Like many moms, I set limits for the amount of screen time my kids can have each day. My current standard is 30 minutes of computer or video game time per school day, with a bit more allowed on weekends.

Yesterday I discovered the source of the strange, foul smell we had been noticing on and off in my daughter's room. It was an elusive odor, faint but definitely bad. My husband even suggested there might be a small dead animal in hiding.

When I woke up on my birthday this year, I was quickly greeted by my 6-year-old son. He told me not to come out of my room yet because he was going to make my birthday present. So I proceeded to the shower.

Before I finished, he called in to me that I could come out of my room. I told him I'd be out when I was dressed and he said okay. Imagining he had made me a cute craft or picture of some sort, I took my time as I finished my shower, got dressed, and put on some make-up.

Part of our children's bedtime routine is for us to pray together, and it is fascinating to me to hear their prayers. There are the usual requests that show up every night such as blessings for family and friends. And then there are the personalized requests, which make it interesting.

My three children had been playing near each other in another room of the house when the two older kids went outside, leaving the 3-year-old to play alone. A couple minutes later, I heard a crashing sound of Legos, followed by my little guy calling out, “Sorry, Will! Sorry, Will!”

I asked him what he was saying sorry for and he told me he had accidentally knocked down part of his brother's Lego building. When I told him his brother was outside, he quickly responded, “Oh. I'm going to hide.”

In the middle of the night recently my 3-year-old son called for me. I stumbled, half-asleep, down the hall to the room he shares with his big brother to see what was the matter.

When I arrived, my 6-year-old had also awoken. He sat up in bed and asked me, “Do I have to go on the field trip to the pool?” Clearly he had just been dreaming about a pool field trip of some sort.

“No,” I answered, wanting to resolve the issue quickly and get everyone back to sleep.

My 6-year-old son is all about superlatives. He wants to know the biggest and smallest and fastest everything. He has also, at his young age, realized that the internet is a great source of information. Therefore, in his view, my husband and I have no excuse for not finding the answers we do not know.

Last week I took my 8-year-old and 6-year-old to the doctor for their annual check-ups. They didn't mind going since the doctor had told them previously that they had all the shots they will need until they are 14, so we were expecting a pretty uneventful visit. And then the nurse handed us two small cups labeled with my kids' names.

I made an appointment with a studio to have my 3-year-old's pictures made. I like to commemorate each passing year that way. So today was the day. I had his outfit already picked out. I just had to get my boy to comply. Even though the shirt I chose was one of his favorites and in his favorite color (orange), I worried that my son would exercise his three-ness and refuse to wear it.

I stood in the bathroom, fixing my hair, while my 3-year-old son watched me carefully. As I held up a section of hair for a barrette, my little guy asked oh-so-sincerely, “Mommy, what are you doing? Trying to make funny hair?”

I couldn't help but laugh as I answered him, “Well, no, not really.”

Funny hair? Perhaps I need to reevaluate my hair styling techniques...