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March 3, 2008
Creature comfort, Professor Mom
Creature comfort, Professor Mom
The year before we started graduate school together my husband and I rented a small apartment in Maryland, not far from a metro station. I was working at National Public Radio (NPR) and Scott was finishing up his Master's degree at a school nearby--parenting was a distant spot on the horizon for us. The apartment was small but attractive--hardwood floors throughout and a tiny galley-style kitchen where we could make our small and increasingly ambitious meals. Everyone in the building kept to themselves; most of the tenants worked and come 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. [more]
February 29, 2008
The thrill of thrift, Professor Mom
The thrill of thrift, Professor Mom
I like to shop at thrift stores. I like thrift stores because you can find the most amazing and startling things there--and finding a small treasure amid trash is thrilling. A few weeks ago I found a wonderful robin's-egg-blue vase with a white daisy on it and if I hadn't looked closely at the shelf where it sat I'd have missed it because it was almost hidden by a tacky enormous china rabbit and a broken wire basket. Last winter I found a red plaid thermos that was exactly like the one my mother used to pack into my matching red plaid school lunch box. [more]
February 28, 2008
What is balance?, Skadaddle
What is balance?, Skadaddle
G forwarded me an email from Bravo! TV yesterday. Bravo! is apparently looking for dads (of all types) for a new reality series. The email reads:
Do you live a good life? Are you the "ultimate dad" and /or husband? Do you still make time for the guys? New documentary/reality series will feature a group of friends as they deal with balancing work, family and fatherhood!
Needless to say, my immediate reaction was “Pick me! Pick me!” But, upon further review, I’m not really sure I qualify. Let me pick apart these questions one by one: [more]
February 28, 2008
Done, Professor Mom
Done, Professor Mom
Yesterday I sat in my third meeting of the week, next to a colleague in another department who is some months pregnant and showing. Her belly is rounded out just enough so that her sweater stretches taut over the curve of it, and throughout the meeting she kept running her hands over the bump in that characteristic way I found so familiar, and which filled me with a sudden pang of longing. I don't long to be pregnant again, but I do feel nostalgia from time to time for the pregnant me from some years ago; the pregnant me who used to sit in my graduate school classe [more]
February 27, 2008
The Mom Sandwich, Skadaddle
The Mom Sandwich, Skadaddle
G has gone back to work full-time at a hip, high-powered San Francisco advertising agency. She’s working with young, focused, creative and career-minded people who are truly living the dream. They work hard. They play harder. And, they get lots of free stuff. [more]
February 27, 2008
Yet another benefit of being small, Professor Mom
Yet another benefit of being small, Professor Mom
Sometimes I feel as if one of my main missions in life these days is to grouch at the people around me about responsibility. At home both my husband and I are spending more and more time each day trying to curb T.'s newfound love for making messes everywhere she goes. Be responsible! Don't forget to clean up! [more]
February 26, 2008
Disneyland Dad, Skadaddle
Disneyland Dad, Skadaddle
“Disneyland Dad” doesn’t necessarily come with positive connotations. Instead, the “Disneyland Dad” is that dad who always treats his kids to fun times. Many times, or perhaps most times, the DD is the divorced dad who sees his kids on weekends. While mom gets all the mundane tasks of day-to-day care, when DD gets the kids, it’s adventure after adventure, staying up late and eating junk. No homework in sight. [more]
February 26, 2008
Tantrums, and a lesson learned, Professor Mom
Tantrums, and a lesson learned, Professor Mom
I'm kind of a stranger to preschooler tantrums. My son really never threw classic tantrums as a small child (although he has thrown many of a different sort) but T., as an independent and stubborn girl, has thrown her fair share of them. [more]
February 25, 2008
Forty years and counting, Skadaddle
Forty years and counting, Skadaddle
So, I’m a few days into this 40 thing now. It’s not so bad. If I can just fill every day like I have the last three – this “life after 40” thing is gonna be a breeze. Would it be so hard to hang out with a group of friends while drinking all day, followed by nightly feasts of amazing food (junk and otherwise), while participating in a series of competitions (bowling, pool, foosball and so on)? I mean, that’s a life, right? [more]
February 25, 2008
Reality check, Professor Mom I had a long, and involved dream on Saturday night. It was one of those meandering dreams that takes you on a surreal mental journey, through dark and twisty roads, against the backdrop of an unfamiliar and menacing city. I won't go into the details of the dream, but it involved my son, and a parent's worst nightmare, and even though it all worked itself out in the end, when I woke up I still had that heavy-chested feeling you get when you have been run through the emotional wringer for a prolonged period of time.
Reality check, Professor Mom I had a long, and involved dream on Saturday night. It was one of those meandering dreams that takes you on a surreal mental journey, through dark and twisty roads, against the backdrop of an unfamiliar and menacing city. I won't go into the details of the dream, but it involved my son, and a parent's worst nightmare, and even though it all worked itself out in the end, when I woke up I still had that heavy-chested feeling you get when you have been run through the emotional wringer for a prolonged period of time.
