Author: Susan Knoppow

The Calm During the Storm

~ Susan Knoppow ~ 1 Comment

The bat mitzvah countdown is officially upon us, and I am strangely calm. So calm that when my six-year-old told me yesterday (for the second day in a row) that he had looked everywhere, but still couldn’t find his snow boots at school, I took him to Famous Footwear at 5 pm, on the cusp of the snowstorm. It turns out that if you can find your size this time of year, you can get a really good deal on superhero boots. Continue reading →

The Treadmill

~ Susan Knoppow ~ 3 Comments

I knew I loved my husband, but now I love him more.

Two days ago, an unassuming man from Exerspecial spent an hour in my basement assembling our new treadmill. I won’t get into the gory details about how the various pieces of this monstrosity made it downstairs (thank you, Jon Hirsch). Suffice to say that it was heavy, packing tape is no match for a giant cardboard box, and we only dinged the basement stairwell once. Continue reading →

Winding Down

~ Susan Knoppow ~ 2 Comments

I spent the last day of school break in the kitchen. By dinner time, our fridge was stocked with carrot soup, pans of roasted cauliflower and eggplant, hard boiled eggs, polenta with greens, and one batch each of lentils, barley and wheat berries.  I grated cheese, prepared tomato sauce and pizza dough, sliced carrots and chopped chocolate. Continue reading →

Home Alone, Together

~ Susan Knoppow ~ 1 Comment

I wouldn’t say I long for sick kids, but last week wasn’t so bad. (For me, at least. Josh was the one with the sore throat; I just got to come along for the ride.)

School was closed for cold and ice Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday, he was fully sick – listless and slow, curled up under a fleece throw one minute, attacking aliens in outer space on the Wii the next. Continue reading →

Sammy Sunshine

~ Susan Knoppow ~ 2 Comments

“I’m the first one in our family to have one of these!”

Sammy bounded out of the emergency room with a half-cast/splint to protect his maybe-broken finger. Ever the optimist, always on the lookout for the next cool experience, my middle boy smiled at me and asked if there were any nachos left in the car from the snack we’d made for the ride to the hospital. Continue reading →

The Real Life Baby Book

~ Susan Knoppow ~ 2 Comments

Some milestones we really care about
(in no particular order)

First time blowing your nose

First soccer game when you re-tie your own shoes

First trip to the library alone on your bike

First time baking cupcakes from scratch without help

First lip gloss

First unsolicited apology to your brother

First day packing your own lunch

First time you care about your haircut

First time you comfort me

Twelve Oaks Mall Redux

~ Susan Knoppow ~ 2 Comments

I do not remember the mall being quite so loud. Or so colorful. Or so big.

Twelve Oaks Mall popped up at 12 Mile and Novi Roads back in 1977, when I was ten years-old. We had Hudson’s then. There was a movie theater near Sears. And a food court.

There were stores where a girl could buy ballet flats or a sparkly scarf. Lord & Taylor was a good spot for winter coats and dresses. You could spend an entire teenage afternoon wandering from one end to the other. If you were lucky, you’d head home with a swishy dress, a pair of jeans and a new lip gloss. Continue reading →