The tea sandwiches should have been my first clue.
Invited to brunch with my future husband’s family in New Orleans, I expected bagels and lox, smoked whitefish, coffee cake and sliced tomatoes. Instead, the spread included jambalaya and petit fours, cucumber sandwiches and mid-morning cocktails – delicious, but nothing I would have found on my grandmother’s dining room table in Detroit. Continue reading
My daughter did a magic trick. She sawed the beautiful lady in half right before my eyes – except she did it with words, with her remarkable story about September 11 and New York, with people flying within reach of the Twin Towers and kissing beneath street lamps and flowers falling from the sky. Continue reading
I retrieved a GI Joe lunch box and a Speed Racer water bottle from the day camp lost & found this morning. We’re still missing two water bottles, a purple lunch bag and three pairs of goggles, but it’s a start. Continue reading
It’s been a tumultuous couple of months in my community. My synagogue building is closing just as Miriam gears up for her bat mitzvah in February, leaving us anxious and excited all at the same time. Continue reading
Now I know how my nine-year-old felt his first day of Little League.
On the playground, he’s the king of baseball. But among kids who’ve been playing serious ball since age five, he was destined for the outfield. Continue reading
Always travel for simchas. You will easily find a way to make it to the funerals. Make a point of celebrating as much as possible. Continue reading
When was the last time you came upon a naked five year-old lying in bed, reciting the first 20 digits of pi in the dark?
Until this evening, I hadn’t either. Continue reading
I kiss Miriam goodnight and am overwhelmed by scent: Midnight Pomegranate hand lotion, mint foot cream, tea tree shampoo. The fragrance is fruity and woodsy, surface and substance, the tangle of possibility and promise embodied by a 12 year-old girl. Continue reading
Josh wants a space pirate party for his sixth birthday. I’m working out the details. In the meantime, I celebrated the big 4-3 yesterday. It was quite an extravaganza. When you’re a grown up, you have to squeeze your birthday into the rest of an adult day. You don’t get 24 hours off from being the mom.
Here are some highlights: Continue reading
I forgot to teach my son to tie his shoes. Between washing enough shorts and socks for three children to participate in soccer and baseball, feeding the dog, running a business and battling a dandelion-infested lawn, it simply slipped my mind. Continue reading
Writing It Down 