Articles written by Rachel Howells

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About me - Rachel Howells

I live and work in obscurity in a remote location in the Pacific Northwest. I have one husband, two daughters and one son. I would like to write more, but making a living, marriage and motherhood keep shoving their way into my focus with their insistent need

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Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Motherhood: 1 of 88
There are moments in motherhood that fill me with such blissful contentment. I look at my little creations and marvel at the miracle of life, and how lucky I am to be the mother of two amazing human beings. Tonight, however, as I sit here recuperating from a day in the life of a mother, I cannot stop myself from ruminating ... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Spring break: 1 of 49
Sitting at the park during spring-breakCaptivated by my children as they playI realize I'm thankful I did this againMy little sentient beings of genetic clayObserving them in their springtime danceThey climb, giggle, swing and slideSunshine brightening their baby bluesHighlighting their hair as they skip and hideI bask in the... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Parenthood Parents Anonymous: The lighter side of parenting: 1 of 42
I have a problem. I am powerless over my children and my life has become unmanageable. I need Parenting Anonymous. Signs of my pathological parenting surround me and I can no longer live in denial - the crayon is on the wall.Every wall in my home, in fact, is decorated by various abstract pieces done in wax crayon, indelible ... More..
Relationships & Family > Acquaintances & Co-Workers Weird neighbors stories: 1 of 35
My husband and I once lived in a neighborhood where we were surrounded by weird neighbors. They were weird to our left, to our right, and directly in front of us on the other side of the street. There was no way of avoiding the weirdness either because all of the houses were built so close together they were practically at... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Parenting: 4 of 138
The family bed began innocently enough. The funny thing about innocence, however, is that it does not carry the wisdom of experience. I thought this to myself as I flipped around trying to get comfortable in the confined space of my daughter's bottom bunk. If only I could have back peddled into a parental backbone. Perhaps t... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Child Discipline Strategies Is time-out an effective discipline strategy for children?: 1 of 28
Obviously, as a parent or childcare provider you have to have some tools at your disposal for disciplining unacceptable behavior. Equally obvious, you cannot go around beating them into submission, so what other options are there? One option that has been eagerly accepted by the general consciousness of the parenting world a... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Teen Challenges Humor: I survived raising my teen: 1 of 28
My daughter is 20 years old now, which means I have officially survived her teenage years, as well as my own. I had Lisa when I was 15 years old and therefore believed with our relative closeness in age I would somehow be better attuned to the teenage psyche than the average parent. I was wrong. Evidently, in the interim fro... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Anything is possible: 6 of 164
Anything is possible or so they'd like you to believeTell that to the anguished brother of a murdered manWatch him fall to his knees imploring GodHow is this possible? Tell me if you canAnything is possible or so they tritely sayTell that to the patient with metastatic spreadWith these empty words try to ease his painAs he la... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Domestic violence: 2 of 47
Doranna cowered there in that same spot with the peeling yellow paint. She should strip the walls and repaint them white, she thought. She always thought this during these times, but somehow never got around to doing it. She hated yellow. She used to believe yellow would boost your mood as if it were a synthetic sun, almost a... More..
Health & Fitness > Diet & Weight Loss How to outsmart weight gain: 1 of 21
Outsmarting weight gain is a fun game we can all play. The objective is to convince ourselves that we are satiated even if our brains disagree. In most cases, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, excessive weight is the result of consuming too many calories. While this may seem simple enough, addressing the causes for a... More..