Monsters Inc.

I wish this was a post about toddlers as God's tiny monsters. It would be funny, insightful, and honest. Exactly what I  tell myself I signed up for when I started this blog. But, as jokes go, it's also obvious; a bit of a cliche. We all know the score early in parenthood: your baby …

Day By Day, By Wonder, By Dreams

I want to say that the days blend together, that all these months in, we are in the great slog of parenthood, of diapers and cereal and naps and tantrums and crawling, standing, baby-proofing. But the fact is, every single day is different. Every day is new, and the tiny little girl I left this …

Great Expectations

**and other novels I never read No, just like most of you, I've never read Great Expectations. Despite a degree in literature, I just never had any reason to read a Dickens novel. If the unremitting drear of "A Christmas Carol" is any indication, it's probably a good choice, too.** **Note: I may not be …

Present Tense

Grief is vicious, not because we shouldn't grieve, but because we grieve in the present, and remember in the past. We're torn between what was--and therefore can no longer be--and what so incontrovertibly IS right now. And now always wins. I don't know how you bring those good memories up to the fore, to maybe …

The Real Zombie Nation

We Are Tired There are no other words for it. Just tired. You could add in cranky and short-tempered if you want, but I think that first simple, declarative sentence covers it. So tired. If you have kids at home, I know I'm preaching to the choir. If you don't--or you've forgot--you may need an …

Bending, Not Breaking

Not a shock: babies are all-consuming. Also not a shock: marriage is all-consuming. Still not shocking: the rest of our lives don't stop or halt. All three add up to much more than 100%. The question becomes, what gives? Who gives? Which part of your life bends so another part won't break. For me, it's …

She’s Getting So Big