In Celebration of Potatoes
Our local high school Homecoming is fast approaching, so I asked the three oldest who planned to attend. Sam, of course, is all in. Gus, as usual, is on the fence. Mary Claire was an adamant when hell freezes over. “Why don’t you want to go to Homecoming?” I asked. Her answer was swift and […]
Stress Less
On the way home from school yesterday, I was chatting with my three youngest kids about their day, their homework, their evening plans. And this theme kept repeating: “I’m so stressed out. I have so much to do. I’m never going to get it all done. I’m going to be up all night. I’m so […]
All Creatures Great and Small
We just wrapped up a couple of fun, family-filled days in the Windy City. It was our Last Blast of Summer — a little mini get-away before the kids begin the 2014/15 school year. We loaded up the Navigator — with 23 DVDs for our 4-hour trip — and established the ground rules: 1) No […]
From the NICU to the Open Road #TBT
Gus is getting his driver’s permit in two days. His annual NICU reunion takes place in seven more. Six days after that, he’ll be a high school sophomore. Today’s Throwback Thursday post goes all the way back to his fragile beginning, his precarious start, when we measured time in seconds, not days. He serves, always, […]
Sticky Words
I’d begun a fledgling friendship here in our new town. Coffee dates, common interests, laughter, possibility. We were planning a family cook-out together, a pool party. And a short while back, my 15-year-old came home and said my new friend, while driving him home, had called his 17-year-old brother an asshole and a douche. “It […]
Their Father
I was born to a father who chose not to stay, his departure the resounding chorus of my young life… Why not? Why? The lesson I learned from him was this: we can’t wish someone into being who we need them to be. At fourteen, I was gifted with a stepfather who made a different […]
The Significant Now
I’ve been holding out for some divine inspiration lately, a few life-altering insights to share with the world. But the truth is this: I don’t have any. The school year has ended, life is unhurriedly unfurling, and nothing earth-shattering has rocked our existence of late. And you know what? I love it. I am so […]
What I Did On My Summer Vacation
Do kids still write back-to-school essays about their summer adventures? If so, this is what mine will say in August: Nothing. It won’t be entirely true. We’ll do Some Things. We’ll sit by the pool and paddle-boat on the lake. We’ll fish and watch movies and build bonfires and roast marshmallows. We’ll chase the dogs […]
Every Day Is Mothers Day
I woke up this morning with a sore throat and a stuffy nose. Lucy was whining and licking my hand, wanting to be let outside. Once there, she snapped at carpenter bees until she wore herself out and cried to come back in. So began Mothers Day. I called my beautiful Mom, wished her a […]
For Reals
My 13-year-old daughter has a vernacular all her own. She “feels all the feels” and validates her experiences because they’re “for reals.” She punctuates her sentences with acronyms and wild hand gestures and dramatic facial expressions. When she trips on the sidewalk, she asks, “How do you walk?” That particular phrasing carries over into everything […]