Living In America

November 28, 2011

This past weekend was Thanksgiving weekend, except that it wasn’t, which was weird. I mean, it was Thanksgiving weekend, for Americans, but even though we’re in America, we’re not, actually, you know, American, so it felt like it would just be wrong, sort of, to roast a turkey and do the whole Thanksgiving thing. We [...]

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Seize The Cake

November 22, 2011

(This post is underwritten by the American Cancer Society, official sponsor of birthdays.) Emilia likes birthday parties. Actually, like is an understatement. Emilia loves birthday parties, with the fiery heat of a thousand wax birthday candles and a few hundred sparklers. But here’s the thing about Emilia’s love of birthday parties: she’s not particularly fussy [...]

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It Was Hard To Find An Appropriately Sized Birthday Cake, But We Managed

November 21, 2011

She didn’t ask for much for her birthday. Just, you know, little things: a visit to the American Girl doll store, a cake, some candy. Oh, and a personal audience with the Statue of Liberty. Turns out, I could give her that. Sometimes, I don’t feel like such a bad mom after all.

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They Say It’s Her Birthday

November 17, 2011

Well, was her birthday. Past tense. According to the calendar, anyway. But we’ve adjusted the calendar. Her birthday is now on Saturday. And we are doing anything and everything that she wants. Which includes, if you’re wondering, a trip to the Statue of Liberty, lunch at the American Girl store, a visit to the Toys [...]

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Waltzing Into Tomorrowland

November 14, 2011

I love Disney. I’ve been pretty outspoken about this. I love the parks, I love the movies, I love their pirates, I love – yes – their princesses (especially Emilia’s interpretations of them, because, really, wouldn’t Snow White been more awesome – and had a better run through the dark woods – if she’d worn [...]

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Happiness Wears Pipe Cleaner Glasses

November 7, 2011

I wrestle with guilt, as you know. Also, anxiety. It’s a fun combination, guilt and anxiety. I have a lot of experience with both. But whereas when I was working from home my guilt and anxiety tended toward the mild, ‘shouldn’t I do more volunteering at my daughter’s school; I mean, isn’t that why moms [...]

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Who Are You? (Who, Who? Who, Who?)

November 4, 2011

Quick! Finish this sentence: “I AM…” (Go on. Do it.) (Did you do it?) (You better have done it. There’ll be a quiz at the end of this post.) Here’s how I finished that sentence: I am also a superhero, able to leap small toddlers in a single bound. (Continue reading over at Bad Mother [...]

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The Same, Same Old Story

November 2, 2011

So I failed utterly in my efforts to transform Emilia into a crime-fighting strawberry with royal lineage, in part because I just couldn’t figure it out (some of you had very good suggestions involving pillowcases, but, alas, we do not have red pillowcases and I did not have time to acquire red pillowcases, and also, [...]

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Two-Headed Robot Zombie Monsters Are Not The Only Fruit

October 31, 2011

Here’s the thing about Halloween with kids: dressing kids up is wildly fun, when you have control over the dress-up process. When you get to decide what they wear – which is to say, when you dress them up in whatever fashion amuses you – the whole exercise is awesome, and well worth the energy [...]

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A Family Grows In Brooklyn

October 24, 2011

This is the story for this week, the only story, the only story that matters: they’re here. Finally. They’re home. We’re home, together. This is the first day – the first days – of the rest of our lives.

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