Today’s one of those days where I wouldn’t mind having a good cry. Not a burst-int0-tears-at-the-drop-of-a-hat cry, but the kind you schedule, like Holly Hunter’s character in Broadcast News — where she sits on the bed in the hotel room, unplugs the phone, takes a deep breath and lets it rip. It started this morning […]
Sophie has been really into groceries lately. Not eating them. Her four food groups are still rice, noodles, cheddar crackers and chocolate ice cream. I’m talking about groceries in the grocery store. It began at Trader Joe’s about a year ago, when she developed an interest in scanning all the items in our cart. Not one […]
For as long as I can remember, Sophie has loved to talk on the phone. She can certainly hold down her end of a conversation, if she’s the topic. But lately I’ve noticed a sea change. Sophie is engaging with the person on the other end of the conversation in ways I’ve never heard. For years […]
Sometimes you’re moving along through life, feeling like you have certain things down, know others to be true, and something happens that just completely rocks your world and makes you question everything you’ve done as a parent. Or something like that. A few days ago, a Facebook friend and fellow parent of a kid with Down syndrome […]
Summer birthdays suck. Particularly in Phoenix, and Annabelle’s is smack in the middle of July — the worst time of the year to gather friends. So last week we grabbed her ballet classmates (the ones who hadn’t yet fled the heat) and gathered for a little swim party. Sophie squirmed the entire time, eyeing the […]
I don’t know much, but I do know Phoenix. I’m a native (like, a real one — I was actually born here) and while I escaped for a few years, I’ve been back for more than 20. This city is a tough nut to crack, particularly in the summer. (Don’t worry, the forecast for next weekend […]
What a difference a year makes. A year ago this week, I sat in the audience at Sophie’s elementary school “graduation” ceremony and sobbed, convinced that the Salad Days were over, that no school experience would ever be the same, that from now on my girl’s life would be a painful, downhill slog. And in […]
The other day I was scrolling through Facebook and saw something that made the top of my head blow off. It was a blog post entitled, Teacher Appreciation Week … Make It Staaaaahhhhhp!! The author made it clear that she was not interested in dissenting opinions, so I kept quiet on her page. I like […]
Sophie took the stage one night last week in the junior high cafeteria. With a microphone in one hand and a large sparkly “slipper” (her nanny’s prom shoe) in the other, she performed a short monologue. She rushed and held the microphone too high, so I’m not sure anyone else could understand what she said, but […]
So when did “brave” become a four-letter word? I think I know. Like so many — too many — things, it’s got something to do with Facebook. You know, that place we all hang around and share what we hope are meaningful snippets of our lives. And articles about things like crocheted men’s underwear, the […]
