Right after I finished college, armed with a degree in Cultural Anthropology and a lingering travel bug, I got a job teaching English in Singapore. It was a great opportunity to try out teaching and a fabulous launching pad from which to explore Southeast Asia (not to mention four national religions translates to a lot […]
Tag: kids
Finding Jewels in a Sandbox
Every other week or so, my daughter, LC, comes homes from preschool clutching an envelope containing a handful of colorful sequins and plastic rhinestones. This means the “Jewel Fairy” has recently visited her preschool, sprinkling jewels in their sandbox area. Often on these special days when I come to pick her up, I’ll find a […]
Potty Talk: Lessons from Toilet Training
The other day, an acquaintance asked me how I was doing. I found myself unloading (no pun intended) about the trials and tribulations of potty training for several minutes. I could hear myself rattle on and on about potty training…like I was floating above myself watching this unfold but couldn’t. manage. to. stop. This poor […]
Stop editing. Start dreaming.
Several months ago, during our evening ride home, I asked my four-year-old son what career he wanted when he grew up. As soon as I was home, I had to capture what he told me. Here’s his list (and I may have missed a few!): -Discovering new dinosaur bones -Teaching kids how to read and […]
Imagining the Splits
I’ve been doing some form of yoga or pilates to varying levels of intensity and regularity for the past 20 years, but one thing has remained constant: I’ve never been able to do the splits. I’ve never been close. In fact, it makes me laugh to even imagine myself doing the splits. Sometime I […]
Creating Happy Meals (the kind that don’t come with a plastic toy)
Being a mom had caught up with me. My kids and a demanding job were consuming every ounce of energy I had. And while weaning my daughter, I had developed what I thought was a sensitivity to gluten (but I didn’t actually have time to figure out.) I knew I was consuming more refined sugar […]
Smelling the Roses, Discovering the Figs
The other morning, my husband and I looked outside our kitchen window and noticed fruit growing on one of the trees. We moved into this house over 6 months ago and just realized we have a fig tree! Life feels like that for me recently. If I give myself the space to watch and […]
Notes To My Post-Partum Self
The other evening, I was looking for a photo on my computer and got stuck on a trip down memory lane, flipping through photos of our family over the last few years. Since my kids are a little more than two years apart, a lot of my recollection of that first year with baby #2 […]
Our Friend Peen
My son, Robot, (I’ll be using my kids’ nicknames in this blog) has a friend named Peen. Yes, Peen. Don’t ask me about the origin of the name. Peen is a globetrotter. He’s lived everywhere it seems: Mars, China, Portland, Washington, San Jose, and some place called “Peenum”. He is the fastest human alive. Also, […]
Invoking the Jolly Green Giant and Other Tricks: Getting My Kids to Eat Green Stuff
During this magical time of year when we’re assaulted by rich foods and sweet treats, I’m trying to balance out the cookies and eggnog in my house with foods that have actual color and crunch. My kids adore fruit, but vegetables are another story. Here are a few tricks that have worked for me to […]
Alphabet Scramble 