Yes, they were watching TV, but it was still the sweetest moment. November 2012
One moment, they are snuggled so sweetly on the couch together.
The next moment, they're grabbing toys from each other, making each other cry.
One moment, Elan and I are playing chess, and he's telling me so earnestly about his day.
The next moment, he's screaming on the floor.
One moment, we're having a nice family dinner (I suppose it happens for at least a moment weekly).
The next moment, Emry is putting chicken in his water, dumping pasta on the ground and flinging yogurt squeezers.
No one decides to have children because they're looking forward to the inevitable 2 a.m. throw-up, or disciplining, or potty training. But those are inevitably part of the whole, just as much (and possibly more frequent) than the moments when your 2-year-old suddenly turns to you and says, "I wuv you, Mama" or your 6-year-old somewhat accidentally tells you, "You're awesome."
We decide to become parents out of sheer love, hope, along a healthy dose of denial (my kid will NEVER have a tantrum in the supermarket!). Deciding to become a parent is a truly optimistic act. ... more
Birch Bay, Washington, August 2012
I really wanted to have my new blog up and rolling by October.
But then life happened.
My husband went on a week-long business trip.
Then another week-long business trip.
I said "yes" to another grantwriting client.
I probably should have said "no."
The Jewish New Year came.
And went.
I thought a lot about my grandfather.
In my writing group, I wrote a list of things I remember about him.
I cried when I tried to read it.
Maybe I'll post it here someday.
I mean there - on my new blog.
Which will be coming soon.
Sometime in ... more
"Color camp" - he's the counselor, the tiles are the campers, Birch Bay, WA, August 2012
We were getting ready for the third day of kindergarten. I was in the kitchen, working on my morning checklist.
Lunch - packed.
Backpack - ready.
Bike helmets - in bike trailer.
My breakfast - in process...
Elan was munching on a bowl of Os while jumping on the couch when suddenly he announced, "I'm afraid of dying."
I finished pouring the milk into my cereal while wondering what kind of response I should have to this question. Here's ... more
Berkeley, August 2012
I am not sure that I have ever had such an unproductive day.
At least, not on a day when I'm supposed to be productive.
Worry, worry, fretScheme, talk, schemeVent, rant, process, chatCrave a nap, crave a nap, crave a nap
Second day of kindergarten.
Schedule chaos.
Mental exhaustion.
Am I heading right, or going left?
Where am I supposed to be right now?
What am I forgetting?
It's going okay for Elan. Like I said, I think he's more ready for this than I am.
As for me, I've ... more
When Emry was born, I had three living grandparents. Now, as he approaches his second birthday, I have one.
Emry and my Grandma Syl, New Jersey, June 2012
I was doing a puzzle with Elan this morning, remembering when he first started liking puzzles two years ago. He was six inches shorter then.
At the end of a 7-hour flight just me & my boys, June 2012
When Elan was Emry’s age, he had the same gorgeous wispy-curled blonde hair as Emry ... more
Hide and seek, Emry & Elan, July 2012
Park, pool, pizza -- a trifecta for happy (& then sleepy) boys.
Throw in a little hide & seek in the plaza of a beautiful shopping center and two gigantic pink-frosted heart cookies...what more could a little boy want?
This one hitched a ride, Turtle Back Zoo, New Jersey, June 2012
That feeling - the butterflies flitting around in my stomach - is not indigestion. It is not actually butterflies. It is anxiety.
As mother of a 5-year-old who's prone to screaming fits in the privacy of our home, I spend a lot of time encouraging him to use his words to describe his emotional state. So perhaps having decoded the butterfly feeling in the pit of my stomach will help ... more