Back when I was pregnant with my first son, family and friends and doctors warned me about everything from cradle cap to indigestion. As I pushed my newborns through the mall in a stroller, complete strangers would walk up and caution me about the terrible twos and the perilous teenage years. But not a single […]
Two weeks ago I posted an essay about the kids taking karate, and many of you wrote to tell me how touched and inspired you were by our story. I thank you for your kind words. I was also moved by Jack’s new-found love of martial arts and enjoyed watching our kids share in an […]
Last week Jack’s teacher sent home a yellow star with lines printed on it. Parents were asked to outline academic and social hopes and dreams for our young third graders, and return it to class. I doubt our parents ever completed such a project. It’s safe to assume that people who sent their kids in […]
We enrolled Jack in karate four years ago. On Saturday mornings, we dressed our four-year old autistic son in his stiff white uniform and Joe drove him to class at the local karate studio. It was an unmitigated disaster. For forty-five minutes Jack would whirl and spin around the circumference of the room, circling and […]
Now that August is over and I’ve officially returned to the land of the eating, I thought you’d appreciate an update from my last two weeks on the Paleo diet. Just a quick refresher on our Crossfit gym’s Paleo challenge: for thirty days a group of us gave up processed food, dairy, sugar, beans, alcohol, and […]
Last Wednesday I took my three older boys shopping for new sneakers. On our way there, in between answering questions about license plates, car models, and how long it would take to drive to Florida, I may have flippantly said something to Jack like yeah-sure-maybe-we’ll-go-to-Bertucci’s-for-lunch-we’ll-see. But first, the sneakers. And on we went, to the […]
My kids start school one week from tomorrow. Mothers seem to fall into two categories: the I-can’t-wait-for-the-bus-to-arrive type and the summer-went-by-way-too-quickly sort. I find I’m nestled right in between the two. On one hand, for the first time in eight years, I’ll only have one child home all day. On the other hand, that child […]
This month our Crossfit gym is holding something called a “Paleo Diet Challenge”. Also known as the “caveman diet”, you essentially eat only the things you can hunt or gather; meat, fish, eggs, nuts, fruit, and vegetables. Things like dairy, sugar, carbohydrates, beans, and alcohol are not allowed. No processed food whatsoever. Sounds fun, right? […]
Two summers ago, I ate lunch at Bertucci’s with Jack. Not once, twice or even three times. Every Monday. I don’t even know how this ritual got started. During the summer of 2010, three of the kids were in camp, leaving me with just Jack and six-month old Henry for the day. I must’ve taken […]
At a party last weekend I told my friend Audree how I’d bought a new purse. (I’ve altered the spelling of her name for privacy purposes. It’s really spelled Audrey.) “Finally!” she exclaimed, before I could hold up my new tan clutch. “You got rid of that old purple thing you’ve been dragging around!” I […]
