Okay, first let me say that I have never said this to my children. Second, I absolutely do not hate reading. I love it. Settling in with a book or magazine at the end of the day is one of my favorite things, and I cherish lazy Sundays with the newspaper spread out before me.

So yes, reading is great, for pleasure and for information. Being a writer, I think that reading as much as I can across content areas makes me do my job better. Okay, so what’s my point?

Sometimes doing mom things just drive me crazy.  CRAZY! I am always talking about how much I love my daughter, and I do.  But let's be real, there are things about being a mom that make me crave going to work. 

I was talking to my friend, Dr. Jessica Kaplan, as I made my list.  Jess is a pediatrician and has a six-year old herself so she can relate.  However, she had a few good bits of insight into the alternatives so I thought I would share my crazy eight and reasons why the good doctor says things could be worse.

When Lexi crossed the threshold onto the school bus this morning, it was momentous. Not necessarily for her since she rode the bus last year or even because it’s the first day of second grade. While Lexi is excited at seeing friends again and having a teacher who is known for her mad math-teaching skills, she has indicated that the first day is “no big deal” since she knows what to expect-same bus route, same Hello Kitty book bag and lunchbox, same principal and the same expectation that there will be pizza on Wednesdays in the cafeteria.

When you travel with your family, there usually needs to be a plan.  Some vacation spots even call for a spreadsheet detailing what exact time your family must dine, complete activities, wake up early and possibly even when you need to get in line to do almost anything. Well in Aruba there’s no fast pass needed.  You can vacation on your own time!

I recently purchased a variety of children’s music on iTunes and discovered that even though I am a degreed professional - I am an underperforming student when it comes to nursery rhymes.

I have spent countless moments Googling the lyrics to songs when my three year old comes home from school and have started making up our own versions as we go along. I have now come to the conclusion that being a mom with flexibilities around how and where I work does not necessarily make me a better mother.

This morning, I surrendered the notion that my seven-year-old daughter Lexi is a “mama’s girl.” It’s been a great seven year run that involved her exhibiting my mannerisms, phrases and siding with me on minor disputes with my husband.

Pretty much everyone who travels to Peru plans their trips around visiting Machu Picchu. In addition to the World Wonder, this also usually includes visits to some of the principal archaeological sites in and around Cusco.

There’s no doubt that Machu Picchu is awe-inspiring, even to jaded children who spend more time on the Internet than in the real world. Still, you can help keep their interest by including in your plans some options that are not so history-focused.

My family and I just had our annual week at the cottage. Now that my kids are getting older, cottage life has gotten easier. No longer do I wish for a baby gate around the lake and gone are the days of me following toddlers around the entire week.