I stood in front of the Blue Café, inhaling the cocktail of fried chicken and pizza that wafted out of its open doors, and checked my watch. As I looked up, I saw a familiar figure loping through the Midtown crowd, his brown cowboy boots click-clacking on the sidewalk. I smiled as he pulled me [...]
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A throbbing bass line and Auto-Tune vocals blare from the speakers on the ceiling. My husband’s left eyebrow creeps up, a mirror image of my right, and silently asks, “We’re paying a babysitter for this?” We join the line anyway, the savory scent of beans and sharp tang of salsa welcoming us above the din. [...]
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We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare: A rabbit challenges a turtle to a race. Having left the slow-moving turtle in his dust, the overconfident rabbit decides to take a nap in the middle of the course, but wakes to find that his slow-but-steady opponent has won the race while he [...]
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“Wake up, Mommy!” my four year old son called to me last night during that witching hour between the end of dinner and the beginning of his bedtime ablutions. “Huh?” “I said, ‘Wake up!’” “I’m not asleep, baby.” “Oh, I thought you were.” I wasn’t asleep. That was the truth. But I wasn’t exactly awake [...]
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On Sunday mornings, some people go to church. I go to the grocery store. The boys take turns coming along, clamoring for the chance to spend some time alone with me – and for the chance to get a free cookie from the ladies behind the bakery counter. This Sunday morning, my two year old [...]
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The pantry before The pantry after Most interesting find: a dessicated whole wheat pretzel stick, having plummeted from the top shelf all the way to the floor, lying in repose at the bottom of a giant stock pot. With thanks to my mother for her able assistance in supporting my spring cleaning efforts!
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I’ve long been a fan of Tsh’s Simple Mom blog and her quiet, thoughtful tips for leading a simpler, more intentional life. I read her book, Organized Simplicity, last year after Baby Sister was born and, though I was tempted by visions of clutter-free closets and a playroom with fewer trip hazards, I never took [...]
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See those fingers over there? Those are my fingers. You can only see three of them, but I assure you the other seven look the same: the cuticles ragged, the nails bitten down to the nub, the occasional scratch or burn for added character. I’ve bitten my nails for as long as I can remember. [...]
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In honor of my daughter’s first birthday, I am taking this month to tell the story of the wild way she came into the world and our family. You can read the first and second chapters here and here. It didn’t happen the way it does in the movies – the perky pregnant mom, decked [...]
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Baby Sister turned one on Saturday. In honor of her birth, I am taking this month to tell the story of the wild way she came into the world and our family. Please click here to read the first part of the story. Just over a day after I arrived at the Labor and Delivery [...]
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Baby Sister will turn one on Saturday. (My baby is almost one! How did this happen?!) In honor of her birth, I will be taking the next four weeks to tell the story of the wild way she came into the world and our family. On a sparkling blue Sunday morning last January, I gleefully [...]
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Back in grade school, I could be off the bus and at my front door by 2:50 p.m., leaving just enough time to change out of my uniform, grab a Little Debbie snack cake, and take a seat in front of the television for that day’s episode of Guiding Light. During the years I watched [...]
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I was never that good at coaching – in the traditional sense, at least. During the nine years I was a teacher, I spent seven as a coach: of basketball, of softball, of lacrosse. The best coaching I did was when I headed up a junior varsity girls’ high school basketball team. My own love [...]
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I know I’m not the first or the only person moved at the beginning of January to reflect on the year that just ended. But, when I saw Tsh’s list of 20 questions for reflecting on 2011 over at Simple Mom, I knew I wanted to stop and write on them. What can I say? Cliche, thy [...]
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The following is a Public Service Announcement on behalf of all children celebrating a birthday this week or next. My birthday is on Saturday. Christmas Eve. Growing up as a Catholic kid who went to Catholic school in a largely Catholic community, I sometimes felt like my birthday got lost in the Christmas shuffle. Now [...]
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This year Christmas falls smack dab in the middle of Hanukkah. This fact would have meant nothing to me as a child. Now it means a lot… — Please click here to read the rest of this post, in which I wonder about how to instill a sense of wonder in my interfaith kids during [...]
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This Thanksgiving, I am counting my blessings. I am thankful for my husband, for my kids, for my parents. I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful to my body for growing a perfect baby girl this year. I am thankful for the chance to pursue my dream [...]
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