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Short-Order Santa
12/27/2022 Apparently when my son visited Santa Claus, he mistook the Jolly Man for a giant Alexa in a red hat. When Christmas Day arrived, my son’s reaction to each present he opened ranged from: “This is exactly what I ordered!” (Toys) All the way down to: “I didn’t order THESE!” (Socks……Sorry, Grandma.)
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Why I Believe in Santa Claus
December 20th, 2022 Now that you know “My Best-Kept Holiday Secret,” it won’t surprise you (nor did it surprise my parents) that at the ripe old age of five, I announced to them that this Santa Claus thing was too far-fetched and I wasn’t buying it anymore. I was finished with that childish stuff. But…
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This Should Be on Every Child’s Bookshelf
When I brought this book home, my son looked at the cover and asked: “Is that me?” It’s the only time he has ever identified as “the kid on the cover.” Page after page, this book contains more positive images of Black boys than any other book I have seen. We all need to see…
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Rebel without a Gear Shift
December 13, 2022 That moment when we arrived at the park like so many rides before. But now my son turned and gave me the most James Dean look a four year old* could possibly muster. He raised his upper lip into a sneer, pointed at his bike and quipped: “Let’s get this bad boy…
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My Best-Kept Holiday Secret
I am not a festive person. By any stretch of the imagination. Two years ago when I hired a professional organizer, she came across a little pile of themed hand towels that various friends had given me. “I usually put these with the holiday decorations,” she stated. “Those are the holiday decorations.” She paused a moment, blinking,…
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I’m Not Four! Fractions for Preschoolers
My son gets mad when he hears me tell someone that he is four. “I’m not four! I’m four and a half.” But I’m not one to be outdone. “Actually you are four and two-thirds.” “Is that more than four and a half?” “Yep.” “I’m not four and a half! I’m four and two-thirds.” “Soon,”…
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Morning of the Living Dead
November 22, 2022 My mom turns food into artwork. She is a painter by profession and it shows in everything she does. When my brother and I were growing up, she made birthday cakes for us in the shape of horses and Care Bears and G.I. Joe—anything we wanted. Now when she visits us, she…
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What Would You Rather Be Doing?
Once a year at Halloween, thousands of young people flood into Acropolis from out-of-town. They come for a giant block party in which the streets are shut down. By some accounts, the town doubles in size that weekend. It’s the only time of the year when Acropolis has traffic problems. Which is why I found…
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Mom Things I Never Thought I Would Say
“GET BACK IN THERE AND KEEP WATCHING THAT TV SO I CAN FINISH ORDERING THIS PIZZA!!” Who just yelled that? And why did her voice sound so much like mine? #oops If Mom Flies Solo gave you a lift today, please comment and subscribe below and consider supporting at patreon.com/momfliessolo. Thanks for reading!
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We’re Not in Kansas Anymore
“Mom, if there were a tornado, could it pick up our entire house?” “No. Not our entire house. It might tear off the roof and damage it.” “Well, C from school had his roof got torn off. They had to get a whole new house. It cost FIFTY bucks!” “Wow…….FIFTY BUCKS! Umm….Scott, could you please get…
