Shel Silverstein (or, I was a junior high speech meet champion)
If there’s one activity the kids and I can agree on, it’s reading. We’re not always aligned on favorite books, but fortunately I can reach high shelves and they can easily be distracted, so I can usually buy a couple…
Souper Tuesday: Crazy-Making Spinach and Cheese Strata
My quest for the perfect recipe for today’s final installment of Souper Tuesday: National Hot Breakfast Month resulted in a far-from-perfect recipe and a totally disastrous night. But I didn’t just go through all that for nothing. I did it…
Giving Up Cable Without Tears: a TV Lover’s Guide
We’re about to watch the finale of the 4th season of Downton Abbey. We skipped watching it live last night. We’ll watch it on-demand tonight instead so we can pause to refill a wine glass or rewind one of the…
Friday fever dream (or, four of the seven things you’re not supposed to talk about)
I listened to a This American Life podcast recently titled “The Seven Things You’re Not Supposed to Talk About.” In it, a mother of one of the producers details a list of topics she thinks are too boring for general…
Big Momma, Hot Sauce, and the longest Valentine’s Day ever
It’s February 20, and Valentine’s Day is finally, mercifully over. It began last Monday, February 10, when I had Noah begin making cards for the grandparents and his cousin Finn. Even though all that was required of him was spelling…
Souper Tuesday: Crepes
As I mentioned two weeks ago, February is National Hot Breakfast Month. In honor of the month honoring my favorite meal of the day, all my Souper Tuesday posts will be breakfast recipes. Last week, I was overcome by irritation and…
Happiness, one sentence at a time
Greetings from the end of a great long weekend. Yes, I said great. It’s true: the kids were out of school for five days straight, and we all survived. On top of that, Pat and I went out two unprecedented…
Flash-forward Thursday: These are the good old days
Today I experienced the best moment I’ve ever had with my family. Yes, it was only a moment. Maybe two. But it happened. It happened because Pat was wearing a T-shirt that his mom gave him ages ago, one of…
The adoration of the SAHM: reflections of a dual-star parent
I attended a baby shower over the weekend with some women I used to work with. As usual, I was late. My departure was delayed by Noah stretching himself in front of the door yelling “No, you can’t go! Don’t…
Five Things Friday: ’90s albums I still listen to
I’ve been in a ’90s state of mind this week. For starters, I saw the band Neutral Milk Hotel on Sunday. Their album In the Aeorplane Over the Sea was formative for me. I have vivid memories of listening to…
