Professor Mom

Aliki
Chronicles the life of a mom, teacher, and writer trying to stay sane amid the chaos of daily life.

archives

March 31, 2011
Rite of passage
Many, many years ago, long before my grandparents lived in the last apartment of theirs--the apartment they owned, and were so proud of (downstairs from the apartment where the boat sits, waiting), they lived in a wonderful garden apartment in a quiet suburb. My childhood summers were mainly spent there, up until I reached my late teens. There was a wonderful garden encircling the apartment, with fabulous rose bushes, and scores of stray cats who would curl up around the base of the plants and sleep in the shade. At lunchtime my grandmother would twitch the curtain across the kitchen door...
Childhood, Greece, Growing Up Is Hard to Do, Memories, Parenting, Social & Emotional Issues
March 30, 2011
Book basics
T. and I are reading C.S. Lewis' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We bought it at the Borders near the ice skating rink where T. takes her lessons. Sadly that Borders is going out of business. Happily for us, we've been able to score some good books at pretty low prices, thanks to the big markdowns. Of course, the books aren't free, but I can't help myself when I walk into a bookstore and find favorite reads at even 40%-60% off. Somehow, spending $50 on books doesn't seem so bad when they've all been marked down 60%. In the past two weeks I've bought L. two Garfield...
Books, Children, Early Learning, Motherhood, Parenting, Reading
March 29, 2011
Cardboard dreams
Last week, when I picked T. up from school, she pointed out several kids who were carting off huge cardboard structures made from boxes and toilet paper roll tubes. "Do you see those?" She asked me. "Some of the kids got to make them in math class." I sprang to attention. "Some kids?" Other kids, in some other math group, apparently. All the first graders are studying three-dimensional shapes--cubes, cylinders, rectangles, and working closely on graphing and charting the different types of shapes.  I tried to probe further--which kids? When? In whose class?...
Behavior, Children, Parenting, Special Needs
March 28, 2011
Wings
T. accomplished a huge milestone this weekend. For the first time ever she spent the night away from me. Even when she was six months old, and spent that first post-surgery night in the hospital PICU, I was right there with her. For the rest of her week-long hospital stay I asked the nurses to wheel in a hospital bed so I could sleep with her. On Friday night, T.'s Y-Princess tribe had a backyard campout and she spent the whole night in a tent with Scott. It was COLD, too. All week we warned T. that the campout might not happen. It might rain. It might be too cold. The dads might decide...
Children, Growing Up Is Hard to Do, Milestones, Motherhood, Parenthood, Parenting
March 25, 2011
Friday exhale
This week that started out so poorly, has ended on a really good note. Not only is it Friday, but the magnet school lottery results are in, and, as my Facebook status read yesterday: the magnet school lottery gods have smiled on us. I feel a huge sense of relief; now we just have to carefully figure out where to go from here. But we have OPTIONS--which is all I ever really wanted. Options...what a beautiful word. ******************** On Thursday night my parents and I cooked up a big Mexican meal--black bean tortillas, tacos, rice, mangoes, corn and a shredded lettuce and tomato...
Children, Food for Thought, Parenting, Recipes, School Daze, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
March 24, 2011
Bullyproof
When I read the Chatterbox post yesterday about the Australian dad who had his children arrested for bullying a younger boy, my first reaction was to feel immense gratitude and admiration for this father. This was the kind of stand every parent of a child who has been the victim of bullying wants to see the other parent take--that dark, unyielding line drawn in the sand; the expression of zero tolerance for any type of bullying, whether it be mental or physical, or both. But then I also started wondering: what prompted those kids to beat up the younger boy? Statistics show over and over again...
Bullying, Children, Moms, Motherhood, Parenting, School Daze
March 23, 2011
Fringe benefits
This is L.'s second week of Spring Break. My parents are coming into town today to salvage the week. They are, for us, like those storybook heroes, riding in on white horses, to save the day. Ever since L. started elementary school, we’ve been juggling the two-week “track-outs” twice/year. Luckily, our schedules are flexible enough to allow for some creative juggling, but it’s stressful. Day camps for L. are never an option, because he refuses to even think about going. I suppose if we absolutely, positively couldn’t cope without sending him to a day...
Activities for children, Children, Growing Up Is Hard to Do, Parenting, Special Needs
March 22, 2011
Dumb luck
Look what I discovered when we got home on Sunday: Look closer: A gray hair. My third one ever. It could have sprouted as a result of the excruciating conditions present during the van ride from Maryland to North Carolina--6 1/2 hours that were not L.'s finest travel moments and which left us utterly drained. By the time we'd pulled into the driveway L. had spiraled into a place of no return, and bedtime seemed the only salvation. I was so spent. Scott was spent. T. was spent. And L. was, too. I think, though, that its appearance can also be blamed on all...
Children, Parenthood, Parenting, School Daze
March 21, 2011
Glow
Scott and I had dinner together on Friday--a date night for the two of us, and part of Scott's birthday present. The other part of his present was free license to visit three D.C. record stores, all within a few blocks of the Indian restaurant where we had dinner--I wanted the record store outing to be sort of like a pub crawl, but for music, not beer. I don't mind record-shopping, although I can think of a few other things I'd rather be doing. As luck would have it, one of the record stores was also a used book store, so I looked through books (and found a copy of this...
Children, Growing Up Is Hard to Do, Love, Marriage, Parenthood, Parenting
March 18, 2011
Vacation bests
Best present ever for a ten-year old boy: I couldn't take a picture of the pile of wood L. got to go with all the cool tools and screws and sandpaper and bolts and a real, actual (sharp) saw, but it was quite a pile. My father-in-law's partner, who is a talented architect, artist, and craftsman, spent years single-handedly fixing up a Washington, D.C. home in the heart of Capitol Hill. He built in lots of mysterious nooks and crannies, and hidden panels. When we were there years go, before the downstairs bathroom was finished, he let the kids draw doodles and write notes, which he...
Activities with Children, Children, Family Travel, Parenting, Travel
March 16, 2011
Carpe diem
Thanks to two snow make-up days for L., who should have been on Spring Break all this week (and next week, too), Scott and I were able to grab a little alone time earlier this week. We spent Monday doing laundry and yard work together (not very romantic, I know), and I was very tempted to use our kid-free time on Tuesday to do more of the same. When Scott got home from taking L. to school, and I got home from taking T., we sat at the kitchen table and contemplated the day. "Here's my list of things we need to do today," I announced, and it included exciting things like steam...
Children, Marriage, Motherhood, Parenting
March 15, 2011
Playground therapy, part II
L.'s favorite thing to do at the playground, by far, is to swing. He's loved it from the time he was very little and I'd lower him into one of the baby swings and stand for what seemed like hours, my feet rooted in the mulch while I pushed, and pushed some more. There is something about swinging that regulates him, inside and out. When he got older, we'd have our best conversations while I pushed him in the swings. We still do. Swinging seems to give him a clarity of mind he has trouble securing for himself when he's on the ground, dealing with all the cacophony around him...
Early Learning, Math, Motherhood, Parenting, Special Needs, Teaching
March 14, 2011
Playground therapy
One thing I always appreciated about having very small kids was how easily entertained they could be by the simplest, smallest of things. If we had a long napless afternoon stretching ahead of us, I would swallow my frustration and exhaustion and walk L. down to the nearby park/lake where we could easily pass an hour looking for sticks, or rocks, or throwing small stones into the water. I used to take T. to a small mom and pop pet store in-between preschool pick-up and heading to L.'s elementary school and she was happy as could be toddling around the hamster cages and listening to me...
Activities with Children, Children, Creative Play, Motherhood, Parenting, Teaching
March 11, 2011
Bag of Tricks: The College Survival Edition
It's midterm exam week this week and while I'm welcoming the change of pace (and the chance to wear jeans, and to sit in my office listening to music while I grade), it's also a lot of work. Midterm exam week is also proving to be a welcome distraction for me this week, since one charter school lottery was held on Wednesday, and another one will take place today and if I think about it too much I'll go absolutely crazy. I've never been good with lotteries, and I'm definitely not good at coping with lotteries involving my children's educations. Who wants to...
Children, College Preparation, Juggling, Parenting, Teaching, Work
March 10, 2011
Dream catcher
The first thing T. likes to do when she gets up is to sit at the kitchen table and draw. While I’m fumbling around for my coffee, cutting up fruit for breakfast, watching the clock every five minutes, and shouting upstairs to L. to get a move on, T. is waking up in her own quiet way, pencil in hand. She reminds me of myself in so many ways; in so many ways she’s so different, too—her own person—not an extension of me in the least bit (I always wince when parents see their kids like this) but an individual who is often so familiar to me in that déjà vu kind of way that...
Children, Growing Up Is Hard to Do, Motherhood, Parenting, Sleep
March 9, 2011
Big seven
T. had her big seven year-old check-up yesterday. She's been asking about it for weeks now. She actually loves to go to her well-child visits, and looks forward to hearing about how she's grown. Lately, though, she's been anxious about this appointment because she's been hoping that her pediatrician will give the go-ahead for her to move from a car seat with a five-point harness, into a "big kid" booster. We're pretty conservative when it comes to car seats. Research shows that chidren are safest when they are seated with a five-point harness, and too many...
Children, Growing Up Is Hard to Do, Parenting, Safety, Social & Emotional Issues
March 8, 2011
The reading stops here
My students will be starting a book right after Spring Break. It's not a terribly long one, but oh is it densely packed with things to talk about. Their assignment is to read up to page 55 by the time they return to school. A student came up to me after class on Thursday, a copy of the book in his hand. "Ms. M.," he said. "I was wondering: can we read more than page 55?" I stared at him a little blankly. I seldom have anyone asking if they can read more--I'm grateful, many times, that they've managed to crack the book at all. "Of course you can read more!...
Children, No Child Gets Ahead, Parenting, Reading, School Daze, Teaching, Writing
March 7, 2011
Mardi Gras Fun
Let’s skip past the stereotypical images of Mardi Gras celebrations and go right to the eating part of the celebration, shall we?  Tomorrow is Mardi Gras, literally, “Fat Tuesday,” the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.  It is typically seen as an opportunity to over-indulge before the Lenten season begins, a season known for restraint. Since Mardi Gras is often associated with New Orleans, how about a fun and easy New Orleans dessert to help your family celebrate the holiday?  Bananas Foster is a classic New Orleans’ treat, made with...
Dessert, mardi gras, Recipes
March 7, 2011
That thing called hope
Sunday was a train wreck of a day, really--mostly due to one Science Fair project that is due today--a project that has existed in very hazy, uncertain terms in L.'s head for a couple of weeks now and which up until yesterday he had done almost zero concrete work on. It's not a mandatory project in that it won't be graded, but we dug our heels in on this one. There were times yesterday I wanted to wave the white flag; throw in that proverbial towel; flee the house and the Science Fair project. But Scott and I both agreed that it would be disappointing for L., and embarrassing for...
Celebration, Children, Food for Thought, Parenting, Recipes, Tradition, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
March 4, 2011
Feed the fever
I had a post in mind for today--a little bit of a soapbox post on schools and reading and assessments. But it's Friday, and I wrote some heavy pieces this week, and I feel the need for a little break, I think (maybe you do, too?). Today is the first Friday of the month, and we're hosting our neighborhood Supper Club tonight. The theme: Spring Fever! Temperatures are supposed to be high today and all through the weekend and spring fever has definitely hit us hard. We are all craving the need for a fresh start, for some renewal, for a new beginning. We ate dinner on the porch on...
Children, Food, Food for Thought, Neighbors, Parenting, Recipes
March 3, 2011
Disclosure
On Tuesday night Scott and I watched Parenthood, and I cried. I often feel emotional when I watch Parenthood, but it's usually just a welling-up-of-tears and that lump-in-the-throat kind of response. Sometimes the dialogue does me in, or I'm driven to tears because of a particular scene; other times I'm tired and feeling wrung-out and the cut-to-final-scene-with-music-swelling-in-the-background just pushes me over the edge. This past episode centered around Kristina and Adam Braverman telling their son Max that he has Asperger's Syndrome--a form of autism, and as happens...
Children, Parenting, Social & Emotional Issues, Special Needs, Television
March 2, 2011
Dear Dr. Seuss
Happy Birthday! When L. was about 6 months old I came home from work and found Scott on our bed, with L. clambering around him. Scott was reading Hop on Pop to L. and L. was, quite literally, hopping on Pop. We read a lot of Dr. Seuss books to L. His favorite was this one. When we'd get to the page about the "VUG under the RUG" L. would exclaim, "VUUUUUUUUUUG!" and look from the picture to me in great concern. What was this 'VUG' thing? Did it live under OUR rug? For a solid year now T. has liked How the Grinch Stole Christmas and when she was very little...
Books, Children, Early Learning, Parenting, Reading
March 1, 2011
Off the wagon
My name is Professor Mom, and I'm a vegan dropout. That's right--after six months on a vegan diet (I've been a vegetarian for fifteen years, but wanted to try going vegan), I fell off the wagon. In the end, I didn't cave to a particular food, as I thought I might; instead, I just couldn't fight the overall, all-consuming urge for dairy that's been slowly by surely creeping over me. Last week was incredibly stressful and nothing I brought to work with me for lunch seemed to fix the cravings. I felt hungry, run-down, depleted of resources, and all I could think...
Children, Cooking, Food for Thought, Parenthood, Parenting, Veganism, Vegetarianism