Pants and Undies that Fall Down Every Five Minutes, Part II
It’s not just that, halfway out the door to my first yoga class, I run back inside to pee, and end up spotting a little blemish on my chin, and by spotting I mean, of course, picking and squeezing, until my whole face is swollen and blotchy, like I have the mumps crossed with the [...]
It’s Not Good-bye — It’s Bon Appetit!
It’s what they call one of those days. It is. Everything is fine, and nothing is, and I have an image of myself as the mother sitting with her children in a sunny room, everyone working peacefully on a quiet little sewing project, a quiet little pencil drawing, and sometimes my life is just like that, [...]
Why Ask Why?
Maybe it’s the heat wave that’s softening our brains, but there’s been an epidemic of Ghastly Explanations around here. And it’s funny, because just recently in some parenting book or magazine, I was reading a little passage about how to answer young children’s questions: simply, that’s how — more “The sun shines to keep people and [...]
For the Love of Four
Birdy wakes up cranky. She groans inaudibly into the pillow and I can’t see her face. “What is it, my love?” I ask, and she grunts, “Put my socks on.” “Okay, you fierce thing,” I say, and she makes a sound like “Nnnnng” that I’m guessing means — ironically — “I am not a fierce thing.” [...]
On the Fairness of Brothers, Bugs, and Balloons
It occurred to me recently that I’m not sure Ben has used the word “fair” more than half a dozen times in his life. I take this to be a phenomenon of birth order: he’s first in line, moving through life unobstructed by the pace of others, a clear view ahead only of his own [...]
Pasta and Fear
Years and years ago, Anna Quindlen wrote a piece for the New York Times about gender — about the dreaded likelihood that her own daughter, a then-toddler brimming with life, would ultimately suffer the squelching of her curiosity and intelligence by a culture that still fosters such squelching. But what’s in my head right now is [...]
Cornier Than You Might Expect
Ever wonder what Catherine sounds like?Listen to her read this blog entry. We’re eating the first corn of the season, and it seems to be inspiring a kind of Lunatic Revival feeling in my dining companions. If corn is local and fresh, I boil it for exactly 3 minutes, then let the children spin each [...]
Pork Roast with Cider-Cream Gravy
Birdy and I are reading the Little House series, and, save the mind-blowing racism–which prompts many appalled conversations about the early-American murderous imagination–it is just as delicious as ever. So captivating, in fact, that Ben creeps in to squat by the bed, toothbrush in hand, or leans in the doorway, half-clad in pajamas, to listen. [...]
Buckets of Rain
“Cheese lightning?” Birdy asks from the back of the car, and I laugh. “No, honey. Heat lightning.” She’s silent for a couple of seconds, then says, “Wait – what?” It’s hot again, and the sky is flashing and silent, though in another couple of minutes rain will come pouring out of the sky all at once, [...]
Aswim
Birdy is trying to explain something about the flower fairy she has just twisted together from pipe cleaners and silk petals. She cocks her head to the side, points to its floral skirt, and says, “It’s just kind of like…you know? I can’t really explain it? The way it is? You know.” Um, like, I don’t totally know? [...]