By: Amber Leventry My kids, my babies, are still very little. But as my preschooler approaches kindergarten and my twin toddlers gain language that makes them both fun and antagonizing, they are using new words to express themselves and explore the environments around them. My daughter balances curiosity with a bit of skepticism I hope […]
By: Amber Leventry Two dads, four adopted sons, and many adventures—and misadventures—of one family are waiting for you in Dana Alison Levy’s first novel, The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher. At the risk of sounding presumptuous, it would be a shame if you didn’t take the time to get to know this family. While it […]
By: Amber Leventry My daughter just came home from a friend’s birthday party ready to star in a production of Cats, apparently. I don’t blame the party hosts. I blame the individuals who are capitalizing on a kid’s love of face paint. Summer jamborees, fall festivals, winter carnivals—my new kid-friendly stomping grounds—full of cotton candy, […]
By Amber Leventry Traveling with kids is daunting. Traveling with kids during the holidays is a new kind of stress. But it’s totally manageable. Last Christmas we flew with three kids under four years old and this Thanksgiving we packed the minivan and took an 11 hour road trip to see family. While I […]
By: Amber Leventry Becoming a mom has given me a pretty good excuse to look like a slob. The hat covering bedhead, the dirty, inside out shirts, and the overall appearance of not having showered for days are par for the course. We’re parents, not slaves to fashion. But we really need to draw the […]
By: Amber Leventry One day my daughter came home from school and excitedly told me about a new game she played called Who’s Missing. With all of their eyes closed, one classmate is picked by the teacher to hide under a blanket. When they open their eyes, the group has to figure out who is […]
By: Amber Leventry As a parent, sometimes I feel stuck. I get lost in the everyday routine. I feel overwhelmed with the expectations I place on myself to be a perfect partner and mother. As a writer, sometimes I feel stuck too. Some call it writer’s block; I call it trusting the process. I have […]
By: Amber Leventry My partner, Amy, and I love our kids, but we are done creating them. No more. Our family is complete. At my yearly physical, the medical student who did my intake noticed a three year trend of increased weight gain, alcohol consumption, and decreased exercise. I asked her to note in my […]
By: Amber Leventry A little while ago I wrote a post admitting that, while seemingly random and ridiculous, I love the simplicity of my daughter’s definition of what makes her happy, at least through the lens of a child’s camera. I also admitted I have a lot of time at home with my twin toddlers, […]
By: Amber Leventry I walk a messy line between allowing my boys to help me with daily tasks and overriding their demands and little toddler screams of, “I do help!” My willingness to embrace their eagerness so they can achieve independence and life-long skills of knowing how to take care of themselves veers in and […]
