Sophie is 7 now, and in the fall she will start second grade. We don’t really talk about Facebook at home but somehow she knows about it (school, friends, the life she’s now living for 6+ hours on her own Monday through Friday) and lately, when something funny or charming or sad or uplifting happens […]
We know so little when we’re young. I don’t remember the family’s name. I don’t even remember the boy’s name. But I remember babysitting, as a young teenager, in the summer. The boy had been practicing riding his bike without training wheels with his dad. And he was excited. So very excited. He asked if […]
Ten years ago on October 2 Andy and I got married at the Cincinnati Observatory. It was a lovely wedding. We honeymooned in Italy by way of Paris. Our total time in Paris was fewer than 24 hours, and immediately upon our return I said I wanted to spend our 10-year anniversary in Paris. Ten […]
It’s February. Our Christmas garland is still hanging on our front porch. Ever see the Everybody Loves Raymond episode titled “Baggage” (season 7)? In it, Ray and Debra return from a weekend trip and temporarily leave their suitcase on the staircase landing. Weeks pass with them both refusing to carry it the rest of the […]
Work, for my dad, started early—in life and in the day. He grew up on a hog farm in Lewisburg, Ohio. He helped with the hard work of the farm, and my grandparents paid him and his siblings for the work that they did. He went to college, taught, got a master’s degree and taught […]
Ed note: Andy gave me full permission to write this post. A couple weeks ago we were all on the couch. I was reading picture books out loud, to the kids. Andy found a marble in the couch, while I was reading. And for whatever reason he thought it would be funny to secretly put […]
scene: the mini van Andy: “Everyone needs to be very quiet while I make an important phone call.” Sophie: “Do you want to hear how good I can make a sheep sound?” “Yes, having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit.” —Bill Cosby
The final episode of “The Office” is on right now. Andy and I used to watch it religiously, every Thursday night. We stopped three years ago (Owen and James turn 3 Sunday). The show started soon after Andy and I were married. I was working at Popular Woodworking magazine at the time. One of my […]
I’m in the middle of a huge editing project. (Every page in that almost-1,000-page stack is filled with 10-point type, single spaced.) When tackling this same project in the past, I’ve only worked on it after the kids have gone to bed. This year, to avoid 2am bedtimes, I’ve started immediately after dinner. I’m not […]
Andy comes home today! Sophie has quite the welcome-home plans for him … My parents came over and treated us to dinner last night. And earlier in my week of solo parenting Owen and James spent the night at my parents’ house, giving me time to tackle my piles while Sophie was at preschool. My […]
