Aplomb. It is one of my favorite words. I remember the exact moment I first encountered it. And was desperate to know its meaning. I was standing on the banks of the Connecticut River. Crew practice had yet to begin, and I had just come from the college post office. I was reading a letter. A letter from a friend at a college hours away. A boy friend. (But not a boyfriend.) A friend of the unrequited angsty, teenage crush variety. We had spent a few years in high school trying to figure out the nature of our relationship, I [...]
Read More in history aka before kids, Jen Writes, motherhood, relationship, three kidsJune 2010
June 25, 2010
Goals.
They used to be much bigger. Write novel. Have baby (or three). Now, to do dishes after dinner I feel achievement unlike any other. I want to strive for more.
Read More in chores, history aka before kids, Jen Writes, motherhood, three kids, writingJune 24, 2010
Summertime !!!
We joined a pool !!! It’s 10 minutes away !!! And all of this came with it…get ready (don’t you just love people’s inane lists?)… 8 tennis courts, 2 ping-pong tables, tetherball, shuffleboard (!), four square, basketball, volleyball, a ginormous waterslide, a baby pool, a playground built on SAND with buckets and shovels and watering cans ALREADY THERE to play with so you don’t have to REMEMBER not to FORGET your own… PLUS? A super-awesome concession-y food area that serves food that I actually don’t mind eating. Hummus and pita platter with fresh veggies? Yes, thank you. Spinach salad with [...]
Read More in !!!, Sarah WritesJune 21, 2010
Delinquent, but very thankful, me.
Dear Everyone Who Has Given Me or One of My Children a Gift During the Past, Oh, Say, Two-and-a-half Years, Thank you. I meant to write a thank-you note. I really did. In fact, I even drafted one. (In my head.) I used to be really very good at thank-you notes. I am a firm believer in thank-you notes. And yet. Somehow, the thank-you note is one of the things that has fallen by the wayside in this life of mine. This life. Of three kids. But, I am grateful for your generosity. Your thoughtfulness. On holidays. And birthdays. Sometimes, [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, motherhood, three kids, unpaid workJune 20, 2010
Loyalty.
I spent this past basketball season becoming a True Celtics Fan. With Sweetie, I watched nearly every televised game, up to and including Game 7 of the finals, the scrappy match against the Lakers that ended the Celts’ season just short of them having achieved the crowning glory of the title. Sweetie is a longstanding Celtics fan, and on game nights we would put the kids to bed and tune in. From pregame to postgame and the halftime analysis in between, I watched and listened beside him, as I have for years. I don’t know why this year was different. [...]
Read More in Dad, history aka before kids, home, Jen Writes, relationship, three kidsJune 18, 2010
Appetite.
I wish we could go back to that first meal we shared together in a small, darkish restaurant. I wish I could watch us From just a few tables away. Would I predict our bright future?
Read More in history aka before kids, Jen Writes, three kidsHappiness comes and goes. I find myself drifting between its drops. One moment feeling the warmth and comfort of its embrace, the next believing I’ll be stuck in a shady place for the rest of my days. In the midst of an anger running so deep I nearly could not contain it, I decided to take an impromptu trip to the beach on Saturday night. We didn’t get there until about 7:00 pm. And showed up without swimsuits or towels or buckets with shovels. We just showed up. We kicked off our shoes. And my boys ran, laughed and played. [...]
Read More in !!!, Sarah WritesJune 16, 2010
Life is a Carousel
I have to stop trying to figure out how to slow it down or make it stop And simply cherish the ride even if I get dizzy more than I’d like
Read More in Sarah WritesJune 14, 2010
All-purpose apology note from my 6-year-old
“I am sorry for that” I received this note on Sunday afternoon, amidst the fallout of a meltdown by my 6-year-old son. He’s written notes of apology before, and in the past he has been a bit more specific in describing why he is “sare.” Whether he anticipates using this note again or he just ran out of room on the piece of paper to go into detail, I’m not sure. But the fact that he writes me notes makes my heart swell a bit, even while I am trying to get under control my own emotional reaction to his [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, motherhood, oldest child, three kids, writingJune 11, 2010
10 Things That Happen at My House Almost Daily
1. Pee on the floor. 2. Coffee delivered to me from my Sweetie, whether I’m in the shower, changing a diaper or still in bed. 3. All three children yelling for me at the same time. (MomMamaMommy! anyone?) 4. Not getting to the phone in time to hear who’s calling. 5. Snacks prepared by me and consumed by my children. 6. Food on the floor (and the walls). 7. More than one child saying, “I love you, Mom(MamaMommy).” 8. Laughing. 9. Laundry. In some form or another. 10. Possibility: Five people living together. Happily. Humbled.* * This last one here [...]
Read More in chores, home, housework, Jen Writes, motherhood, three kidsJune 10, 2010
!!!
(Things that made me happy this week) Remember the dog that eats the food off my floor so I don’t really have to clean? Yup. Still happy about that. • 2YO insisting he drink his yogurt through the straw of his cereal bowl. 7YO grabbing a marker and a scrap of paper to draw a !!! because I was laughing so hard. Laughing = me happy = my kid happy = !!! Simple as that. • Oh, I hope you can see the detail on this one. You might want to click on the picture for an enlargement. 7YO says [...]
Read More in !!!, Sarah WritesJune 9, 2010
Glimpse. Pause. Reflect.
I like this photo because it brings me right back to that trip to Maine, 11 years ago. The trip that Sweetie planned from start to finish. Every detail taken care of. An inn with a huge jacuzzi. Bike trails and a place to rent bikes. Bookstores to explore. I like this photo because just by looking at myself looking out at the water here, adjusting my cap, I also remember the sunset we shared and so many other details of that trip, like the fact that I was still eating fish then, and did, sitting across from my Sweetie, [...]
Read More in Dad, history aka before kids, Jen Writes, relationship, three kidsJune 8, 2010
Mid-Disaster
Max throws a cup at me and screams “I want juice!” Ethan climbs onto the kitchen counter and stands on his tippy toes, rummaging through the snack bin. Jamis says, “Mom, Mom, did you hear me?” for the third time. And then, “I asked you three times.” Excuse me, I think to myself, doesn’t that make for six requests? For the same thing? The phone rings. I answer it. It’s my husband on the line. He needs something, too. I pull Ethan off the counter and walk out of the kitchen, down the hall, trying to find some quiet to [...]
Read More in motherhood, Sarah WritesJune 6, 2010
Vanilla? or Chocolate?
Remember Five for Ten? Well, I haven’t done a whole lot in the bloggy world since then. I’m trying to bounce back. I really am. In the meantime, chocolate or vanilla?
Read More in birthday, Jen Writes, oldest child, three kidsJune 4, 2010
!!!
Last night I wanted to give up. Crawl under the covers and let my mind fall away. The boys pushed every last nerve. Literally. I wrote this on the whiteboard in our office: Apparently I made sure to date it so that I could remember the exact moment I was about to lose it. (Good thing it’s erasable and I didn’t carve it into the bedroom doors, my forehead or worse, my kids’ backsides? I’m sure I’d regret that.) I’m amazed I didn’t put a time-stamp on it, too. If I had to guess, it was probably between 6:00 and [...]
Read More in !!!, Sarah Writes, three kidsJune 2, 2010
Five for Ten: Outstanding Contributions
I know, I know, Five for Ten is officially over, done, vamoose! However, Jen and I really wanted to acknowledge a post from each category that deeply moved us. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get my writing wheels back, but for now, go check out these fine writers and the posts that knocked our socks off. Courage: Whereever Launa Goes–Bon Courage Happiness: Being Rudri–The Pendulum Memory: Two Job Mama–Only the Good Parts. Mostly. Lust: The Miller Mix–Three Lovers Yes: Eva Evolving–Inching Toward Yes
Read More in Sarah Writes