Last Tuesday Joe had a dinner commitment after work, so I was on my own at bedtime. Bedtime in our house can be fairly chaotic, and it’s even harder when one of us has to do it solo. In between teeth-brushing and story-reading and kiss-giving, there’s always the inevitable I need to tell you something […]
I lost my patience last Sunday. It was a long, rainy day in the house. The kids took turns helping Joe clean the basement, watching TV, and snacking. And when they were finished snacking, they had another snack. And after the wrappers and crumbs and dirty glasses were cleared away after that snack, five children asked […]
“How old you is?” Henry asked, pointing his chubby finger in the woman’s face. It was late afternoon, and we were waiting in the doctor’s office for Rose’s appointment. Henry had wandered up to an unsuspecting stranger while I was distracted with paperwork. As I made my way over to him, I frantically searched my […]
“Do you have a HUSBAND?” Jack barked at the woman who was cutting his hair. She looked uncomfortable, and quietly murmured that no, she was no longer married. “Where did your husband GO?” By the time I made my way over to him, he was asking, “Well, if he’s GONE then what kind of car […]
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 […]