I am now 34. Yup. This is a GREAT age to be. I love it, at least so far.

I have a lot of grey hair. I love that.

I have two awesome kids. I love them.

I am married to a man who’s really intelligent. Verbal, curious, introspective. He’s even creative, in his way. Not in the same way that I am, but still. He’s creative. Sounds like I’m tootin’ my own horn here, so I’ll stop. Anyway, I love him.

I may not always love myself, but I do love some parts of me. I appreciate me. Sometimes. (Gotta keep taking the anti-depressants, that is for sure.)

My life’s good. Happy Birthday to me.

Being depressed can cause a tremendously weird distortion in how I perceive things. Words can be twisted (by my own mind!) to sound worse than they were as they were issued from the mouth of their speaker. Situations seem hopeless even when there’s really a solution with a few strategic moves and some accommodation. It’s really frightening to look at these times and feel a lack of confidence in my own ability to know what’s really going on.
I got to thinking about depression again today because my brother is in a terrible funk with his own depression.  My depression sucks, but it seems to me that his is an enormous sewer of shit in which he’s unable to keep his head above water. Read the rest of this entry »

In C.’s first grade class, they have a ritual each week known to most of the word as Show and Tell.  The way it works is, the kid brings in something neat, and then talks about it to the rest of the class during circle time.

In C.’s class, the kids are supposed to do their talking and then solicit feedback from the class by saying, “Questions or comments?” and then choosing 3 of their peers, those with raised hands, to offer their questions or comments.

I mention this because I would like to solicit any questions or comments.  And you don’t even have to raise your hands!

Jump right in. If the unexamined life is not worth living, it seems to me that the unexamined blog isn’t much worth writing either.

Thanks!

It all started with a trip to McDonald’s. We are not addicted to the food; the kids like it OK but it’s not a place where I harp on the kids to finish their dinners.

What we are addicted to (and by “we” I mean “they”, my lil darlings) is the little plastic prizes. One day, struck by hunger, slammed by fatigue and swamped with depression and exhaustion, I gave in the urge and took the girls to McDonald’s for dinner. OK, I’ll admit it: this wasn’t the first time nor the last.

Anyway, they each received a Littlest Pet Shop pet with their happy meals (made healthier by the apple dippers and chocolate milk instead of fries and soda). These little darling bobble headed things became a collecting craze here at our house.

There are several things about these toys that I like. First off, they are small. We live in a small house and already have way more stuff than we can keep track of. So if your kids absolutely must start a collection, it helps that the item du jour is smaller than say, a typical kiwi.

Second, they don’t cost too much. I can get a $2 bobble head kitty, dog or ferret at our local Family Dollar store, and the unmitigated joy that getting one produces in the kids is quite remarkable.

Third, and best– My girls thrive on creating grand LPS scenarios, enacting dramas and comedies, and telling stories that show me the ways they process the world. Each pet has its own unique name, and the creativity of the naming of the pets is really cute. And even more remarkable– once the gals get going, it keeps them busy and happy for hours.

I was listening in to A. playing with her pets the other day. She uses different voices for each of them. One was telling the other that she was “beforced from her husband, but we’re still friends”. I then realized how much she must have been listening in on my discussions with friends, family recently about the people I know who are going through divorces. Little pitchers…

These things can get out of hand, though. Today C. informed me: You know, mom, you can get LPS EVERYTHING. They even have Digital Littlest Pet Shop, she informed me recently. It’s true, little electronic pets. That’s taking things, in my humble opinion, just a little too far.

C. points out the advantages of eating organic produce.

I’ve stepped up my buying of organic produce lately. Prices seem to be approaching those of conventional produce, and there’s plenty of reasons to go organic. But the # 1 reason? Nobody likes eating bug spray.

I looked out the kitchen window and was so delighted to see that the mulberry tree is starting to sprout its leaves. The front garden is looking bright and colorful too.

If I understood this Supreme Court decision correctly, the abortion procedure that was banned was one particular option for terminating a late-term pregnancy; other procedures (which may in fact be riskier to the mother’s health) are still available.

Obviously, anti-choice forces are trying to get their foot in the door by banning specific procedures one by one until eventually women will no longer have the right to choose.

My feeling, as a mother, is that by outlawing the right to choose, the legislature is removing our right to choose life. We are not “choosing” to bring forth a new life if that’s the only option. Read the rest of this entry »

1. My Blog. Yes, it’s true, this is my new baby and I am currently obsessed with it. How else could I possibly explain writing so many posts this weekend when it was incredibly f*cking gorgeous outside. Before you think me a pasty faced computer geek, though, I should mention I did spend several hours on my front lawn in a lawn chair, my Macbook on my lap, squinting while writing and reading blogs.

2. My garden. Not compatible with my first obsession, but I actually stop and count how many tulip buds are getting ready to bloom EVERY time I go into or out of the house. If that’s not obsessive, I don’t know what is.

3. My kids. They are just so cool. I gush when I look at them. I listen in on their play, and glow. I realize this may sound sickening but hey, I just adore them. Read the rest of this entry »

Big sis to little sis: Don’t try to work it out yourself. Cuz you do it the wrong way. You just torture back.

They spit at one another.

Me: right now, neither of you is acting your age.

big sis: You’re acting like an 85 year old!!! Read the rest of this entry »

My elder daughter attends a private school that values highly having the children learn from one another, and learn to function in groups, so there are times when the youngest groups (like her K-1 class) mingle with even the junior high kids (6-8th graders). This sometimes causes amusing consternation that is taken in stride by all. Read the rest of this entry »