"All I want for Mother's Day is a picture of my kids," she told us. Well, that's simple enough. Plus, we had spent a good decade-and-a-half under closely guided training from my dad on how to honor my mom on the days that belonged to her. One of the top rules: if she makes a […]
My father used to give this advice to my sister and me as we were preparing to go out on a date. "Turn. Let me see you," he would say approvingly. "You look beautiful." Then he would add the words he always said before we went out--words that every daughter needs a father to say: […]
So, traditionally speaking, if you get bumped from an airline flight, sometimes you can get two free round-trip tickets as compensation for your inconvenience. And for a while there, my parents had a few trips in the queue because they had volunteered to surrender their seats on a full flight. They had kids in two […]
"I think I'm going to turn forty this summer." "No, you're not," says my mom, who - of all people - can call my bluff. And also she seems startled by my declaration. "I was there when you were born. It wasn't forty years ago." "Almost. Close enough." "Tricia, you're turning thirty-nine." "But how can […]
My mind does funny things when I'm folding laundry. It's like all these little blends of cotton evoke some kind of memory train. In her book, Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult opened with a list of things that can happen in the course of nineteen minutes. Among these, she wants us to see that a high […]
1 Fall from a Swingset 4 Breaks 8 Hospital Visits 1 Surgery 5 Pins 1 Screw 16 stitches 3 Days in the Hospital 1 Wheelchair 2 Knee Scooters 3 Casts 87 Days 87 Nights Finally: Cast Off Day. I wasn't prepared for how emotional this moment would be for me. He stood on two feet, […]
Today marked a great big finish line for us: The First Day of School. #BrokenFootSummer is “over,” and we have entered the broad and beautiful landscapes of third and fourth grade (new striped cast and scooter notwithstanding). Even though I am not a mom who grieves such things, I surprised myself by not doing my […]
My mom left her purse hanging on the back of her chair yesterday at Starbucks. She called the store, they had it, and they tucked it away for safekeeping until she could get back to pick it up. Crisis resolved, though not without some rapid heart palpitations. So when she met me across town for […]
I’m pretty sure I was teetering under the weight of everything I carried into my mom’s house - the carseat, the diaper bag, bottles, milk, binkies, blankets, burp cloths, a page of typed instructions, and finally my newborn baby boy. Aside from my full hands, I carried a heart heavy with heaps of anxieties as […]
We have been sick, every single one of us, with a virus of most ridiculous lasting power. And let me tell you right now, it has crossed my mind that if one of my children asked me one more time, "Mommy, can't we please go out for dinner?" or "Aren't we going to do anything […]
"I just want one good date with Crosby Braverman." "Trish, I don't want you to date Crosby Braverman." "I didn't say I want to date him. I just want to go on one date with him. I know it would be great." "Why not Adam? Why not Joel?" "I would love to have great conversations […]
"Mommy, are Leprechauns real, or do the moms and dads really just do all that stuff?" Okay, two things. First of all, when he says 'all that stuff', I can only assume he's referring to the magical things leprechauns do in the homes of his classmates whose lives are always better than his. On a […]
Well, I officially have my brand new driver's license in hand, which prompts me to tell you the absurd story of how I got it. I'm not especially great about such things as license renewals. I'm sure this surprises you, since I am otherwise so punctual about every other menial detail in my life. (I […]
Driving along in the car with my mom. She's driving. I'm in the front passenger's seat. It's a warm spring day in Colorado. Just painting the scene for you. Because then she casually turned to me and said, "Are you having an affair?" You can imagine I was taken aback by this. I mean, it's a […]
Helen Hunt says something pretty brilliant, and I paraphrase: "The key to humor is find the sensitive, most desperate, ridiculous part of yourself. And then make fun of it." But when you poke fun at your own insecrutiy or weakness, when self-deprecating humor becomes your fluent language, then people can beliveve that's all there is […]
I just want to look at her, in all her shiny redness and promises of a freshly brewed cup in two minutes or less. Keurig, you are my Christmas surprise, and I'm quite smitten. I might name you Katie. Katie Keurig. I have secretly been pining for this crazy invention for a while now. But […]
There was this time? In seventh grade? On Valentine's Day? When my dad picked me up from school in a limousine? And in the spirit of all things seventh grade? I'm speaking in questions? Like we used to do? And now I'll return to being a grown-up who knows other voice inflections. My dad was […]
"Two- to three-day-old eggs make the best meringue. No yolk at all, and use a very clean bowl," says the guest chef on the news this morning, who is teaching us how to make nontraditional pies. All five of us are piled into this hotel room, in a most charming, thankful way. And we're all […]
I have a mild allergy to walnuts. It's not a big deal, not anything near the lethal peanut allergy that scares the living fingernail polish off me. I can't imagine having to go through life with that kind of filter and margin, and yet so many people do. More and more people, actually. Suddenly I'm […]
"Mommy, it just seems like fun isn't really your thing." Well, not everyone has always thought so, kiddo. I'm sorry you get the mom version of me. The sister, friend, love, teacher, companion… she's a fun girl. And if only you knew how much worse this could be for you. Vegetables aren't even on my […]
