. I must have been born without the cabin fever gene because I am starting to panic […]
By Ann Brown, Parenting Consultant I’m watching the Olympics as I write this article. And I cannot help but think about the parents of the athletes, and the sacrifices they made for their children. I wonder about the role the parents played in encouraging their future champion to rise to Olympic heights. I mean, do […]
By Ann Brown I was listening to NPR recently, to learn a few facts that I could insert into conversation should I ever be court-ordered to go outside my house and socialize with people. I am always on the lookout for conversation topics, as – despite my propencity for long, drawn out essays on myself […]
By Ann Brown On the agenda at this week’s faculty meeting was the book, How Children Succeed. The director had given us each a copy of the book at the back-to-school faculty retreat and we all agreed to read it and discuss it together. Because we are an erudite, intellectually curious, book-discussing kind of faculty. […]
By Ann Brown Okay. I am giving up white bread. And white rice. And all white food. And, please, don’t go writing in to tell me how you gave up white food and now you are happy and healthy and bluebirds braid your hair in the morning. I am not interested. I’m not doing this […]
By Ann Brown Next April, when I turn 60, I will be eligible for senior services, including moving into the Jewish old age home. This is awesome news. A nice apartment, a restaurant on-site, a cleaning service, transporation to anywhere I want to go in Portland, and an emergency call button next to the toilet. […]
By Parenting Consultant, Ann Brown As I write this article, we are already encroaching upon 2014. Because I am an old crone compared to you who will be reading this, I can remember, back in the 1960’s, the awe I felt when I imagined what the new millennium would be like. The idea of the […]
By Ann Brown Summer is long gone but for the liver spots on my face. I am hoping my liver spots will just connect to each other, resulting in a beautiful overall dark complexion. I am not without a low-cost beauty plan for my sixth decade. With Obamacare hanging so precariously in the balance, we […]
