Tag: life
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Revival
So. How were the last three, or maybe five or six–or possibly like ten–years for you? Mine were OK, I guess. Meaning they were kind of a foggy blur of loss and pandemic and political theater and scary weather patterns. I was grateful that I like my house and I found therapy in gardening, pets,…
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Picture Day!
Recently, a small flyer came home in my child’s folder. It said, “Picture day is coming.” I remarked to Leon, “I’ll bet most parents don’t read that as a warning.” But honestly, I know enough of you do. I vaguely remember picture day. They’d line us up, give us a small black comb. (Where…
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Listen to Your Mother Call for Submissions
Last year, I got to participate in Sacramento’s first Listen to Your Mother live reading. At a Writers Who Wine evening out, Margaret Andrews gave me a little slip of paper saying they were seeking stories about motherhood. I thought, “I could probably bang together something about motherhood.” And I did. On Mother’s Day, 2013,…
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You Have Your Hands Full…
Yesterday, I went to the train museum with my children. This really warrants its own blog post, but in the meantime, IT happened. Exhausted (remember, another post is coming), I got to the second-floor area with the toy trains children can play with. I sat down next to another woman, and we watched the kids…
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The Many Faces of Meltdown, Part II
Practically as soon as I posted my last collection of tantrum photos, I received a number of lovely new pieces. I hope you enjoy these and they help you feel more normal if you or your children sometimes look and feel like this. Aren’t walks supposed to calm babies? Sometimes they don’t. …
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The Many Faces of Meltdown
Inspired by this photo of my friend’s son at the grocery store I asked for courageous people to share photos of their kids having meltdowns for a short-winded collection. I am hoping that you will see beyond the fact that I am kind of laughing at childish rage, and feel comfort in the shared experience.…
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I Am Still Here
It has been weighing on me that I have not been writing much lately. I have been unsure what I could possibly respectfully and sanely share during a weird, transitional sort of time in my life. But not writing does not do much for me either, so I am just kind of…writing. This change from…
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The Spaces Between
Please bear with me. This is a sad post, and it is an attempt to process my grief a little. If you hate complaining, don’t read it. But this is the part I would not have chosen. The part where my kids are going to be gone half the time, all the time. It struck…
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Calculating My Weighted Parenting GPA
There are times, as a parent, when I feel like I’m doing a good job, and I happily give myself an A. Child spills milk all over the table when I am about to finally sit down. “It’s OK. Here is a rag.” Mind says: You stayed calm. No big deal. Good. See, you are…
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Laughing When Life Is Stinky
There are many unknowns in this life. It is reassuring that you can always make a seven year old crack up when you use “toilet” or “stinky” in Mad Libs. I learned several years ago that once you become a parent, you don’t get to grieve, not really. When my grandmother passed away, I wanted…