Here is the latest joint creation to emerge from our home. It was a Sophie/Mom team effort for Trish’s birthday (just a few weeks late, sorry Trish!) depicting Sophie (on the left) and Trish’s daughter Abbie. We should all have someone in this world who loves us the way that Sophie loves Abbie. I […]

You can throw rotten tomatoes at your computer screen, but the truth is that I didn’t love “Alice in Wonderland.” It’s my own f-ed up fault.  I let Crispin Glover ruin it for me. I could blame the fact that, as my dear friend Heather’s 10 year old daughter put it, Tim Burton’s wonderland just wasn’t […]

A couple weeks ago, I “snuck” some time with Sophie and her classmates. Each of them decorated a heart for Miss Y, and we made a bouquet of Valentine flowers for the teacher. With the beating public education is taking these days — not to mention the challenges in Miss Y’s particular classroom — there’s […]

Ever since I started embroidering (or ‘broidering, as Sophie calls it) — and showing off my not-so-handiwork — I’ve heard the same thing. Don’t worry about the back! It won’t show! Who cares?! Yeah, the back doesn’t matter, I learned the hard way, til you go to try to frame the piece. Smoosh this stuff down […]

I know I just posted one of Annabelle’s drawings last week. I know I’m utterly shameless. I can’t help it. I had to share this one, which she presented me with last night. I love that she calls herself a “desighner.” I love that she calls me a “writer,” a title that still — after all […]

Just last night at dinner, I was bragging to my girlfriends about Annabelle’s latest creative exploits. In the past week, she’s created the “Lemonade Stand Fashion Club” (you come to the lemonade stand and describe your dream outfit, then the “designers” make it) and a soap “business” called “Watermelon Cream.” And as usual, ideas for several […]

I’m terrible with surprises. I finished this late last night (thanks to “Worst Cooks in America” — I have a lot to say about that show, but this is not a food blog…) and couldn’t wait to share it. Ever since I did Annabelle’s drawing of Abbie, Sophie’s been asking me to ‘broider something of […]

Depsite my best (well, ok, half-hearted) attempts to love Phoenix, sometimes it doesn’t happen. But one thing I do adore about this town is how damn small it is — and when you have kids, you discover that over and over, in unexpected ways. Turns out, Sophie’s teacher’s brother-in-law runs the coolest record store in town.  […]

From the “now I’ve heard everything” category, a while ago there was a piece on Marketplace about the Slow Media Movement. Like Slow Food, but with real mail and landlines. Of course, as the story admitted, the movement’s being promoted on Facebook. Ridiculous.  But I will say that while I’ve become a texting/googling/emailing/multi-tasking fool, I do […]

A few weeks ago, I said to a dear friend who for these purposes shall remain nameless, “I have a theme this year! It’s a Homemade Christmas, Darn It!” Without skipping a beat, she replied, “Me, too! Mine is It’s a Half-Assed Christmas.” By last night, I had to admit that my theme has officially […]