It all hit me the other night.

After a particularly exciting evening of clipping the kids’ toenails and yelling at one child to stop eating her sister’s toenail remnants off the floor, I finally settled on the couch with a copy of Real Simple. The issue featured an article from Beth M. Howard, author of Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Pie who found her joy by baking pies.

On November 4, the grounds of Laumeier Sculpture Park will be filled with 500 elementary school students from across the St. Louis area. These incredible children, many of whom have never met one another, will experience a life-changing connection – through their laughter, their dance and one very, very long red cord.

Taking the kids to the photographer can be a headache for parents. Getting them to sit still and smile often leads to cringe-inducing breakdowns for mom and dad. However, a trip to the mall for birthday photos is something many of us parents take for granted.

I’m not a huge reality TV fan, but when you’re doing some mind-numbing chore, it’s good background entertainment. One of my favorites has been Oxygen’s Bad Girls Club. Until recently. One Sunday, I was folding laundry, watching the Bad Girls hit some random L.A. club. I didn’t notice my 3-year-old sneak in and catch up on the action herself, which was particularly lovely since there was some major cat fighting going on.