Category Archives: parenthood

I wear my heart on my sleeve (except on Valentine’s Day)

I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. I don’t like Valentine’s Day for completely rational reasons, things I know bug other people about the holiday. Sure, I spent many (okay, most) of the Valentine’s Days of years pre-marriage by myself or … Continue reading

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The analog chronicle: one account of daily journaling

When I discovered my little blue book at the stationer’s store in Boston, I fell instantly in love with the daily chronicle. The book–part perpetual calendar and part happiness journal–allotted five lines a day for five years running. I tried … Continue reading

Posted in blogging, everyday life, family, lessons learned, marriage, motherhood, parenthood, personal, writing | 2 Comments

It feels like we just got started….

It’s over. Kindergarten is over. 182 days completely and utterly finished. I should not be surprised. For the last few weeks, my older daughter has counted down the days until her last day of kindergarten. With each pronouncement, though, I secretly … Continue reading

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The days of remembrance colliding

We celebrated my mother’s sixtieth birthday just three weeks before she died. Her death was completely and totally unexpected. And when she was gone, it was not immediate. Her life ended on one day but was not over for another. … Continue reading

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I reject the Mensch on a Bench and you should, too

There are many things about Christmas that perplex me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t love the Christmas season. And I primarily love this most wonderful time of the year because I don’t celebrate Christmas. I have no halls to deck, no … Continue reading

Posted in being jewish, everyday life, family, holidays, kids, parenthood, personal, religion, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

I feel lightness….

I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea about my present state of mind. Re-reading my last few posts–laments on my August slump, my daughter’s first day of school, and my coming career exploration–I just realized that I seem melancholy. On … Continue reading

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What I want to tell my daughter on her first day of school

Baby-girl, You have no idea what’s about to happen. Well, maybe you do. People have been grilling you about your level of enthusiasm over this transition for months, asking you at every opportunity, “Are you going to Kindergarten? Are you … Continue reading

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Sometimes it takes a village, except when it shouldn’t

Last week a story surfaced about a woman in South Carolina, Debra Harrell, who was arrested because she made the conscious choice to let her 9-year-old daughter play in a public park while she went to work. I had already seen … Continue reading

Posted in community, everyday life, family, kids, lessons learned, motherhood, parenthood, personal, vacation, women, work, writing | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Everybody’s free to wear [organic] sunscreen

When a friend casually mentioned the Environmental Working Group’s sunscreen report to me in passing, I should have nodded, smiled, and moved on. Instead, I asked her to share it with me. Like any curious parent, upon clicking open the report, I did … Continue reading

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Fringe benefits of parenting

If I would make a pros and cons list for parenting (and I would never actually do such a thing), I would be able to amply populate both columns. And it would be easy to focus on the negative things happening on … Continue reading

Posted in community, everyday life, family, kids, motherhood, parenthood, personal, summer | Tagged , , | 1 Comment