by Michelle X. Curran Have you ever had one of those crappy parenting days when you thought to yourself, Jesus, I’ve finally gone and scarred my children for life?  No? Well, hooray for you and your perfectness. You might as well just stop reading now before your virgin eyes are burned by my stories of piss poor parenting. For those of you who have experienced your own episodes of PPP, you might know where I’m coming from, and you may know exactly how I’m feeling right now. Guilty. … [Read more...]

by Michelle X. Curran God, I wish I had a backbone. That’s not a heavenly plea. It’s more of a lament. For two weeks, I’ve been in turmoil over the fact that a neighbor’s dog has been pooping in my yard. For two weeks – two weeks! – I have gone out to my yard most every day, and, with great theatrics (i.e., looking around with great disgust, muttering not-so-much under my breath), have picked up steaming piles of fresh, fly-covered dog poo. Sorry. I’m not trying to gross you out. I’m … [Read more...]

by Michaelle X. Curran It is very difficult for me to accept loss. That didn’t come out right. I am not talking about death or anything near as serious as that. I’m talking about board games. I HATE to lose. I was never good at sports (Remind me to tell you about the time I was running so slow during an indoor track meet that some bleary-eyed preschoolers were screaming at me to run faster so they could go home. Not. Even. Kidding.)  So I never did develop a true understanding of the whole … [Read more...]

by Michelle X. Curran Right now, I’m sitting in my kitchen in the quiet of the early morning, enjoying a cup of coffee and admiring my bare pantry. I know. Totally weird, right? But you have to understand. Just two weeks ago, there was disorder and chaos. Among other unsightly things, there were half-full bags of chips, crackers and pretzels, small-house-sized boxes of Goldfish wedged between shelves, bags of awful leftover birthday party favor candy that I felt too guilty to throw away … [Read more...]

by Michelle Xiarhos Curran Everyday around 3:30pm, my husband texts me from work. “Everyone doing ok?” It’s a simple enough question, but with very complex undertones. What he’s really asking with those three little words are a variety of questions, the answers to which will determine how he should prepare himself on his commute home from Boston. Should he armor up for battle? Or will he be plastered with kisses and hugs? Will I give him the cold shoulder or tell him about my … [Read more...]

(From the August 2013 issue of Merrimack Valley Parent) By Michelle Xiarhos Curran As parents, most of us want our children to have full and engaging lives, to have experiences that we may have never had. We want them to explore their interests and eventually find their niche. We want them to have fun and learn and grow, to be good at something, and enjoy doing it. We want them to gain the life skills they’ll need to live happily in this ever-changing world. But we also want them to … [Read more...]

by Michelle Xiarhos Curran My hair is really fine, so the humidity actually helps me there. But here are 10 reasons why I hate this dreaded weather. 1. My bathroom door doesn’t close all the way, making it even more difficult for me to shower, pluck my eyebrows or pee alone. 2. My face resembles an Exxon oil spill. 3. GUARANTEED that the load of laundry I put in the wash – insisting I’d stay up to transfer it to the dryer, but didn’t – needs to be washed again come morning so it … [Read more...]