She picked out a pink bat. She has a pink helmet, complete with sparkles that match the facemask. It all fits neatly into her pink Louisville Slugger bat bag. She’s ready for the big leagues. I’m talking, however, of my 5-year-old daughter. She is about to embark on her very first season of t-ball as part of the Audubon Recreation Association’s (ARA) spring league. She is playing in the “Girls’ Softball 6U” team, meaning those 6 and under. She is almost a foot smaller than every other girl out there. But, what she lacks in athletic skill, she makes up for in enthusiasm. It is still unclear if…

What do your children think of you? I don’t often think of what kind of “legacy” I’m leaving, but one of the most important things I know I leave behind in this world someday when I’m gone is what kind of people my children are. While I may not dwell on it daily, it is likely a motivating factor for much of the way I parent. What life skills do they need to have forever? What ways can I best benefit them? When I’m long gone, what will they remember me for? At ages 4 and 6, that is sometimes hard to gauge. But, I have a fairly vocal and thoughtful son, so I know what he thinks most of the time…

It has been half a decade. It doesn’t sound long, but it’s a wide variety of peaks and valleys. This past week, I celebrated my fifth wedding anniversary with my husband. When you have two young children, getting a date in at all is pretty tough. We aspire to get out at least every other week, but that ends up to be more like once a month, at best. Between nailing down a babysitter, timing our work schedules and the cost of going out, we seldom take the time to do it. But, relationships take a lot of work. We try to remember, though it isn’t always easy, that time together can be the best way…

My daughter has had a rough run of neighbors watching her. Or maybe it was rough on the neighbors. I am not quite sure yet. What I can tell you is that I am pretty cautious about leaving her with another neighbor on our street. Let’s start in the neighbor’s defense. She is a handful. And, that is putting it lightly. Alora is a self-appointment princess. She can be difficult, and I know it is not an easy task to watch small children. They aren’t as perfectly behaved as we’d like to think. The last few times my daughter has asked to go play at a friend’s home, she has come back in all kinds of …

Do you watch “The Middle” on ABC? I love it. I loved it more this week, when Mom Frankie and Dad Mike sat down to explain to their youngest son Brick what love is, by highlighting their Valentine’s Day plans for him (while taking down the Christmas tree, mind you). The couple goes back and forth on options of going out to eat (too crowded), the movies (they could sleep at home for free), and their ultimate decision of a bucket of chicken on the couch in their sweats. To take it further, Mike likes sports, so they decide on a bucket of chicken, in separate rooms, on separate televisions, in …

It happens every night in this house – they get off the bus, gobble down some after-school snacks, usually play a video game or two, and then the house starts to turn on mom. By 5 p.m. each night, the inevitable question has reared its ugly head: “Mom, what’s for dinner?” We can start analyzing this problem by saying first off, no, I have no idea how this got to be mom's problem all alone. Four people and one dog need to eat each and every day. Most of that list knows what they’ll grab for breakfast on the way out the door. Most also have mom pack their lunch, but that dreaded hour, when the …

"Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things.” -  Joeseph Vincent Paterno Some people discount him because he worked through a medium of football. Something that in so many peoples’ lives is so meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Others are tied up in the recent controversy of the University, unable to look past details of a Grand Jury report, internal and external investigations and a crime so horrific they want nothing to do with anyone remotely involved, no matter the extent. Maybe it was the way I was raised. Maybe it was being fans of a college or a …

I despise cleaning my house. I think I hate it most because it is a never-ending task. I like things I can cross off my list. I need that moment of satisfaction, knowing I did something. It’s done. But, with housework, it is never done. You can catch up laundry, but unless your family is having a naked day or is foregoing the use of towels or showers, you are already at least a load behind as soon as you are “done.” I can’t keep bathrooms clean in this house, either. Again, unless you quit using them, you’re stuck cleaning those at least every other week, minimally. The kitchen? Ha, that’s …

I don’t enjoy the overall concept of resolutions. For me, the idea seems too clichéd. It somehow makes it seem like there should be this one, single time of the year where you analyze your life and decide to make changes. At my age, I call those birthdays. But whatever day you choose to do it, I am in agreement with the general concept. I just don’t like to be told when and how I should do it. Instead, I think everyone should take many chance in a year to take a look at themselves in a mirror and decide what they do and do not like about how their life is going.  And, yes, I mean that in a …

I do it every year. I say, since we now have a 3- and 6-year-old, we should really stay home. We should not travel over the holidays. We should be snuggled into our own beds, awaiting the arrival of the Big Man himself. But, every year, by the time December rolls around, I am inching up our visit home as much as I possibly can, usually involving us driving on Christmas Day itself, if not sooner. It is a tough call for a mom. When, exactly, are you old enough that you should be home creating your own family traditions and stop going “home” for the holidays? Or is there an age that should …

I think I feel behind schedule on most holidays. Somehow, even though it is clearly marked on the calendar, those dates seem to sneak up on me. I may, today, just about be ready for Halloween. Sadly, I was supposed to have everything in order for this family to celebrate Christmas. Too bad I’m only two months behind, huh? Setting the 2011 schedule even further into a tailspin, I thought it would be an ideal time to have pneumonia, as well. Now, instead of finding myself in need of a few last-minute stocking stuffers, I feel like I’m running out of time altogether. My favorite way to shop is …

We do it once a year. It is kind of a tradition. Since the kids are not yet both in fulltime school, we figure it is rather needed. And, while I dread it each December, it is a necessary evil. Yesterday, we did just that. Yes, it was time for the yearly children’s portrait session. Over the years, I have tried my damnedest to find alternative ways around this. But, with such a large extensive family, if I even think to show up at holiday gatherings without new photo prints for the entire group of relatives, I should probably just not bother coming at all. I have taken the kids to a …

There can be tears. There can be yelling. Sometimes, there is just a throw-down-on-the-floor, kicking, screaming full-fledged meltdown. As a mother, I’ve seen it all. Tantrums come in all shapes and sizes. And, this past week, it wasn’t the 6-year-old son. It wasn’t even the 3-year-old daughter. It was mommy. It was a full on Mommy Meltdown. This past week has put my motherhood to the test. It was just one of those weeks that it all started piling up. I have numerous projects going on at work, including preparing holiday guides and starting a massive year-end reviewing process. My husband has…

Motherhood is unpredictable. That is a vast understatement, but the best way I can put it. It is just a rollercoaster of ups and downs. This past Friday was a big “down,” but in an odd way a little “up,” too. It started off oh so simply. My daughter had been complaining all day Wednesday about her tooth hurting. She insisted that she couldn’t eat dinner because it hurt. Before you cast me off as a terrible mother, I’ve heard approximately 2,000 reasons my daughter cannot eat her dinner. So, when I didn’t take it too seriously, please forgive me. The girl insists she is never tired nor hungry…

If you ask my 6-year-old son if he is going to college, he’ll say “yes.” If you ask him where is going, he already knows that, too. Penn State… More accurately, my son knows that if he wants mommy to pay for college, he is going to Penn State. I’ve joked about that for enough years now, he asked me the following question last week: “Mom, is that deal still on for Penn State? Will you still pay for it?” he asked. “Yes, Seamus, of course. If you want to go to Penn State, Mommy will pay for every cent,” I replied (as always). “Good, ‘cause I don’t want to leave college with any debt.” I love …

I used to think Autumn was my favorite season. I now look at it more as a precursor to winter, my least favorite time of year, and start to get anxiety about shorter days and colder weather. Summer has once again been named as my favorite, but alas here I sit a good three seasons away from it. Still, there are a few great things about fall. Football, that is pretty great. And, this weekend we did the nearly only other thing I find great about it: picked our pumpkins. I think the best part of any season is its traditions. Just like we go pick out a tree at Christmas time, or dye eggs for …

Melissa Treacy is the regional editor of the Montgomery County Patch team. Mother of two, she chronicles her parental experiences in Montco Mommy, and we're happy to bring the column to Upper Dublin Patch. I like control. I know that. I like to have control over every- and anything that I can. Most of my fears, stressors and anxiety in life come from lack of control. I don’t like to fly, for example, because I feel like I should be able to stop, pull over and jump out of a moving vehicle any time I’d like. I’m probably not going to, but I like knowing that if I had to, I could. I think, as I …

Melissa Treacy is the regional editor of the Montgomery County Patch team. Mother of two, she chronicles her parental experiences in Montco Mommy, and we're happy to bring it to Upper Dublin Patch. She also has bragging rights over UD Patch editor Kyle Bagenstose, after PSU beat Temple in football. Again. Last spring, when I helped my son at baseball practice, I think it got more than a few odd looks. As the dads took to the fields with sons in tow, I was the mom that came out to warm up with Seamus. It didn’t bother me. In our family, mom is the sports nut. I played four sports all of my …