Heidi Smith Luedtke's Page

Besides being a mom and a writer, I currently work for the federal government as a social scientist/researcher. Some days I wish I was a lab rat locked away from the rest of the team (really, it’s like doing your taxes in a room full of 12-year-old girls who are gushing about the latest bo… Continue

A couple of weeks ago, the Washington Post Magazine’s feature story (titled Fatal Distraction) focused on parents who’ve accidentally left their infant or toddler in a locked car, resulting in the child’s death from hyperthermia (overheating). Between 15 and 25 children die like this each year, mostly in the stifling summer months.

Though each was in some ways unique, the stories Weingarten des… Continue

Since I added another job to my Leading Mama juggling routine, I’ve found it’s increasingly difficult to stay sane. If it felt like I had no free time to myself before, I have less than no free time to myself now. I wonder whether mathematicians and physicists would support my contention that working moms have less than no free time – as a social (not rocket) scientist, I say, truly, it’s possible.

Frankly, I feel a bit like a magician. On the good days, I amaze even myself. On the not-so-good… Continue

Before I became Carson's mom, I was Houston's mom.

I didn't become a dog mom because I wanted practice for the real thing, or because I thought I might never have human children of my own (though my mother sent me an article on how to adopt babies from China when -- at 25 -- I was… Continue

I’ve got that too-much-to-drink-slurred-speech-shouldn’t-operate-heavy-machinery kind of feeling this morning. And no, I didn’t tie one on last night (too bad for Leading Man, huh?).

The daycare transition separation anxiety drama drags on at Casa de Luedtke this morning. I am having trouble typing because my motor skills are sluggish and my brain is cluttered, but thought I’d fill you in on recent happenings.

Last week wasn’t great. Here’s the recap:

Monday: Federal holiday for Martin Luther… Continue