My husband is the kind of father who rushes home from work at 5 to spend as much time with his children as he can. He bathes our daughter, puts her to bed every night, reads her dozens of books everyday and takes her on special outings to the grocery and hardware stores. I realize his parenting skills are at least in the 90th percentile among fathers. This generation of … [Read more...] about Catching Up
sasha-newborn-chronicles
Day 1-Catch the Spirit (Like a Bad Cold)
People often tell me to dress the part I want to play—in other words, if I feel unmotivated, throw on a dress I like and somehow, magically, I will feel better. This often works. I have decided to take the same approach to the holidays this season. I am going to bake, decorate and spread cheer until my ears ring with jingle bells. Phase one of my plan was to decorate a … [Read more...] about Day 1-Catch the Spirit (Like a Bad Cold)
It’s All in the Family
Sometimes people accuse we breeders of being narcissistic, of having children because we want a way to make ourselves immortal. Maybe that is true. I certainly know when I look at my daughter I see more than myself. I see my mother: That simple fact makes having children the single coolest thing I have done since my mom died when I was 16. I get to see her again. … [Read more...] about It’s All in the Family
Snowman
One of the best parts of being a parent is the ability to relive childhood. Sometimes I think the things I do—the corn mazes, the snow angels, the apple picking—are more for my benefit than either of my kids’. But we still dig it. Last weekend we had a great snowfall in Southern Maine and “let’s let Sam play in the snow” quickly turned into “let’s build the biggest, best, … [Read more...] about Snowman
Scrooge Be Gone
I have a confession: I loathe the holidays. Feel free to take me off your card list. This bad mood starts to set in right about now. The air shifts from crisp to downright cold, three out of six of my favorite radio stations turn to an all Christmas music format and this Mama gets her Grinch on. I am the last one most people suspect of this sentiment as I am the sappy … [Read more...] about Scrooge Be Gone