Tag: Parenting
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Fall Shorts
Today marks the first day of autumn. For this season-loving girl, the promise of sweater-wearing days, orange-colored soups, baked-apple desserts, and spice-scented candles fills me with happiness. To celebrate this day, Anna and I went to Starbucks and enjoyed warm drinks in festive cups. This weekend the fall decorations will come out of the box.…
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Cord Cutting
Dear Reader: I know. It’s been awhile since I posted to Always Orange. It would make me feel better if I explained why. For starters, the beginning of a new school year is always a busy time. From faculty meetings to classroom setup to lesson planning, the remaining days of summer vanish in a flurry…
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Post-Graduation Thoughts
Prior to Jake’s graduation, I wrote about all the “lasts” the week held. I attempted to articulate some of the thoughts I was experiencing as a mom of a soon-to-be high school graduate. Now, three weeks have passed. Graduation is over, the Open House a memory, and some more thoughts have bubbled to the surface.…
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Riding the Rollercoaster of the College Admissions Process
On Thursday evening, just past 6 pm, Jake heard from his last school regarding whether or not he was accepted for admission. The answer was yes and we all breathed a sigh of relief, but wow, what a month! (BTW, Emory University, Oxford Campus, Class of 2019) I am not the first person to write…
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Dealing with Disappointment
On the cusp of celebrating my 44th birthday, I have had my share of disappointments. From not making the cheerleading squad in ninth grade, to being told my running days were over, to hearing a “no” about a publication opportunity, I know what it is like to feel disappointed. In addition, I am a parent.…
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Another School-Year Beginning
Tomorrow my official duties as a teacher begin for the school year—even though the calendar says Saturday. Orientation for middle school students happens on the weekend so that come Monday morning we can hit the ground rolling. Tomorrow afternoon I will host a group of 7th grade girls in my living room for cookies and…
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Another Giveaway Opportunity
A friend and mentor from my Chicago days, who speaks and writes, produced a DVD called Toddler Farm Singalong. The DVD is shot at Cosley Animal Farm (Wheaton, IL), with lots of kids and lots of animals. When Jacob was little, I would take him to this farm to pick pumpkins and pet animals. Ellen sent me…
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Once a Mom—Always a Mom
With Mother’s Day approaching, I’ve been thinking about motherhood and how the duties and responsibilities of mothering change over the course of our children’s lives. My role as a mother looks different than it did when I was twenty-five at home with a newborn. But there are some aspects of mothering that don’t change regardless…
Alicia Brummeler 