Last week I read Kelly Corrigan’s bestselling memoir, The Middle Place. I was deeply moved by Corrigan’s hilarious and heartbreaking account of balancing her roles as daughter, wife, and mother within “the middle place – that sliver of time when childhood and parenthood overlap” and during her battle against breast cancer. But what resonated most [...]
Tuesday night is date night chez Motherese. Last Tuesday, just after I had changed out of my maple syrup and strawberry encrusted t-shirt and shorts, Beloved Babysitter had arrived, and I was headed out the door to meet Husband and some friends for drinks, Big Boy burst out in floods of tears. Assuming he was [...]
You know how sometimes people claim to see the face of the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich? Well, last weekend, I saw something profound in a pizza. The boys and I spent the weekend at a dear friend’s house. A group of us, connected by a man who died ten years ago, gather [...]
I know this happens to you too. You’re minding your own business, driving to the library to return a book or sitting on the floor playing Legos with your kids, when suddenly a crystalline memory washes over you. The sights, the smells, the dialogue. It all comes back. Or at least as much as the [...]
For the past few weeks, I have thoroughly enjoyed our discussion of Aidan Donnelley Rowley’s debut novel, Life After Yes. Thank you to everyone who has read and contributed to our lively conversation. Today I am thrilled that Aidan has agreed to join us to weigh in on some of the themes and questions that [...]
Today I am pleased to offer you a guest post by Judy of Just One Foot. Judy is a writer, wife, mom of four, and amputee of six years. At Just One Foot, Judy writes lyrically and eloquently about motherhood, personhood, partnership, and friendship. I am grateful to her for offering this piece – one [...]
I went to a yoga class last week for the first time in three years. It wasn’t a great class – the teacher seemed distracted and her choice to play contemporary music throughout the class distracted me – but I was happy to be there, doing something for myself and for my body. And delighted [...]
Welcome to the third installment of our Life After Yes book club! (Looking for our discussions of the previous sections? Click here!) If the first section of Life After Yes is all about Identity, and the second section is all about Prudence and Predictability, then the third is about Honesty and Authenticity. And those two [...]
After all this heavy talk about blogging and balance, I thought it might be time to lighten things up chez Motherese. I mean, come on, it’s almost summer – thanks to temperatures in the 80s and daily thunderstorms, it certainly feels like summer – so it is my pleasure today to bring you the next [...]
Since my post last week on searching for a bloggy balance, I’ve been buffering, trying to find a way to stay connected, all the while making room in my life for the other things that make me happy and nourish my spirit. Your comments last week – on the blog and via e-mail – in [...]
Welcome to the second installment in our Life After Yes book club! (Want to know what this book club thing is all about? Click here! Still on an earlier chapter or want to catch up on last week’s discussion? Click here!) — As I did last week, I thought I would kick off our conversation [...]
Just last week I was singing the praises of Gale at Ten Dollar Thoughts, the inspiration for my post on choice. At Ten Dollar Thoughts, Gale writes articulate, reflective, and powerful posts on motherhood, womanhood, and personhood. I always enjoy her writing and her thinking and was delighted when she agreed to do a house [...]
Have you ever been in the middle of watching a video on YouTube when it suddenly stops playing and a single word fills the frame? Buffering. I’m no tech whiz and I’m not exactly sure what buffering means. What I think it means, what it seems to mean, is that the data is moving from [...]
Finding balance is elusive. Heck, defining balance is elusive. It occurs to me that balance – like happiness, or presence – might be one of those terms that falls under the Potter Stewart “I know it when I see it” standard. Yup, that’s it, I think: I don’t know how to define balance, but I [...]
Welcome to the first installment of our book club for Aidan Donnelley Rowley’s Life After Yes! Please check out my thoughts on chapters 1-11 and then use the comments section to weigh in with your impressions, ideas, and questions. And, even if you haven’t been reading along with us, I hope you’ll chime in if [...]
Guilt Written
Jun 09
Since my post last week on searching for a bloggy balance, I’ve been buffering, trying to find a way to stay connected, all the while making room in my life for the other things that make me happy and nourish my spirit. Your comments last week – on the blog and via e-mail – in [...]
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