Our family schedule now allows for exactly two dinners together each week. Two nights a week, I pull out all the stops and turn on the oven. Tonight, we had Dip Dinner. Spinach Artichoke dip, Guacamole, Salsa, Queso. Focaccia, naan, club crackers, and tortilla chips. My young men said, “Wow, Mom. This slaps hard.” (???) […]
My memory-keeper apps brought up this story from a year ago, when we got to know Baby Ben the digital robot, and I had my first go at grandparenting. Tuck was in tenth grade, and he was taking a child development class. He was learning and talking about words like breastfeeding, umbilical cord, placenta, and contractions. […]
The puppies were spayed and neutered yesterday. Molly's was laparoscopic, two small incisions, so she seems to be doing well. Getting around the house, even climbed the steps to greet me today, which she wasn't supposed to do. But dogs will do what they want to see their person. She is wearing a little tank […]
Today makes seventeen halloweens. And I have very little to do with any of it. I'm now the comfy lady who comes to the door and gives out candy. But for the years when I was in charge of costuming, I loved dressing my kids as dynamic duos for Halloween. Mario and Luigi, Buzz and […]
We are at the life stage where the boys come home late at night after a shift at work or a musical theater rehearsal, and then they scrounge the cupboards for evening snacks like Ramen or quesadillas. There is much talk most mornings about the rogue dishes that show up long after the kitchen is […]
I don't know if I've mentioned this recently, but Tuck is in tenth grade. He has far surpassed my height, he drives me all over town, and he bakes dinner at least once a week. He is taking a child development class this semester, and he has been learning and talking about words like breastfeeding, […]
I'm feeling the wonder of autumn tonight. (It's probably because peeling apples makes me feel like a domestic goddess. I should probably dial it down a bit. If I ever fold laundry and peel apples in one week, my pride may swell larger than anyone will be able to stand. That's why I have to […]
Somehow, I have become the mom sitting by the mirrors outside the men's dressing room, while the sons try on jackets, pants, shirts, and vests to wear to Homecoming. More importantly, these guys have become tall enough, broad enough, and particular enough to wear clothes that require a tape measure for specificity and fit. (We […]
I took my children to school today. It felt gloriously normal, like muscles that have ached to be stretched. It's hard to be isolated in eighth and ninth grade. As a friend of mine said, "Once I started ninth grade, my social life was so busy that I pretty much never really came back home." […]
"Mom, I asked her to be my girlfriend. But don't worry - I talked to her dad already." "You asked her dad?" Peter and I exchanged silent glances, since "asking the dad" isn't something we had coached this young man to do. There are a few gifts born from my sons watching my own love […]
Maybe you've seen this story that's circulating on social media: "Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones. But no. Mead said that the first sign […]
"Mom, did you know they make ranch dressing seasoning?" one son says. "I feel like she bought that already," says the other son. "No, not the dressing mix. It's in a shaker. Like parmesan cheese," says one son. "I had a bad experience with ranch dressing," says the other son. "What was it?" "Uncle Rob […]
Looking through some old journals tonight, I found this dialogue from four-year-old Tucker: "Mommy, let's make a train. Tyler will be the engine and I'll be the caboose. You be the track." I wrote: That feels like the very definition of motherhood. All my love to of you "train tracks" out there. I raise […]
A few years ago, I kept things lively with a special treat for the boys each day of spring break. One day, we visited the arcade with a handful of quarters for their glorious spending pleasure. Tuck spent his coins on experiences: virtual motorcycle rides and shooting galleries. Tyler spent his coins and best efforts […]
My son witnessed an assault against a young woman in his P.E. Class. A situation of a young man wielding a hockey stick where it should never, ever go. The school administration handled it well, which is why I feel okay writing about it here. It doesn't need to be rehashed or revisited, but my […]
Just when I thought I knew my role as Baseball Mom, my boys changed their position on the field. They're umpires now. Baseball officials. They make the calls for Little League Games - the littlest of the leagues. Little tiny doll-size players who are eye level with Tucker's belt buckle. A catcher so small and so […]
Creature of wonder, man-child of mine. You look like a puzzling and impossible blend of genetics, of his eyebrows and her nose, a mix of the boy who you have always been and the man you are becoming. You look like the preschooler who lined up his blueberries around the rim of the breakfast plate, […]
Last year at this time, all I really wanted in the world was to turn Forty. You guys, I am here to tell you: dreams do come true. Forty is my new favorite thing. And I just knew it would be. I've given this some thought, and here's the thing. Your twenties are about exploration, […]
We gave the boys new Bibles for Easter, because it was time. They needed to graduate to a version that doesn’t say “Little Boy’s Bible” on the cover or entice them with animated drawings of someone who may or may not look like Jesus or Moses or Daniel or Joshua. The new editions are leather […]
So, let me set the stage. We had just finished a two-day baseball tournament, and we were - all of us - more than a little sun-speckled and exhausted from hours at the baseball park. Seven, to be exact, and I'm usually counting. Tuck was of course the most tired of all, given the constant […]
