Courtenay Harris Bond

(<a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-223455295/stock-photo-birthday-cake-with-burning-candle-number.html'>Birthday cake</a> image courtesy of Shutterstock.com)

Age is just a number, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it

Lately, I have been feeling old and ruminating about my mortality — perhaps because I just turned 44 and learned that it was no longer ...

9 years ago

Philly Parenting

‘Why I shouldn’t wear a coat’

On frigid winter mornings before I had children, I remember sipping coffee in front of my kitchen window and watching neighborhood boys w ...

9 years ago

Embarrassed child photo via ShutterStock " title="shutterstock_15881125" width="360" height="240"/>

Philly Parenting

When everything a mother does suddenly becomes embarrassing for her children

My oldest daughter, upon reaching the sophisticated age of 8, recently listed the top five things I do that embarrass her. A ...

9 years ago

(Photo courtesy of Courtenay Harris Bond)

Philly Parenting

Hoping to move out of ‘Frozen’ territory

Although my family is arriving appallingly late to the “Frozen” scene, we seem to be making up for lost time at an exponentia ...

9 years ago

(<a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-45974677/stock-photo-plastic-recyclable-water-milk-or-juice-bottle-of-one-gallon-with-water-drops-on-the-surface.html?src=csl_recent_image-1'>Gallon jug</a> courtesy of Shutterstock.com)

There’s a very good reason for this gallon of holy water on my front porch

I recently received some holy water — a gift I fear I may not have properly appreciated — and, having left the jug on our porch to fr ...

9 years ago

A scene from the 2013 holiday light show at Macy's in Center City. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY, file)

Philly Parenting

Shine bright, holiday lights — a family trip to see the Macy’s holiday show

A friend recently charmed me with a tale about wrapping up her Center City work day at the Macy’s Christmas Light Show, tipping her ...

9 years ago

Bowling on Thanksgiving. (Photo courtesy of Courtenay Harris Bond)

Philly Parenting

Attempting to spin a new holiday tradition

Having contracted a cold that our three kids had recently been battling, I felt even less enthusiastic than usual this Thanksgiving about ...

9 years ago

(<a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-203464201/stock-photo-southern-flying-squirrel-clinging-to-a-tree-at-night-in-southeastern-illinois.html'>Flying squirrel</a> image courtesty of Shutterstock.com)

When squirrels intrude, you’d better hope the exterminator answers texts at midnight

A friend recently told me that if she had to choose an animal for extinction, she would definitely pick squirrels. After our recen ...

9 years ago

Philly Parenting

Missives and missiles — a journey into letter-leaving

In recent months, my 7-year-old daughter has developed a curious habit of communicating with my husband and me via missive. ...

9 years ago

Philly Parenting

The ‘white noise’ of sibling rivalry

Since becoming a parent and witnessing the intense rivalry between my three children, I am always surprised — and a bit envious — whe ...

9 years ago

School lunch photo via ShutterStock " title="shutterstock_145680272" width="360" height="240"/>

Philly Parenting

Asserting independence with a new lunch routine

From the time he was born at 4.2 pounds, five weeks early, now more than seven years ago, our son was a picky eater. Told by ...

9 years ago

Sledders wait their turns at the top of Stokes Hill in Moorestown, N.J., after last week's snowfall. (Emma Lee/for NewsWorks, file)

When beastly weather makes beasts of us — dispatch from a stir-crazy mom

Shrouded in snow and adorned with sharp, fat icicles, our house is starting to resemble the Overlook, the isolated Colorado hotel in R ...

10 years ago

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