tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963Sun, 19 May 2013 22:37:46 +0000beardtoo hotmotherhoodmarathonkitten besthide n seekGTWomanknock-knockeditorialshoppingeaglewagonaffairbirthwinterfirewoodparakeethairRUNNINGtoo coldbikingsweatpantspoolFaceTimesummerclass ringspring breakchocolateschwan's manminivantipsbirdfamilydrinkcomputerchoresmomfour wheelerkidsexcerptsilenceexercisechildrenfalling asleepdate nightvacationLegosChristmascell phonebillshaircutexpensivecanoecarddeliverycatsfallbookGardeningtoysdietLaineytextwoodGNOcareerflowerscathousebuildingcleaningmoneyhttp://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)Blogger90125SweetSarcasticSurlyhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-6942112307989301733Sun, 19 May 2013 22:37:00 +00002013-05-19T18:37:46.189-04:00catmotherhoodchildrenparakeetbird About a week ago, we caved. Nelson had been begging for a parakeet for over a year. Then came the fateful night at a new (former) friend’s house when the kids ran off to play. Nobody move. It was a new home for them, for all of us. I let my guard down and didn’t ask the right questions. I assumed all was well. The dad was a cop after all. He was the dude I would call if things went wrong. http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-parakeet-oh-yes-we-did.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-2249653060152835176Mon, 06 May 2013 18:02:00 +00002013-05-06T14:02:01.194-04:00schwan's manpoolmotherhooddelivery In honor of Mother's Day, we'd like to share one of our favorite traditions with our mom: hiding from the Watkins man. Every Tuesday, the Watkins man pulled in with his old brown car. And every Tuesday, we had to decide if we would hide. Mom loved the spices and balms, but we all bristled at the inconvenience of actually placing an order. Don't get us wrong. He was a friendly man but he http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2013/05/delivery-man-hide.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-7177887276459473056Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:10:00 +00002013-05-01T09:40:07.000-04:00date nighthairsweatpantschildren There’s the unknown when you’re invited to a friend's house for the first time. Just come for a strawberry margarita, she says. It's 40 degrees in late April. There’s still snow on the deck. And she is standing in her kitchen making fruity cocktails.  I’m going and no one can stop me.  I decide this has the potential for a date night. With a little work, my husband might realize I'm not http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2013/04/margaritas-sweatpants.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-6524609536149990141Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:20:00 +00002013-03-12T19:20:54.731-04:00motherhoodminivanspring breakmomvacationfamilySpring is not in the air. However, it’s on our minds. It’s almost time for our annual spring break trip to Gulf Shores. For six years we’ve made the trip south with sisters, kids and dad in tow. And the caravan there has taught us a thing or two about business. Three cars all traveling a perfect 72 mph in unison for 1,200 miles? Impossible. Yet it’s the aim every year. Kind of like topping last http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2013/03/spring-break-trip-caravan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-6609028522858535650Sun, 03 Mar 2013 00:15:00 +00002013-03-02T19:16:52.972-05:00kidsmotherhoodtextmomFaceTimechildrenMy boys now have iPods. I held them off as long as I could. Then Grandma and Christmas coincided in a glorious gifting in December and our world was forever changed. First problem: I had to create a fake identity for each child on each iPod so they could open an iTunes account. There are now two more Chapples born in 1974. Both of my children are about a month older than I am. Next up, textinghttp://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2013/03/kids-ipods-facetime-texting-and-other.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-2216974247608661059Tue, 15 Jan 2013 04:02:00 +00002013-01-14T23:02:15.462-05:00kidsmotherhoodmomchildrenLegoshousebuildingtoys The Lego Mania starts something like this: You stumble over a Lego box the size of a small car in your living room two weeks after Christmas. 1,490 pieces of complicated machinery.Oh, and some Legos. “Are you ever going to start this?” you screech. This is your first mistake. Prepare for dinner on your lap because the kit will now be “in progress” on the dining room table for the next week. http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-many-lego-pieces-can-you-handle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-4630783099150253927Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:46:00 +00002013-01-07T12:46:56.559-05:00billscatsmoneychildrenexpensive We now have a gold-plated cat. The 66-cent eagle (give or take $1500). The problem began when Happy, our 4-year-old kitty, started puking. I didn’t panic. Cat puke and carpet cleaner is standard issue around here. But on Day 4, she didn’t come out to have her morning milk. I knew this to be her first serious symptom. By 10 a.m. she was under an x-ray machine. “This is the happiest cat everhttp://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-1500-cat.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-1049979936833822202Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:59:00 +00002012-12-27T16:12:05.285-05:00GTWomandieteditorialchocolateIt's no small feat to start over. But we've all done it a million times. For example, we've all started our diet over a million times. Starting over is a beautiful, exciting thing. You can taste it, feel it, envision it. You imagine the victory at hand. The anticipation and daydreaming is as good as anything else. The run-up You start thinking about all the mini Milky Ways you've eaten in your http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/12/new-years-starting-over-your-diet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-5558985939472017288Tue, 18 Dec 2012 01:47:00 +00002012-12-17T20:47:27.184-05:00GTWomanmotherhoodmomeditorialchildrenChristmasOur dad once estimated that our mother purchased 250 gifts at Christmas. This was for us three girls with a few aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends thrown in (who were lucky to net one each). We think he was a little shy of the actual number. While we can see our father's point that this was a tad excessive, we can't help but try to carry on the tradition. What are we teaching our children, http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-wrap-christmas-wrapping.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-1100373691611403042Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:59:00 +00002012-11-28T16:12:15.090-05:00kidsmotherhoodminivansilencechildrencell phoneaffairI've recently started a pretty intimate relationship with someone new. It happens twice a day, sometimes three. I could do it all day, but 5 minutes is heaven too. I look forward to it the minute I drop the kids off at school. It’s not with another man, it’s with my minivan. The day begins like this: The kids and I leave the house late for school. We argue in the parking lot, I comb their hairhttp://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-minivan-affair.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-989825898443463374Mon, 05 Nov 2012 23:02:00 +00002012-11-05T18:02:14.277-05:00kidsmotherhoodminivanchildren Get in the car. Now. I have a problem. But only from 8:30-8:45 every morning. It never fails, when it’s time to leave for school, we're late. I can get to school in 15 minutes. Really, it should take 20. Taking only 15 is the sign of a very bad morning. The most contentious route is known as the “The Shortcut.” It’s a two-track that cuts off a millimeter of distance and possibly 15 seconds http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/11/running-late-to-school-shortcut.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-5255620211955101789Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:34:00 +00002012-10-08T17:40:59.209-04:00kidscatscleaning It's the worst part of any party: the cleaning. Not after. Before. Dusting The bookshelf looks fine until the fatal move - you pick up a toy to put away and there, in black and white, evidence that you haven't dusted since that in-law scare in mid-August. It isn't the dust that's apparent; it's the absence of dust in this one hot wheel-car-sized space. You wonder what kind of time warp http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/10/cleaning-before-party-6-must-dos.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-4088991995661934905Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:00:00 +00002012-10-02T05:00:06.269-04:00excerptmotherhoodThis is an excerpt from my book. It was one of the hardest pieces I've ever written. One of my friends told me this was hard to read - because it made her think of friends she'd lost and how much time she'd spent with them.  I said, "So, should I run it? Is it too painful?" I felt the same as her, secretly, that I hadn't done enough for others.  "Yes," she said, "you have to."  "No, it's too http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/10/hospital-visitors-when-to-go-when-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-4994850796192617718Tue, 25 Sep 2012 11:56:00 +00002012-09-25T17:26:36.933-04:00Here's our editorial from GTWoman's Sept/Oct issue... now that the kids have been in school several weeks, it turns out we're psychic because this stuff is all happening. The summer was one for the books. Lots of hot sun, wild kids and laughter long after bedtime. It’s not to say we didn’t love it, but there is something delicious about the start of school…. when someone else starts telling yourhttp://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-beginning-of-school-sanity-returns.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-8468455606391428503Thu, 20 Sep 2012 18:43:00 +00002012-09-20T22:04:23.696-04:00haircut <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/09/growing-out-your-hair-stages-of-denial.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-5829490523352509168Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:47:00 +00002012-09-05T13:47:44.220-04:00 It was the classic All-American road trip: Badlands, Wall Drug, Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone. Played out in a 20-year-old travel trailer and a pick-up truck in the glaring heat of I-90. Two kids in the back, two overgrown ones up front. I've been talking about doing this trip for 10 years and we looked at the kids and realized another 10  could sail by just as easily.... that we had to go, it was http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-griswolds-go-west.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-2941130580844673942Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:41:00 +00002012-08-02T20:43:07.020-04:00marathoncanoe <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/08/canoe-marathon-feeders.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-1381643644242665900Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:00:00 +00002012-07-02T08:00:13.564-04:00GTWomanmotherhoodchildren Victim on left Well, the mystery’s finally been solved after 30 years, the one last great debate. An astute dentist in Traverse City did it: Cracked open the cold case of “The Tooth.” It started three decades ago outside of my mother’s best friend’s home. Mom and Dad disappeared into the house for a quick hello and to drop off a dish on a warm September night. They left their 6-year-old twins http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/07/tooth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-2358255082281769600Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:07:00 +00002012-06-25T17:07:46.577-04:00GTWomaneditorialWe are celebrating 9 years with this issue. Nine! Can you believe it? We can’t either! We will be celebrating at our Sept. 12 Network Nite. It will be a fine time, complete with birthday cake, to reminisce about our little tiny beginning that involved a Monte Carlo and a computer sale. Let’s set the scene: Two hysterical twin sisters, entrenched in another week of sleepless nights, one with a http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/06/gtwomans-computer-sale-decision.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-4888233759507649431Tue, 12 Jun 2012 20:42:00 +00002012-06-19T14:56:42.261-04:00motherhoodchildren <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /*http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/06/things-i-dont-want-my-kids-witnessing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-7128747133607288321Mon, 21 May 2012 13:56:00 +00002012-05-21T09:56:19.502-04:00GTWomanmotherhoodeditorialchildrenWe’ve been SAHM and Working Moms for almost a decade now. Many of our readers are surprised to find out we’ve pubbed GTWoman Magazine from home since Day 1. Who would have guessed we could run a business AND climb the sand dunes in a single day? Well, here’s a look at how we balance the isolation of working from home with the need for human interaction, thanks to technology… Facebook, of course.http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/05/sahm-working-from-home.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-4266564345360712847Mon, 14 May 2012 19:41:00 +00002012-05-14T15:41:00.099-04:00motherhoodmoneychoreschildren We are constantly at war in this house over money earned, money saved and money lost. It’s everywhere we turn: Teeth. Due to thunderstorms and turbulence, the Tooth Fairy didn’t make it into Nelson’s room on a recent April night. A day later, she left a dollar. Another day later, Nelson lost it. Where? What mysterious force resides over the room of my child? I believe it goes by the name of “http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/05/kids-and-money.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-511024646147317079Wed, 02 May 2012 14:08:00 +00002012-05-02T10:08:52.303-04:00Laineyexcerptmomwoodfour wheelerchildrenfirewood Editor's note: This is an excerpt from my work-in-progress — a novel about losing my mom and finding her again, leaving home and going back and about childhood. The parts like this, about my lovable swearing father, made me laugh when I wrote them and repeat them to my friends as long as they would listen, after. Lainey spent each fall throwing wood through a small basement window at her http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/05/hauling-wood-with-dad.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-4543301306876091439Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:26:00 +00002012-04-18T15:26:00.237-04:00Laineyexcerptchildrenbook <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /*http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/04/baby-boy-in-nicu.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792093885713797963.post-6878324910618462394Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:38:00 +00002012-04-10T15:38:14.855-04:00beardvacation <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:http://kandacechapple.blogspot.com/2012/04/beard-or-no-beard.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kandace Chapple)0