Here it is, in a nutshell. The holiday in review. It's way too easy to discuss what goes wrong, falls short of expectations, turns out an utter disaster. The bigger challenge is to mull over what goes exactly right. Here are few moments, not in any particular order. No. 1: Getting out the decorations. This … Continue reading Holiday Highlights
Category: parenting
Beasts of the Suburban Mild: Part two
Summer pickups and drop-offs have a slightly different flavor to them. In a town like ours, diversity, where it exists at all, is economic. The “diverse,” are pretty much priced right out of summer camp, so it’s us beasts who dominate the pickup zones and parking lots. Often we don’t know each other outside of … Continue reading Beasts of the Suburban Mild: Part two
Beasts of the Suburban Mild: Part One
A muscular flank, a well-tanned arm, the swing of a bag over the shoulder, a shiny leather satchel, or maybe a canvas tote with lots of pockets from which are pulled healthy snack food, game boys, ipads and iphones. The toddler hoisted on the hip, skirt adjustment, sunglass smear. Big, aviator shades. Tall leather boots. … Continue reading Beasts of the Suburban Mild: Part One
Do Not Deep Strv
Let me start with what I am not saying: that a writer's kids learning to write is a bigger deal than her neighbors' kids. Or that a writer's kids are any more adept at it, have an affinity for it, or any more right to language than the nurse's kids. It's not a contest; this … Continue reading Do Not Deep Strv
Listen to this
When my kids were in preschool, their teachers had them take listening walks. They’d hold hands with a partner and head out into the neighborhood, not speaking. This was a field trip I always volunteered for. I loved watching them wander over the world with their eyes, yanking on their partner, or being yanked, giggling … Continue reading Listen to this
Short Order
Here is the short list of kitchen failures at our house: fried zucchini medallions baby back ribs in BBQ sauce enchiladas with mild sauce and shredded chicken ditto with shredded, as in a Cuisinart shredded, beef and pork lasagna with and without meat meatballs meatloaf mashed potatoes mashed sweet potatoes potatoes of any kind cooked … Continue reading Short Order
Painting the Pink Room
It’s become apparent that the sale of my book is inextricably linked to the sale of our old house, three blocks down the hill. We moved last summer and couldn't sell it; we rented it, our tenants moved out and we kept it vacant, believing it would show a lot better empty. Somehow my lovingly … Continue reading Painting the Pink Room
The five year plan
I've heard about these for decades. Which is to say that several five year segments have passed without me having formulated one. I do still remember writing in a journal that I needed to have a novel published before I was thirty, a move I now consider a curse. But recently I've had some forward … Continue reading The five year plan
Weird Human Behavior #4: Catching Frogs
Last summer I found myself standing stock-still with my kids in an algae-covered pond, which looked and smelled more like a cess pool.We were hunting. My boy was in frog camp; they had been here earlier in the week and he had caught six. I found this impossible to believe; we'd been standing here for … Continue reading Weird Human Behavior #4: Catching Frogs
Back to school
First and third grade started for us this week. I was ill-prepared for the emotional freak out of watching my boy, my boy! march away from me into the mysterious recesses of his new school. It wasn't Kindergarten after all—he stayed at preschool for Kindergarten. Nobody else was bawling. Even the kids seemed soberly resigned … Continue reading Back to school