Hello People! It's been several months since I last posted, and if my blog really were my fifth child, as I've referred to it, I would rightfully have had social services banging on my door with neglect charges. Thankfully, there's no blog police, but I do have to answer to myself, and I've really missed this space. So today I'm back, and I'm hoping to not take such a long hiatus again. Going forward, I plan to post on a semi-regular basis without putting undue pressure on myself to constantly post. I have other writing goals for myself this coming school year, now that all of my babes are in the same building for seven and a half hours a day. I wasn't expecting the deer in headlights feeling that came with having my youngest go off to kindergarten. Last week, after dropping him off for his first full day, I felt like I wasn't quite sure how to move forward without a little one in tow. But this week provides me with the perfect excuse to put myself out there once again and reconnect … [Read more...]
Learning Life Skills With Knife Skills
Chop. Chop. Chop. Chop. Chop. Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop. The chef’s knife hits the cutting board at a fast clip with a staccato beat. My oldest son deftly dices mango into little golden cubes. He’s 10-and-a-half years old, but on the smaller side for his age, and I’m not used to seeing his hands move so quickly. “Where did you learn to chop like that?” I can’t help but sound surprised. Not only am I in awe over his skills, but I’m also a bit shocked that I had no clue he could make magic with a knife. “Cooking shows, Mom. It’s easy.” He shrugs his shoulders, all the while continuing his rhythmic dicing. Check out this post and who's making dinner in our house these days at Mamanomnom.com … [Read more...]
The Family that Vacations Together… Stays Together
Exactly when the tradition started remains unclear. But sometime in the late 1960’s, my extended family began gathering yearly in Miami, Florida. At the time, our numbers were small: My grandparents, my aunt and uncle and their two children, my uncle and my dad. Years passed, more weddings, more babies, and by the late 1980s, our grand total hit the 20 people mark. In those days, my grandparents’ Miami apartment served as home base for our annual trek. They were “snowbirds,” those lucky people who head to warmer climates for the winter months. Part of our crew hailed from Texas, but the rest of us were Chicagoans, so we understood our grandparents' choice to escape the cold temperatures. Still, as a close clan, it was imperative that we not let the whole six months pass without seeing one another. We grandchildren numbered 11, and while our grandparents' apartment was spacious, it was arranged for their lifestyle as … [Read more...]
The Princess & the Playground
“Remind me again, the name of the princess you were for your fourth birthday? You know, Sleeping Beauty? What’s her actual name?” I’m reminisicing with Miss J before bedtime one night. Her birthday is coming up, and since it coincides with Halloween, she gets to pick any costume she wants. Miss J turns nine this year, and I can’t believe it’s been five years since princess was everything her heart desired. “Aurora?” she half asks, half tells me. I’m not sure if she’s incredulous that I can’t remember the Disney character or just being matter of fact. Maybe a little bit of both? After all, tweendom is on the horizon, and the antics have already begun. “Oh, yes. Aurora. Remember when you dressed up like her for your party?” It was the first birthday party we held for her in our new suburban house. I was excited to finally have the proper space for her whole preschool class plus other friends and family. We rented little mini tables for the kids, painted pumpkins and had a … [Read more...]
Counting Down To 40…
Since the children were very little, it’s always been our fall ritual to go apple picking with our friends the Feinbergs. He and my husband were groomsmen for one another in our weddings, and we've known each other's kids since birth. The outing is now a part of our traditions together, another piece of fabric sewn into the quilt of our friendship. We load up the minivans and head to Wisconsin for some hay rides and tree climbing in the orchards. With each passing year, the kids become more independent, better able to navigate their way amidst the trees and pick the best apples offered. They used to require a boost to reach the upper branches. Now we watch them scurry up on their own. Tasting the fresh fruit and feeling the juices run down our chins, signals the arrival of this most beautiful season, just as much as watching the leaves change and seeing the pumpkins arrive on doorsteps. This year, when I call my friend to find a date, we both quickly become dismayed as we tick … [Read more...]
Laughingly Ever After: A Love Story
When he first calls me to ask about getting together, I'm not sure if he wants to renew our friendship or take me out on a date. A couple of mutual friends dropped hints to me about him, and I'd enjoyed seeing him a couple weeks prior. That was our first meeting in more than six years, and those years have been kind to him. He no longer wears aviator glasses or has braces covering his teeth. His once lanky physique is now muscular. He was with another woman that night, but she and I shared a cab ride across town to our apartments, so I have to figure there's nothing going on between them. I accept his request to meet for dinner and afterward I realize it is in fact a date. Nothing happens between us that night to confirm my suspicion that his intentions are indeed romantic, but we women can sense these things. On Christmas Eve, I call to thank him for our lovely evening and tell him we can connect again when I return from vacation. During that vacation, my extended family rejoices … [Read more...]
What I Wish I Knew Before Overnight Camp Began…
My husband is an organized, productive person. He’s a list maker. I’ve watched him over the years, writing down all the various things he needs to get done. He makes little boxes next to each item, which he checks off once he completes the task. I’ve always been in awe, and I admit, a little intimidated by his lists. I find myself on the opposite end of the spectrum, preferring to go through my days getting things done as they arise, planning it out in my mind and going from there. But as life has become more hectic, I’ve developed a newfound appreciation for the list. In the notes app of my iPhone, I now keep an ever changing “To Do” list. I guess you could call me a list convert of sorts, which came in handy while preparing to send C off to camp. Getting him ready required a whole new genre of list making. There was the packing list provided by the camp that was extremely helpful. This list gave birth to a Target list of the various clothing items, toiletries, water … [Read more...]
All His Bags are Packed. But I’m Not Ready for Him to Go
"All my Bags are Packed and I'm ready to go..." The words from "Leaving on a Jet Plane" circle through my mind as I muddle through my daily tasks in these hours leading up to Mr. C's departure. That song is what I sang as a kid getting ready to leave overnight camp and head back home from the woods. Now I softly sing the tune to myself as a parent on the other side, getting ready to send my child from home to the trees, the lake and the open sky. Here come my tears. Again. After spending the initial part of the summer trying to keep my 10-year-old firstborn child happy, engaged and fulfilled, I'm now in disbelief that he really is leaving for overnight camp. So many questions race through my mind as I check the boxes off on his packing list: Will he be happy? Will he be homesick? Will he be both? How much will I miss him? A lot. I know that. How will it affect our family dynamic? Keep trying to imagine it, but just not sure. Will he write to … [Read more...]
Using His Force
My fourth child celebrated his fourth birthday last weekend. It’s the perfect year for this light saber wielding, Darth Vader fearing, Yoda loving child to be turning four. We’ve already watched all six episodes that comprise the current Star Wars series, and we’re counting down the days until The Force Awakens hits theaters. The theme for his party: “May B’s fourth be with you” was an obvious choice for this kid who loves everything that hails from a galaxy far, far away. Sometimes I wonder if Mr. B actually thinks “the force” is real. We’ll be at breakfast, he’ll be bantering with his older siblings, and all of a sudden he’ll hold his hand up as if to halt them in their tracks. It’s a sight to behold, watching this preschooler try to stop a second grader with just his hand. I hate to dispel Mr. B's notion that “the force” is real, especially since my own little dude possesses a force of his own. *** "Mommy is it my turn?" Mr. B asks. He's up on the exam table at the doctor's … [Read more...]
