giving kids the roots to help them sprout

Lis Garrett's Blog (106)

Remember Me?

Remember me? Grow Together creator and site administrator? Does the name "Lis Garrett" ring a bell at all? No? Well, I can't say that I blame you. It's been way too long. (hanging head in shame) What can I say other than I desperately needed the break? After making the decision to cease publication on Root & Sprout, I went through all the emotions. First I was sad, and I felt incredibly guilty for "leaving" everyone. Then I was an… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on September 11, 2009 at 8:23pm — 9 Comments

I'm no doctor, but . . .

Last night, my husband and I took our two daughters and one of my oldest daughter's friends out to eat (our son is having fun with Granny & Papa). We sat down, and the waitress came over to promptly take our drink order. We went around the table, telling her what we wanted, and when it was my oldest daughter's turn, I noticed she looked a little funny in the face. "Hannah, have you been crying?" I asked this with some incredulity, because I couldn't imagine what might have made her cry from… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on August 9, 2009 at 8:54am — 18 Comments

Like Parasites

I remember watching an episode of Oprah years ago, back when I actually had time to watch daytime television. I don't remember the specific topic of the show, but I think it had something to do with being a stay-at-home mom. In any event, there was a panel of moms on the stage talking about the challenges of parenting. There was one lady who, honest-to-God, said she LOVED every minute of being a mom and thought it was the easiest job ever. Oh, how I wanted to shoot that mom (as did every other… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on July 23, 2009 at 10:26am — 7 Comments

For Better or For Worse . . .

I have written a book!

Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on July 19, 2009 at 12:10pm — 7 Comments

Don't Look at Me

I've never claimed to be a fantastic (creative) writer. In fact, I would measure my ability as somewhere between mediocre and just so-so. But creative writing has always been a passion of mine, it's something I feel I have to do, and my hands simply cannot keep up with all the ideas swarming around in my head. I need a voice recorder or one of those nifty computer applications that transcribes what you speak. And then maybe I could get out, once and for all, those voices that I hea… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on July 18, 2009 at 9:00am — 4 Comments

The New 'Summer Look'

I've left this picture of Bridget at its original size so you might see just how filthy my child is after a day of hard play. My grandmother, who likes to chase children around with a wet cloth, would surely disapprove. My son, Jacob, who just walked into my office to talk to me, is covered from head to toe in a fine film of dirt that gives his already-tanned skin an ashen appearance. Jacob and Bridget have been outside sweeping up dust from our rocky driveway and running through it. Thank goodn… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on July 13, 2009 at 7:26pm — 3 Comments

I Might Be A Kill Joy, Part II

As a sequel to this post, I'm adding yet a few more reasons to the list of why I might be a kill-joy mother, further depriving my children of a fulfilling summer vacation. I've banned TV. I've not only banned it, I've literally pulled the plug. Well, I've turned the power switch in the back of the console to the 'off' position. Perhaps it was my son parroting the word 'jackass', learn… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on July 13, 2009 at 6:56pm — 3 Comments

One Awesome Ad Promotion

I'm a firm believer that what you get out of life is what you give. So many people are too busy focusing on what they want or need that they fail to think about what it is they have to offer. Root & Sprout wouldn't be where it is today without the help of A LOT of people. With that in mind, I'm always acutely aware of what it is I can do to *hopefully* help out someone else. From now until July 31st, I am running a special ad promotion that is, in short, one heckuva deal! Here's how it wo… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on July 6, 2009 at 9:59am — 1 Comment

She's Gone

As I write this, my 9-year-old daughter, Hannah, and her grandparents, should be flying over New York City, getting ready to land at Newark Airport. Once there, they will spend the next nine hours waiting to catch a connecting flight to Shannon, Ireland. They will spend two nights at the B&B near the Cliffs of Moher recuperating from the flight and jet lag, and then my sister-in-law and her… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on June 28, 2009 at 11:04am — 5 Comments

Expiration Date: September 2010

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and then you wondered to yourself, where did that come from? Minus the extranneous details, my husband and I were (once again) debtating the pros and cons of me homeschooling our children. I don't have anything against public school, truly. But I often feel my kids aren't thriving. There is a certain student to whom public school caters and, unfortunately, neither of my kids is that student. All along I've been under the impression tha… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on June 27, 2009 at 8:24pm — 3 Comments

This Thing Called Parenting

I wrote on my Twitter status update last night that 'being a mom is a lot harder now, at nearly 32, than when I was 21. Or maybe it's just because I have triple the worries these days.' When I brought Hannah home from the hosptial on July 29, 1999, just two days after she was born, I felt no angst as a new mother. I was 21 years old, and basically I went about my business as usual . . . only with a baby in tow. It wasn't until she was 5 months old and… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on June 25, 2009 at 7:08am — 2 Comments

I Might Be a Kill Joy

Today is my kids' last day of school; and while I'm mostly celebrating with them, there is a little part of me that is dreading what's to come. My kids are not mellow people. "They're kids!" you say. "Kids are an active lot." Yes, I'm aware of that. But my kids happen to transcend what I believe to be "normal active". In fact, I've had many a persons who've met me and my husband, and then ou… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on June 24, 2009 at 7:00am — 4 Comments

Let Root & Sprout Review Your Family-Friendly Product

Did you know that Root & Sprout has a panel of parents just waiting to review your family-friendly product? After all, who better to test and write about your product than the REAL moms & dads who will use it? Any parent can join the panel; all you have to do is become a member of Root & Sprout's community of parents at Grow Together, and then sign up… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on June 11, 2009 at 1:39pm — 1 Comment

Know Your Limitations

Not too long ago, I wrote a post about knowing who you are. In a nutshell, I asked if you are unmotivated and complacent with where you are in your life, or if you are the type of person who, if you want something, goes the distance to get it. I ended the post by saying that I know who I am. In other words, if I have a vision or idea in my head, if there if something I think I want, need or must have, I set my sights on it. Bu… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on June 8, 2009 at 8:00am — 8 Comments

say yes as often as possible

I like to think that I am a laid back, easy-going, don't-sweat-the-small-stuff type of parent. I am definitely not hyper-vigilant. In fact, there are some who might question my ability to parent at all, given how much freedom I allow my three children. I let them roam around unsupervised in the 1/2 acre of woods directly behind our house; although with the recent threat of ticks and howling coyotes, they are less inclined to do so. On any given day, you can find my kids climbing trees, jumping f… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on June 3, 2009 at 9:51am — 2 Comments

Who are you?

I spend an hour each day running on the treadmill and lifting weights. The reasons why I do so vary; I am vain and not ready to succumb to my slowing metabolism (and I want to look good for my husband), I want to be healthy and energetic for my kids, and that hour alone gives me time to think about my work. So today, in a very roundabout way, I got to thinking about goals and ambition. And perhaps because I dreamt last night that Robert Pattinson… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on May 30, 2009 at 12:48pm — 4 Comments

Revelation

Cast of characters: Hannah, the moody 9 year old Jacob, the high-energy and often overly-emotional 7 year old Bridget, the she's-got-you-fooled 3 year old Today is just one of those days when I don't particularly like my kids too much. There. I said it. In fact, I would love nothing more than the traveling circus to come knocking at my door and whisk those stooges away for a life on the road. Then I could do whatever it is I want to do IN PEACE. For the sake of argument, YES,… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on May 28, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments

In An Instant

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how quickly things can change. There have been two events in the past few weeks that have caused me to stop and wonder at all I take for granted: the recent death of Michelle's son and the could-have-been-catastrophic car 'incident' my entire family was involved in on Mother's Day. Regarding Michelle's son, I've been trying to make sense out of something that simply cannot be understood.… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on May 19, 2009 at 11:30am — 8 Comments

The Child Personality Spectrum

There are days when parenting seems so diffifult, I feel like doing my part to issue a PSA on the merits of remaining childless. Of course the good outweighs the bad, but sometimes the bad is really bad. Or just inane. The first tantrum of the day commenced at precisely 6:18. I'm not sure why I bother to look at the clock to record the time, because it's not as though I really want to remember those moments anyhow. I don't tack each tantrum in the back of the proverbial Bible next… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on May 13, 2009 at 11:41am — 8 Comments

Case In Point

You'll recall from this post in which I made reference to the fact that my son has an impeccable memory (when it serves a greater purpose, that is). Case in point: This afternoon as I was cleaning up the kitchen Jacob asked, "How many more days until the end up this month?" "Well, May 1st is on Friday," I said, "so that means there is just one more day of April." "Oh. Well, I can't wait until the beginning of… Continue

Added by Lis Garrett on April 29, 2009 at 2:30pm — 6 Comments