Being a good parent sometimes requires a bit of trickery. I’m not just talking about Santa or the Tooth Fairy. I’m talking about strategizing. I have learned that scheming is a helpful skill to add to my bag of tricks. Sometimes, you need to outsmart these little whippersnappers by any means necessary. This past week, […]
Oh my God, was I in love with the show My So-Called Life! I loved everything about it. I loved the angst and the smart-girl lead character. I loved her bright red hair and Jordan Catalano, her gorgeous, mysterious kind-of-boyfriend-kind-of-not. And, of course, I loved all of the talking. Oh, the talking! I think what I liked […]
My mother is an odd mix of proud, lippy liberal and sweet, non-confrontational Catholic girl from North Dakota. She spent years telling us to be kind, listen to our elders, say please and thank you and not step on others’ toes. She worked up to a swear word the way a pitcher winds up for a […]
I am thinking about love lately. I am remembering those heady, all-encompassing days of new love. When he is all you can think about and that flutter in your gut dances each time you see him. When your mind is stuffed with thoughts of that person and your breath seems hooked to every remembrance of […]
Life is a busy, flowing stream. Things come up and they seem so very important. We promise ourselves to follow up or to follow through on things and then the river of time takes its course and those promises fade away. Oh right … we think. I meant to do that, didn’t I? Something has been gnawing at me, though. […]
I am but one of the many voices joined in chorus each year at this time to bitch about this day. It is a manufactured holiday. It is a corporate scam created to get us to spend more money. It is a vast canyon of hurt for those who are alone or nursing a broken […]
If you asked my kids what phrases I use most, one of them would definitely be, “I don’t raise spoiled boys!” I use it all of the time. I am rooted in the Midwest and it’s hard not to sound like a Garrison Keillor knock-off when I talk about it but it definitely informs […]
I heard Emmett yelling for me in the middle of the night last night. He called and asked me to snuggle him. He’s 8 now and rarely wakes up during the night. It’s rarer still for him to ask me to snuggle him. I thought he just wanted to cuddle because he couldn’t sleep. I […]
Being a mother imbues us with certain capabilities. Some are immediate. You grow someone else inside of you. You produce life-giving milk. Others come quickly after a child arrives. You can tell your baby’s cry from another’s. You know what each different cry means. My mother had her powers down well. I remember she could […]
As most of you who know me or have spent any time reading this blog realize, I am not burdened by the constraints of perfectionism. I do not spend time fretting over details. This is, at times, wonderful and, at times, not so helpful. C’est la vie. But I found it odd that just after […]
Play, Early Education and more...
Living the writer's life in Seattle
I'm constantly running after my toddler Ale (Á-le). I'm out of breath and having the best time!
Ma Swell Vie 