Last Thursday was the last day of elementary school in our city, and my first-grade daughter alternated between summer-fun-anticipation and heartbreak about no longer seeing her adored teacher every day. I picked her up from school, and seeing all the teachers waving goodbye to the kids as we passed was more than we could take. … Continue reading Our Favorite Teachers
Category: Parenting
The Basket of Curiosities
I have trouble getting anything done when there is visible clutter. This morning, the house was overrun with scattered toys, cuttings from various papers, books, and game pieces. So I spent twenty minutes getting everything back to its container and shelf. Unfortunately, there are always items that defy classification, don't really have a place: kid's meal … Continue reading The Basket of Curiosities
My Top Five Poems about Motherhood
With Mother's Day coming up next Sunday, I'm adding to last year's list of poems that I love about motherhood. Enjoy! 1) From "Thanking My Mother for Piano Lessons" by Diane Wakoski (full text here): I want to thank my mother for letting me wake her up sometimes at 6 in the morning when I … Continue reading My Top Five Poems about Motherhood
Kids at poetry readings
Last night, I took an enormous leap of faith and took my first grader to her first poetry reading. This particular reading - part of the Iota Reading Series curated by Miles David Moore and hosted by Iota Club & Cafe in Arlington, Virginia - seemed a good fit. I promised her a brownie sundae, … Continue reading Kids at poetry readings
Spring Break: heading for the sea
With my older daughter home from school for the week, my mom and stepdad braved the long car drive down to the Outer Banks with me and the girls, for a few days in a hotel by the beach. Though the girls wanted to spend most of our visit at the indoor pool (and I … Continue reading Spring Break: heading for the sea
Asking for what you want: submissions and gender
My two daughters - let's call them OD and YD - resemble me in many predictable ways. Seven-year-old OD has hair that relentlessly tangles in the same spot as mine, loves writing and rhyme, and is a tomboy in the best sense of the word. Three-year-old YD has my oversized cheeks, laid-back manner, and love … Continue reading Asking for what you want: submissions and gender
A season of waiting
This winter, most of my quests for excitement have collided with a paralyzed will, or body. Yesterday, my mom offered to babysit the girls so Jeff and I could enjoy a kid-free outing. Jeff now has the cold I had a week ago (and older daughter ('OD') had a week before that), so we decided … Continue reading A season of waiting
Renew, Reuse, Recycle…
We live in a fairly eco-conscious area, so when my older daughter (OD) started kindergarten, she began talking about the importance of "renew, reuse, recycle." We have a great recycling program in our city, so very little goes to waste; our recycling container is usually twice as full as our trash container. I realize now … Continue reading Renew, Reuse, Recycle…
Preempting The Holiday Blues
Yesterday as we left my mother's house, where we spent the afternoon enjoying lunch and decorating her Christmas tree (yup, we don't waste any time...), my six-year-old daughter commented with great melancholy, "The holidays go by so fast." It was funny, but also sad that she felt that way while we were still enjoying Thanksgiving … Continue reading Preempting The Holiday Blues
“Storm of the century” redux (didn’t we just do this?)
After a derecho this summer and another major storm just a month ago, we're again preparing for what's been dubbed "Frankenstorm," a wide swath of rain and snow that's likely to paralyze the East Coast for days. We're charging our electronics, making tons of ice to keep refrigerator food cold, moving items in the basement … Continue reading “Storm of the century” redux (didn’t we just do this?)
Between Gods 