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...]
“Mothering Through the Darkness: Women Open Up About the Postpartum Experience,” edited by Jessica Smock & Stephanie Sprenger
I remember being a new mother, holding my baby, tears springing from my eyes. My cousin told me I had the baby blues. The overwhelming feeling passed quickly, and I was able to return to mothering my newborn without (my) crying. (The baby cried plenty). Still, that feeling of being trapped and overcome with the enormity of motherhood lingered during those first three months of my son’s life. At my six-week post partum check-up, my doctor questioned me in a way that I could tell was a screening for postpartum depression (PPD). My answers were honest, but they didn’t qualify me as someone experiencing PPD. And yet, reading the essays in "Mothering Through the Darkness," I encountered stories that resonated with me and brought me back to those difficult days as a new mother. Looking back, I think my doctor was correct to not diagnose me with PPD. My “baby blues” were short lived. But I do wish I had a book like "Mothering Through the Darkness" at my disposal to help me better … [Read more...]
Up on Kveller: How My Daughter’s Birth Brought Me Back to Halloween
Toward the end of my second pregnancy, my doctor offered to make things easy on me and schedule an induction. “Wait. Make it easy? I thought inductions were a prescription for a C-section. I was able to push my son out in 40 minutes the first time. Why would I want to set myself up for failure the second time?” I asked, with my legs in the stirrups as he examined me. I’m always amazed by how easily I chit chat during these moments. To read what happened next with my Halloween birth head over to Kveller. … [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...]
