The universe has a way of timing things just right. Just days ago I was sad about summer ending, about the closing of this magical time with my children, these three months dotted with highlights and plenty of tiny moments in between. And then they became monsters. Oh, wow, is it time for school. Something [...]
I have a few areas of definitive, even spectacular, parenting Fail. Food. Both of my kids are terrible eaters, Whit far worse than Grace. I never make them finish their food, and generally believe that no child will charge in the presence of food. Shoes. There will come a day this fall when inevitably the [...]
Right now my head and heart are running dry. I feel exhausted in a bone-deep way. The words are eluding me. But this kid? Well, he’s priceless. He can be serious, but usually, he’s not. The material keeps on coming. **** He didn’t fall asleep last night until 9:30, and for about half an hour [...]
I’ve written an awful lot about Grace’s sensitivity and old-soul tendencies. This summer, however, this summer of adventures and trips and full to bursting with memories, it is Whit who is more often exhibiting a nostalgia and awareness of life’s bittersweetness. About a month ago in a conversation about dogs, the kids mentioned Parker, who [...]
I am the heart contracted by joy .. I am the one whose love overcomes you, already with you, when you think to call my name … (Jane Kenyon) Grace, Whit, I hope you will always remember this trip … The rides, the winning of Lego the enormous green bear, the fact that your first [...]
“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” – Sigmund Freud Many thanks to Anthony Lawlor, from whom I found this quote on Twitter. I do believe this to be true, absolutely, though it’s so incredibly difficult to remember in the moments where the struggle seems overwhelming. The [...]
Yesterday Grace, Whit and I went back to Storyland. Our first visit was nothing short of magical and I wanted to experience that again. I am determined to jam this summer that I’m not working full of memories for the children. I’m anxious about what reality will look like once I go back to work, [...]
A couple of weeks ago, Whit had a high fever all weekend. He was listless and not himself, he threw up a couple of times, and his fever just would not come down. Plus for three days in a row he took 2+ hour naps in the afternoon. As delightful as his sleeping and his [...]
This boy. This boy has two brown-eyed parents and four brown-eyed grandparents. And those blue eyes. (also, a continuing passion for mardi gras beads) I can’t tell you how many people say, jokingly, “Hmmm … the mailman?” Each time, I ask, with varying degrees of patience, if the commenter remembers the basics of dominant and [...]
Grace, Whit and I went to Story Land for two days. We explored the park, leaving no ride, show, or exhibit untested. We stayed in a hotel. We swam. We went out for dinner. We had whipped cream on our waffles this morning. More about this magical visit another day. But I learned one simple [...]
