There are details that I specifically remember about the day of Finn's birth. First, I remember going to Hanover to a "get your baby seat properly fitted" event hosted by the police department. Then to Trader Joe's, where I realized I didn't feel quite right and went in the bathroom and cried because I was terrifically afraid. After I came out, Paul bought me sparkling pink lemonade and it made me momentarily happy. Then I went home and painted the guest room for hours on end. The color was Ribbon Pink and it was the palest, prettiest shade of pink... Continue reading

Why, teaching Winnie to swim, of course ... Continue reading

I say this repeatedly: I thought you got one timid, mild-mannered kid and one off-the-wall, crazy one. How come I got two crazies? As Finn likes to say these days (repeatedly and about anything), "It's not fair." Piper is a lovely little girl. Cherubic face, rosebud lips, deep chocolate brown eyes, white blond wispy pigtails .... and her favorite term of endearment? "I'll pop you in the chops!" And she will. She headbutts too. She is particularly fond of potty talk, she slams doors, bites (only when truly provoked), stamps her feet, balls her fists, punches, pulls hair, and teases... Continue reading

There are friends that we all have whom you can go years without seeing and then when you finally come together it's as if no time has passed at all. This past weekend, I attended the wedding of a dear friend that fits that description to a tee. Rewind to 1980 ... It's a beautiful, sunshiny day and I'm playing at the beach, the beach I go to everyday, when I notice something is different than most days. There's a new girl down by the edge of the water and she looks about my age, so we meet in the... Continue reading

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So, I am reading this book called The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (if you click on the supplied link, you'll be directed to an excerpt of the book on NPR.org). I picked it up at the library in the .50 section based on 1) the cover art (always very telling, I think) and 2) the author/periodical praise (I like it when I know/respect the authors who liked the book). Then there's the question, why do I purchase books at the library when it is just as easy to borrow them? For some reason, I take comfort in... Continue reading

I read this recently in one of my cookbooks and believe it's truly worth sharing: "Lilly remembers when: We all smoked and/or drank, took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing and didn't get tested for diabetes while carrying the little darlings. We painted their cribs with bright lead-based paints. There were no child-proof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets. There were also no bike helmets, seat-belts or airbags. The kids would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as they were back when the streetlights came on. There were no PlayStations, video games, cable TV, cell... Continue reading

I lost my child at the Magic Show this morning. For real. This one, to be exact: We went to see the kid magician, Mike Bent, at Memorial Hall in Plymouth. We met friends; we watched the show (it was pretty good, actually); we got our stuff together to leave and POOF ... Piper vanished. The row of seats where the cute little two year old stood displaying her disdain for coat-wearing was empty in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Now, that's magic. And not the fun kind. With the help of a few other pairs of... Continue reading

Gingerbread-Apple Pancakes from Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook 3 c whole-wheat flour 4 t baking powder 2 t cinnamon 1 t allspice 3 eggs, lightly beaten 11/2 c low-fat milk 1/2 c plus one T molasses 1 t vanilla extract 1 T vegetable oil 2 T applesauce 1 small apple, peeled, grated, and drained (by pressing in a colander) 1 t freshly grated orange zest In a bowl, whisk together first four ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour the liquid over the flour mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet over med. low... Continue reading

Is whining learned or inherited? I am wondering if I happen to whine a lot. My children whine. From whence did this horrible trait originate? Piper just approached me with Blue Ranger in her hand saying, "His shoes are not right. I can't fix him. Can you fix him?" You now have to just imagine the high-pitched, plaintive "moany" voice accompanying the request. This has been going on since shortly after she was untimely awoken from her nap. Every word out of her mouth is sing-song-y ... only to a tune that NO ONE wants to hear. Ugh. I can't... Continue reading

So, the entire month of December has passed, as well as half of January. The much awaited, most touted holidays of the year have come and gone. The kids got so many gifts, I could probably put them away for their birthdays and they'd never know they were opening them for a second time. I can say, with a long cleansing breath, that I am wholly relieved to have the holidays behind me. Done and done. What a crazy month. Time literally flew. I can see myself standing in the kitchen watching Finn hang his red and green holiday chain... Continue reading

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My mother likes to reiterate the statement her grandmother used to make regarding parenting young children; "Remember, these are the best days of your life." She says it in a taunting kind of way; always with a big patronizing smile. Today, I decided I needed a break from chasing the dog around the house, prying his jaw open, and forcibly removing the plastic pony, army man, dental floss, tissue, diaper, or whatever it is he's stolen and wedged himself under the couch to enjoy. I'm still on poop patrol as well, so I crated him. How was I to know... Continue reading

Because I'm feeling particularly cranky .... I can't stand the following - Other people's mouth noises The words "portion" and "moist" When people refer to deli selections as "meats and cheeses" The term "comfort food" Unpolished shoes Food in people's teeth Looking too closely at other people's scalps Thinking about other people's fastidiousness regarding personal hygiene Handling slippery food People who spit The word "snack" preceded with "may I have a" Whining Barking Chewing Scratching Fast food Animals getting into the trash People who grind their teeth Excessive pulp Thick fingers When the dog eats his own hair Ring around... Continue reading

Words uttered by my son last night ... "The world is a jerk. I'm serious. The world is a total IDIOT!" How does he know this already? He's five. How does he have a sense of the human condition at such an early age? How does he recognize the blatant existential obstacles that prevent one from living a passionate, sincere and authentic life? There is such a clear parallel here: Sartre's "Hell is other people," and Finn's "The world is a jerk." He's philosophically advanced, I think. ... Or, he might have just been angry because his friend launched his... Continue reading

I just put Finn to bed. It's a little late, but we had extenuating circumstances today. I was reading Goosebumps - The Werewolf of Swamp Fever Part I and I noticed his breathing had evened out and he wasn't commenting or asking questions anymore. He was asleep. The purplish veins in his eyelids were totally visible and almost accentuated in his sleeping state thus emphasizing his vulnerability. This little guy is my responsibility. My soul purpose is to take care of him and make him the happiest, most secure little guy alive. Something terrible happened earlier today that could have... Continue reading

I forgot that there was something so adorable that I wanted to share from over a week ago already. Last weekend, Paul and I took the kids to the beach in the AM to fish and eat donuts at Green Harbor in Marshfield. It was a gorgeous morning. The sun was shining. There were donuts and coffee. As we walked down the path to the beach, we saw that there was some unusual activity ... something was going on. There were chairs being set up and there were two women, working against the wind, trying to arrange urns full of... Continue reading

Just for fun ... Continue reading

Alright, so, I haven't been around for a couple days. Piper is just not responding well to her new toddler bed. I felt mildly encouraged last night when she fell asleep in her dinner plate and was easily transferable from table to bed. But a couple hours later, just as we were ready to call it a night, we heard the dreaded little thump thump thump of tiny feet on the stairs. There she was in the doorway, looking impossibly adorable in her little nightgown, smiling a huge smile and rubbing her eyes at the same time. Melt melt melt.... Continue reading

Instead of trying to recreate what I spent a good part of the morning writing and about a second deleting, I will provide a quick rundown of events beginning at 4:45 AM. 1) Piper wakes, calls for me, and insists I share her toddler bed with her to help get her back to sleep. 2) I tiptoe back to my room with optimistic thoughts of going back to sleep for a couple hours. 3) Piper wakes, calls for me, and insists I sleep next to her bed so she can hang her hand over the edge and twirl my hair.... Continue reading

Just for fun on a Friday afternoon ... Continue reading