Max, do you want your sandwich cut in half? No. Places sandwich on butcher block table and illustrates with large chef’s knife. In half this way? Or diagonal? I don’t want it cut. You want it whole? YES! Pause. Older brother has something to say. (Because when doesn’t he, really?): Max, I like mine cut in half. Ironically it makes me eat faster. Jamis, did you just say “ironically”? Yeah. Why? Oh, I don’t know, because you’re NINE and you used it CORRECTLY! And also, so very many things go faster when you break them in two. Go smoother when [...]
Read More in Sarah Writes, siblings, three kidsNovember 7, 2011
halvsies
October 28, 2011
11:00 a.m. to 11:09 a.m.
Twenty minutes. Twenty things to do. Nineteen of them for other people. One for me. One thing: Write. Not time enough for grand ideas Not time enough for starting anew Not time to revise what’s there Not time to add to it. And so I sit. Nimble fingers, ideas whispering from a tired mind. I tap out a few words. Reminding myself that 20 (nine?) minutes isn’t enough to do 20 things Reminding myself that sitting, thinking, writing even for the briefest, still moment is a sound decision. For me.
Read More in chores, home, Jen Writes, three kids, unpaid work, writingOctober 24, 2011
Clean house. Clear mind.
All weekend I cleaned. All. Weekend. With exception of a few hours on the soccer sidelines Saturday morning, I spent two full days de-cluttering, sorting, sweeping, dusting, washing, organizing, digging out, scrubbing and generally donning rubber gloves, ripped jeans and an old college T-shirt. Our house looks anew. And smells a bit like peppermint castile soap, which I used liberally not just because everything needed washing but because rodents don’t like peppermint. And in the darkest hours of night, the sounds of skittering in our humble abode can be deafening. Especially as the nights are growing colder. I know it [...]
Read More in home, housework, Jen Writes, three kidsOctober 5, 2011
Daily demands
I have a list of things that I wanted to accomplish today. One is crossed off. I have finished half of another (small) task. The rest of the list is untouched. It is 2:20 p.m., which means that I have to leave the house in no more than 30 minutes to go pick up the two older kids. Nothing will get crossed off of my list once all three kids are home. There will be snacks and after school time spent together. I’m only home at this time of day twice each week, and I like to see my kids [...]
Read More in home, Jen Writes, three kids, writingAugust 3, 2011
Everyday. Dreaming.
This morning I have done laundry. And dishes. I have considered the merits of sweeping the floor before lunch. I have gone upstairs to find “my big piggy, mama!” I have given my 2-year-old a big bowl of cherries and helped her wash her face and hands. I have listened to the Wiggles, whose grating voices blare from the red toy guitar that always seems to reappear from the latest place I’ve hidden it. I have had my coffee, and a handful of Ritz crackers. Returned emails. Read the paper. Finished a book. Found a missing sneaker. This was not [...]
Read More in housework, Jen Writes, motherhood, three kids, writingJuly 19, 2011
501 on the coast of South Carolina
The last post, Sarah’s most recent and one of her best, was our 500th here at Momalom. 500. Now that seems worthy of ceremony, even if it’s after the fact. But ceremony is far from our reality right now, here during post 501, because we are on vacation, Sarah and I. With our spouses. And our brother and sister-in-law. And all of our nine combined children (eldest: 8.9; youngest: 2.9). And our mother (Geege!) We are on vacation. And we are having fun. Swim, snack, rinse, nap, repeat. Sarah’s husband has certain bartending abilities, and he sent me to [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, siblings, special occasions, three kids, three kids (six kids)July 10, 2011
10 minutes on a Sunday morning
Sunday morning, and the day stretches out before me in that proverbial way a day does when there’s nothing planned and only one parent home and three kids walking aimlessly through the house. Run-on sentences fill my head. There are the things that I could do: Laundry. Dishes. Get down on the floor and play with the kids. There are the things that I want to do: Sit on the porch with a cup of coffee and gaze up at the trees. Watch the cardinal couple flirting. Prepare for the day by preparing words for the page. There are the [...]
Read More in home, Jen Writes, motherhood, three kids, writingMay 5, 2011
Wheels turning
I get in the car and start driving And my brain awakens to the ideas it’s been holding back Amidst the morning needs of getting out the door Helping to get others out the door. I drive and I think and my awakened synapses fire (is that the terminology? is that the science of it?) Ideas come from every direction demanding my attention And I try to keep my focus on the road Without losing sight of the creativity that sustains me That demands my time and my dedication and my patience The same needs that so often are taken [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, motherhood, three kids, writingApril 25, 2011
Posted
My son has posted hours outside his bedroom door. Although I’m fairly sure these correlate to the game of library that all three kids were playing earlier today, I can’t help but let my imagination get the best of me. Perhaps these hours could be the time he spends alone in his room, entertaining himself? Perhaps they could refer to time spent getting along (continuously) with his siblings. Perhaps these spans of time could be ones that the two of us could spend together, with no attitude (him) or impatience (me). Upon closer consideration, of course, none of [...]
Read More in home, Jen Writes, oldest childSarah: Dude. What’s the secret to banana bread? We shall discuss via phone. :) [Phone rings. Sarah to Jen.] Jen: Dude. The secret to banana bread is to use real butter. Sarah: I used real butter. It never cooks through all the way. I have to keep putting it in the oven for five more minutes. And then I worry that it’s going to get DRY. Jen: Did you use the Bittman recipe? Sarah: I did. Jen: I noticed when I was there last week that your oven cooks unevenly. But you do need to cook it until the top [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, sistersMarch 13, 2011
Two years of Momalom—Numbers, words
In exactly two years of blogging, Sarah and I have published 464 posts. Comments on the site total 8,757–a quarter or so are responses by the two of us. According to Statcounter, we have received 98,854 hits since we started using the service. And although I know that the total already has surpassed 100,000, it seems a celebratory milestone, to be reached in the next few days. We have nearly 300 Feedburner subscribers and 199 Facebook fans. On Twitter, Sarah (Momalom) has 1,122 followers and is listed 59 times. I (Momalomjen) have 959 followers and am listed 61 times. This [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, sisters, three kids, three kids (six kids), writingMarch 2, 2011
Sick duty
There’s nothing like a vomiting kid to make you face your mothering duties head on. All at once and in full force there is someone to comfort. And laundry to do. And a floor to mop. And a wall to wash down. There’s the quick trip to the supermarket for ginger ale and saltines. And snuggling in bed watching Diary of a Wimpy Kid, checked out of the library on a whim a few days ago. E-mail goes unanswered. Ditto the telephone. My hands to the forehead and upper back of my oldest boy instead of on the keyboard. I [...]
Read More in health, Jen Writes, oldest child, three kidsFebruary 23, 2011
This is My Life: But I won’t let it bother me
1. Laundry (Duh.) 2. Dishes 3. Surly children. 4. Messy bedrooms (and bathrooms, and living room, and dining room…) 5. My son’s CONSTANT motion (and subsequent spills, explosions, etc.) 6. My older daughter’s eye rolls. (See #3) 7. Bed wetting. (See #1) 8. “What are we having for dinner?” 9. Not knowing what we’re having for dinner. 9. Diaper changes–going on seven years straight. 10. The feeling, all the time, that I am needed everywhere. (See #1-9)
Read More in chores, housework, Jen Writes, middle child, oldest child, three kidsFebruary 20, 2011
Weathering the present
I have just about had enough of winter. On the eve of what is predicted to be a “quick storm,” resulting in four to six more inches of snow on our already blanketed yard, the magic of the glistening white branches is over for me. I want to be able to open my back door and send the kids outside without having to bundle them up or respond to snow up the sleeve, down the collar, in the boot. I want to be able to clean my house–yes, I just said that–without people underfoot everywhere I go (undoing my work [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, three kidsOctober 4, 2010
Success simplified.
How do you measure success? It’s an old question, I know. Unoriginal. Visited by most. But. It’s worth asking, I think. If I measured success by my bank account balance, I’d be an utter failure. Or, if I measured by the cleanliness of my house. (I’m laughing now, for I am incapable of keeping our home neat, tidy, organized or, quite frankly, clean.) Other measurements that may result in my failure to succeed: I do not live in a large house. We do not have a landscaped yard with perfect lawn. We do not have the latest technological gadgets. We [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, relationship, three kidsSeptember 19, 2010
“Son, when can you ever stop asking me questions?”
I have come to dread a certain kind of question, inevitably posed by my oldest—my 6-year-old impatient inquisitive son. I offer a recent smattering: “Mom, when can we go to the park?” “Mom, when can you change the batteries in my helicopter?” “Mom, when can you help me find my socks?” “Mom, when can we ever go to the park?” “Mom, when can you change the batteries in my walkie talkie?” “Mom, when can I have a snack?” “Mom, when can I have a playdate with Sam again?” “Mom, when can you help me with my Legos?” “Mom, when can [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, motherhood, oldest child, three kidsSeptember 16, 2010
Intentional Happiness Virgin
Until now, Intentional Happiness has been Sarah’s realm. But, well, she’s super busy being the super designer that she is. Just this week, she finished another fabulous site makeover. (Check out Never-True Tales). And, since she’s preparing for her third-annual Reach the Beach roadrelayforcrazypeoplethingy, I offered to share some of my own happiness today. Here goes: My two older kids have cameras, courtesy of GG. They use them frequently. They sneak up on me and click lovely shots (that I could have deleted upon downloading their images, mind you). They do a house-wide study in still life. They take beautiful [...]
Read More in !!!, home, Jen Writes, middle child, motherhood, oldest child, three kidsSeptember 8, 2010
I lost my internal compass again
It’s happening. That summer ending thing. That school starting thing. Those new beginnings. Time presses on and I stumble to catch up. Every season. I’m looking through pictures of my boys. Of summer. I’m nostalgic before a season has even completely passed. How can this be? The pictures arm me with goodness and light. They shower me with feelings of happiness and erase that sinking feeling of guilt that I am failing them, that I don’t enjoy them enough, that I’m not appreciating how quickly it all passes. I’m stuck in between the seasons. The sun still beating down and [...]
Read More in Sarah WritesAugust 2, 2010
A Successful Vacation
Today is Monday. Last Monday I was at the “big” library, scouring the shelves for new audiobooks for my big boy. Choosing my “baby’s” first book to be taken out. Advising my 4-year-old on which Madeleine video to select. It was a warm and sunny summer day. Perfect for a trip downtown. A smoothie. A day of whim. For 10 days I enjoyed such whim. I got out of bed—one day early, one day late, the rest at the usual time—and faced each day with no grand plans. It was a vacation in the true sense of the word. Except [...]
Read More in home, Jen Writes, motherhood, three kids, three kids (six kids)July 28, 2010
Babydoll on the clothesline
The girls are still asleep The boys, awake I sit at my desk and glance out the window at our green backyard Bubbles of sunlight slipping through the leaves of the lush maple trees floating and settling on the too-long green grass There’s a babydoll on the clothesline because yesterday she got dirty in the sandbox and then my not-yet-2-year-old took her into the bathroom and washed her in the sink How can one child be such a do-er And one of her older siblings be so distraught over doing? I sit and I look outside and I ponder questions [...]
Read More in home, Jen Writes, motherhood, oldest child, three kids, writingJuly 24, 2010
This is My Life: Laundry quandry
Almost every day is laundry day. Especially in the summer time, because we hang all of our laundry to dry. So today, I put out a load of towels before we went on a few errands. (Farmer’s Market; Trader Joes.) When we returned, a few hours later, the sun was shining and the towels were dry. I went upstairs to put the littlest one down for her nap, and when I came downstairs the skies were gray and rain was pouring down. Question: Do I rewash the towels or just let them (re)dry and pretend the brief rainstorm never happened [...]
Read More in chores, housework, Jen Writes, unpaid workJuly 23, 2010
Together (inevitably)
July 19, 2010
On my mind last week.
I couldn’t seem to pull it together last week. I kept trying to write, but I was having trouble staying focused. I think I have too much on my mind lately. Here’s a few of the things that I dwelled on long enough to jot down as ideas but that never quite made it any farther than a sentence or two in post form: It is a foregone conclusion that the needs of a certain child in my household always seem to come before everyone elses, regardless of the circumstances. Why did I dream of an explosion leaping out of [...]
Read More in home, Jen Writes, three kids, unpaid work, writingYou are young. So you know everything. You leap into the boat and begin rowing. But, listen to me. Without fanfare, without embarrassment, without any doubt, I talk directly to your soul. Listen to me. Lift the oars from the water, let your arms rest, and your heart, and heart’s little intelligence, and listen to me. There is life without love. It is not worth a bent penny, or a scuffed shoe. It is not worth the body of a dead dog nine days unburied. When you hear, a mile away and still out of sight, the churn of the [...]
Read More in history aka before kids, Jen Writes, mind/body, motherhood, three kids, writingJuly 5, 2010
green sweatshirt
I folded laundry last night and picked up the green, hooded sweatshirt the one that zips up the front, isn’t too cushy, and has highlighted both the blue and brown eyes of my two youngest boys I think it’s days are numbered this favorite piece of clothing and yet I am not ready to pack it away in the attic graveyard Then I remembered all the times yesterday I said something like this “It’ll be easier when they are all older. When they are all 5 and up.” I’m pushing and pulling at time all at once thinking of time [...]
Read More in Sarah Writes, three kidsJune 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 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 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 kidsMay 18, 2010
A day of Yes
Yes I’ll make cinnamon-chip muffins Yes we have Daddy juice Yes you can wear shorts today Yes there are clean socks in the laundry basket in my room Yes you have PE today (so wear your sneakers, too) Yes I’ll pack yogurt in your lunch Yes I’ll pack a granola bar in your snack Yes it’s my turn to drive you to school today Yes you have to brush your teeth Yes I’m picking you up from school, too Yes your friend M can come over to play Yes I’ll make popcorn Yes you can jump on the (neighbor’s) trampoline [...]
Read More in home, Jen Writes, motherhood, oldest child, three kidsMay 8, 2010
Popsicles and the parade that wasn’t: Revisited
As we’re gearing up for Five for Ten, I’ve decided to repost some oldies this week. Need a refresher on Five for Ten? Just go hang out in the sidebar over there. You can find the rules and our topics and even link up! I’ll see you back here on the 10th! ********** The Three Popsicle Day (originally published May 23, 2009) We don’t go on too many weekend family outings, because on the days that I am home, J works (and vice versa). So this morning, when I was standing in the center of our little town at 9:56 [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, motherhood, repost, three kidsApril 15, 2010
On being present and how it’s often the hardest thing to do not WHEN you’re a mother but BECAUSE of it
Just a thought (and then I’m sure Jen will post something a little more put-together later on): I sometimes wish there weren’t such an emphasis on being present. I feel an enormous amount of pressure to enjoy the moments with my kids. And so often I feel like it’s just impossible. Not because of me, but because of the management of life. It is gorgeous outside right now. The sun is shining its late-afternoon glow. The boys are alternating between snacking and drinking and bouncing on the trampoline. They wander in and out of the house looking for me, needing [...]
Read More in motherhood, Sarah WritesApril 9, 2010
This Is My Life? Peace and Quiet
E is napping. (Almost four hours so far!) B is at a friend’s house apres school. S is helping me clean, REALLY clean. It is quiet. And peaceful. And productive around here. Is this really my life? I am savoring it. I know there may be only minutes–or just seconds, even–left.
Read More in chores, home, housework, Jen Writes, motherhood, three kidsApril 7, 2010
Top Tips: A Sampling
There are things we all wished we’d known before we had kids. Things we wish other mothers had told us about. Things beyond “Sleep when the baby sleeps.” Things like, sometimes squeezing in a shower is an accomplishment more satisfying than your greatest professional achievement. So, we’ve decided to offer up some tips of our own. A brief glimpse at the many things we’ve learned since becoming moms–in most cases since becoming moms of three. Here’s what we have for you this time, in no particular order at all: 1. Say Yes to your kids as often as you can. [...]
Read More in home, Jen Writes, motherhood, Sarah Writes, three kidsMarch 18, 2010
This is My Life: Sunbathing
Don’t be alarmed. It is not ME who is sunbathing. But on this nice, sunny day, a dear member of the family enjoyed the day in the sun (after a thorough spin in the washing machine). Ah, spring.
Read More in Jen Writes, three kidsMarch 15, 2010
Struggling for time
Loud music. And 23 minutes on the dinner timer. Means I have time to sit down at my computer for a moment. Should I be with the rest of the family? Together in the other room. Enjoying the loud music, even louder in there. I am torn. I can actually feel the internal pulling. The I Shoulds: Family. I should be enjoying this time with them. Dancing. Goofing around. Singing to loud music. Taking in their smiles and their little bodies moving freely. Against. The I Wants: Time. Time is what I want. Time to form a complete thought and [...]
Read More in home, Jen Writes, motherhood, three kids, writingMarch 9, 2010
Last Saturday
A family breakfast of crepes and scrambled eggs. Grapefruit and coffee. A walk to the library to return books and take out videos. Lunch together. A houseful of blankets washed and hung to dry on the clothesline, drooping from a winter of ice and snow. A bike ride for B, S and Sweetie; a long nap for E; and reading on the porch for me. Catching up with neighbors after months of a housebound season. PJs before dinner, which has been cooking all day in the Crock-Pot, filling the house with the aromas of Indian spices. *** I came to [...]
Read More in home, Jen Writes, motherhood, three kidsFebruary 27, 2010
This is My Life: Short-Order Cook
“Mom, for breakfast can I have French toast, a sunny side up egg and a sunny side down egg?” I’d have included a photo here, but the meal was devoured before I could locate my camera.
Read More in home, Jen Writes, oldest childFebruary 23, 2010
Thank Yous
THANK YOU To the Cheerio fairy, who showed up on my deck a few weeks ago with a box for B’s upcoming school party. To the parents of B’s friend, who drive him to and from school more than I do. To the parents of S’s friend. (See above re: school.) To dear friends who came to dinner and brought with them not only a gorgeous and tasty salad but truth and honesty and humor and comfort that Sweetie and I are not alone in this parenting gig. To all of the people who are helping to show my children [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, three kidsFebruary 17, 2010
This is my life: Food Before Blog
Although I am tinkering with about 12 different posts right now–both on-screen and in-mind–I thought I’d send out a little something to whet your whistle. Reason No. 29 why I haven’t written a new blog post in nearly a week: I went away for the weekend and left my kids in the hands of Fabulous-Babysitter-Kelsey and Rockin’-Mama-Geege. You want to know what else I left in their hands? Bio-hazardous waste masquerading as edibles in my refrigerator. In between thinking about, procrastinating, and actually DOING the packing for my weekend getaway, cleaning out the fridge was overlooked. Upon returning from the [...]
Read More in chores, Sarah Writes, three kidsFebruary 9, 2010
This is my life: Kitchen Help = Anemic Carrot
“Mama, Can I help you?” “Sure, honey, do you want to peel the carrot?” “OK!” And on that note, there’s still time to participate in Love it Up. Write a love letter. Make it racy. Passionate. Gooey. While your kids are making their Valentine’s for classmates this week, sit beside them and draft something LOVEly. Then, link it here!
Read More in Jen Writes, oldest childFebruary 7, 2010
A Short Love Letter to My Sweetie
Dear Sweetie, Twelve years ago I chose you. Every day since I have chosen you. It is the easiest choice I have ever made. And I will make it again and again. All my love, Me
Read More in history aka before kids, Jen Writes, relationship, three kidsFebruary 6, 2010
There comes a time when the yelling has to stop
I rocked my 7-year-old boy in my arms, his long body hanging off mine, flowing onto the white down comforter and the well-worn green flannel sheets that wrapped the mattress of my own childhood bed. How can he be so big? It’s not fair that I can’t curl him into me anymore. I sat and held him while he sobbed. I felt the release of his cares and his worry–his constant awareness of the expectations he can never seem to meet. Our expectations. “The little boys take a lot of work, don’t they?” I asked. “Yeah,” he muttered. “It’s crazy [...]
Read More in oldest child, Sarah Writes, three kidsJanuary 29, 2010
I am (finally?) the person everybody wants to be around
My 1-year-old stands beside the couch patting the cushion, motioning me to sit down instead of pick up old pretzel chunks from the floor. And if I sit she will heft her solid little body up next to me, crawl on top of me, and stay. (For about 10 seconds.) My 5-year-old waits. Waits. Playing with a truck. Or sitting on his bed rubbing Theo’s ear. I don’t know. But he waits. For me to turn off the shower. And before I can reach for a towel I hear, “Mama? Mom?” My 4-year-old asks if I will “suggle” with her [...]
Read More in home, Jen Writes, motherhood, three kids, unpaid workJanuary 20, 2010
This is my life: Two hours at a time
Sarah and I thought we’d start a new series. Simple pieces and/or photos that just tell it like it is. The basic day-to-day of having three kids. Straightforward and less about the emotional part of mothering every now and then. We’ve decided to call it This is My Life. So, here goes my first attempt: My days are divided into two-hour blocks, which go something like this. 6:30 a.m. Wake up 8:30 a.m. Out the door to drop off B and S at school 9:30 a.m. Home from drop off 11:30 a.m. Out the door to pick up S 12:30 [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, motherhood, three kids, unpaid workJanuary 18, 2010
Perspective
Max is two. Officially. But almost-nearly-not-quite three. He has a bump on his tummy next to his navel. It comes and goes, protruding a barely noticeable amount one day and becoming an alarming size the next. We don’t know what it is. The doctor doesn’t know what it is. And in common terms, it’s freaking me out! _______________________ My car broke down last week. I was driving along and then I wasn’t. And then I was stuck at home, or was I? The kids went off to school and dayhome and I was left to a house full of laundry [...]
Read More in Sarah Writes, three kidsJanuary 4, 2010
Sometimes you have to just let them fend for themselves
The kids, I mean. Your kids. The ones who are constantly underfoot. Asking for something. A snack. Help. A story. A solution to their everpresent boredom. But sometimes you just have to let them fend for themselves. You have to let them fight, keeping an ear out for bloodshed but otherwise staying out of it. Sometimes you just have to make the decision to get something done. So you find the hammer and level. And the picture hangers. And you dust off the photos you’ve been meaning to hang for months. And some, for years. And you just go for [...]
Read More in history aka before kids, home, housework, Jen Writes, motherhood, three kidsNovember 27, 2009
Out of the closet and into the heart
I spent much of the day cleaning out and organizing closets. Going through bins. Throwing out dried up Play-Doh and tempera paint. Sweeping up mouse poop. Putting all of the unused batteries into one box. And uncovering TREASURES. TREASURES, people. Treasures. I found 12-year-old e-mails between me and Sarah. I found letters Sarah wrote to me while I was at camp—in 1984. Also, handwritten letters she sent to me at college, when Sarah was not yet a teenager, with the return address of “Barftown, USA.” Oh, how I wish I had a scanner. There is a drawing of a sad [...]
Read More in Jen Writes, three kidsJuly 26, 2009
Post-Vacation Blues
Real life. Dishes that have become more than just necessity. Naptimes that are more than just convenient. Rules that have reappeared. Sighs that are heavier, deeper and more frequent. Dinner plans. Tomorrow’s schedule. Work. Bills. Day-to-Day. I never thought I’d have the inclination to unplug from my life as much as I did while we were in Vermont. I’m sure that a very large part of my disconnect from the virtual world was the fact that I cracked the screen of my Macbook the night before we left. I was at the mercy of Dan’s PC: typing is not quite [...]
Read More in Sarah WritesJuly 21, 2009
Zen Update
Here’s the brief vacation update: Eleven children run around – in and out of bathing suits, rotating nap schedules and snack choices, amusing us and exhausting us – all at the same time. There are five little bodies sleeping in a tent on a small patch of grass just above the sandy beach of the lake. I am sitting on the porch listening to the waves and watching a skunk slink past us and move right around the tent. My mother is quite concerned the little beast will spray and we’ll be in a smelt-skunk funk for the rest of the [...]
Read More in Sarah WritesJune 23, 2009
Just another day
Every day is a new day, and yet the same in some way. Some often truly annoying way. Max wakes up at 6:00 or 6:30 or, these days, 5:30. He comes to our room, his arms full with his fuzzy blue blanket and his doggie. He crawls in our bed. He says “Wake UP!” a whole bunch of times. One of us struggles to put Noggin on – something, anything to keep the beast tame just a little bit longer. We went to bed too late. Sometimes by choice, sometimes not. Me: by choice. Dan: fifty/fifty. The little shit can’t [...]
Read More in Sarah Writes, three kids