Memories

There are just 15 days left until Christmas...can you believe it? Have you gotten a chance to take your kids to see Santa yet? Maybe you're a person who takes their kids multiple times in a season.  Or maybe you're like...

'Tis the season for toys! Your kids have sent their letters to Santa, wish lists have been made, and commercials have thoroughly bombarded everyone with new ideas for stuff we didn’t know we needed. Whether you exchange gifts on one...

So much crying.  So much. It comes without warning (sometimes). It comes in the morning, at lunchtime, in the middle of the night. Sometimes it's a couple of sad tears flowing silently down the cheeks. Other times, it's the full-on "ugly cry" that...

That’s what’s in store for our family. Nope, this isn’t a pregnancy announcement and we aren’t adding another four-legged member to the Claussen Clan. No, no, no we’re not packing up and moving to start a new life in the...

Last month, we introduced you to an amazing group of Iowa City moms of kids with special needs, known as "Manantial".  As promised, we are going to share with you their wonderful Christmas program, and how you can help. When the...

Alright, maybe that title should more accurately read: Tara, Tara, Pumpkin Eater! But alas, that just doesn’t rhyme and I’m a tad OCD, okay?! Tangent – why are old nursery rhymes so creepy? Seriously, have you ever REALLY listened...

When I was little, I LOVED Halloween. Dressing up in fun costumes {I was Barbie…a lot}, carving pumpkins and Trick-or-Treating.  I never really ate much of my candy.  Instead, I just sorted it into appropriate piles, counting how many...

My husband and I have a document on the desktop of our computer that is a running list of all of our baby’s “firsts”.  It includes her first time rolling over, first tooth, and even first time using a...

Hello again! So, since you have last heard from me I've done a lot of "soul searching" if you will, to find out what it is I love so much about parenting. There are the obvious reasons of "I...

The University of Iowa is celebrating Homecoming, a week for returning to the city that you once called home. I moved to Iowa City fresh out of high school, an excited Hawkeye freshman from rural northwest Iowa. Iowa City was a...