By Country Fried Mama As a mother, I am still fresh out of the baby years.  The Belle just turned two.  Miss D. is 4.  And I am still shocked by things those of you with older kids probably find obvious. I no longer need to carry anyone down the stairs. No one will collapse if I fail to produce snacks...

By: Country-Fried Mama When my four-year-old was a baby, I talked to her non-stop.  I had a book that advised this, one of the many parenting tomes I have since left to gather dust on a shelf.  I find myself too busy with the overwhelming task of parenting lately to read many books about it.  But...

By Country-Fried Mama On a rainy day last week, my husband and I took our two girls to the pool at the gym so our toddler could splash and play and our four-year-old could (literally) get her feet wet before swimming lessons begin.  I did a frantic form of water aerobics while trying to keep up with...

By Country-Fried Mama By rights, I should love the Birmingham Airport.  After many years of dealing with Boston’s Logan Airport – the insane traffic into the city, the usurious cost of parking and the labyrinthine security lines that stretch all over the terminal and move forward approximately two...

By Country-Fried Mama The sun sets slowly behind The Piggly Wiggly.  Across a four-lane road clogged with rush-hour traffic, a dozen three- and four-year-olds gather on a dusty field.  Clothed in new cleats, heavy socks, too-long shirts and varying degrees of disinterest, the kids eye each other, their...

By Country-Fried Mama A couple of years ago, I scored a major Craigslist find: a full-size train table for my daughter, Miss D., who is now almost four.  I paid 25 bucks for it and thought I would be hailed as Mommy of the Year.  But that fabulous and thrifty purchase has turned into a dust-catcher,...

By Country-Fried Mama My in-laws bought us a Wii for Christmas.  It was a great present. It’s frivolous, and it encourages delusional behavior – both qualities I find desirable in a gift. One of my favorite features of the Wii is a digital version of paper dolls.  Users can create a player, a “Mii,”...

By Country-Fried Mama Ten minutes into our most recent visit to The McWane Science Center, I realized I had never had the talk with my three-year-old. No, not the one about the birds and the bees. The one about men who try to give candy to children or strangers who invite little girls to come play with...

Meanwhile, at Target… With Country-Fried Mama My husband is in marathon training, which means my two girls and I have about four hours to kill on Saturday mornings while their daddy is off running giant loops around town. My plan for this past Saturday morning included organization, redecorating, and...