I’ve been carrying around this plastic, electronic egg in my pocket for a couple of weeks now. Occasionally it beeps and complains. Sometimes it emits a series of hip-hip-hooray-sounding electronic riffs. I’m hooked.
My live, human children, who are unlikely to gain an additional younger human sibling, are now directing their jealousy at the plastic, electronic […]
River and I were up until about 2:00 am this morning, and thus felt a little groggy getting up for work/school/etc. today. For some reason, on weekdays, our kids will occasionally sleep in until 8:00 with seemingly no problem at all, whereas on the weekend, they will awaken at 6:00 no matter how late they […]
I visited a school presentation today that included my two elementary-school-age children. It was a Christmas story of sorts, presented by a public school that professes to embrace diversity and not to observe religious holidays per se.
I watched song after song of Christmas cheer. A Jewish parent next to me said that last year, she […]
My six-year-old son has recently taken to wearing shirts that he can transform into tunics by cinching them with a belt just at or above his waistline. When I see him do this, especially in anticipation of going to school or to a social event, I bite my tongue. Depending on my mood, I am […]
I feel all this tension in my back from having a pretty rough couple of days. I ask River to crack my spine for me in a hug. A few vertebrae give a satisfying crack. I ask him to try a little lower. Even in trying to let him, I feel my back tense up, […]
While I am off visiting a college class at UMass today, my mother will be with my children, presumably making “creepcakes” such as the mummies seen here.
Too bad I can’t show you all of the decorating ideas, as they are published in the paper version of Martha Stewart Kids magazine, but not online. The recipes […]
After the zoo this summer trying to figure out how to get my kids back to their original public school, and struggling with whether I would spend my year home-schooling or trying to earn a little money from home, I landed in September with a thud, a sore back, and a fair degree of total […]
“Does my chest look bigger, Mama?”
It took me a moment to hear this properly. We were walking home from school, passing a teen on the street who was holding his shirt and trousers suspiciously, and who began walking away from us briskly as we approached, looking over his shoulders at us, still clutching at himself […]
Now that summer is officially coming to a close—where I live, about 6:30 pm on Thursday, September 22—I’m getting a little down. The light fades faster in the evenings and is slower to arrive in the mornings. Nights seem to last a little longer than I’d like. Trees start to look sort of tired, their […]
News of the recent grizzly bear attack at Yellowstone Park caught my eye. Just about six weeks ago, my newlywed brother- and sister-in-law were honeymooning there, taking in the gorgeous views and hiking around in the lovely summer air of Wyoming.
Yellowstone offers a few tips about what to do to avoid encounters with grizzlies when […]