You know that phenomenon where you put off calling a friend or writing an email because it's going to require carving out a chunk of time that you won't have until you're, I don't know, 90 (which is probably still wrong because my 90-year-old aunt is still pretty frickin' busy)? Or like how you'd really like to clean the inside [...]
"I'm going to keep these dinosaurs. Just because they're the ones from Nan, so they're special to me." My 11-year-old son, Newt, is going through a box of toys, figuring out which ones to give away. When he says this. I actually feel my entire body relax. My mother died five years ago on July [...]
I like yogurt. A lot. Put it this way: 'twere it not for yogurt, I might be dead from malnutrition. One of my faves? Chobani. Last year, we were eating so much Chobani and then letting Jasper (the dog) lick the containers that whenever someone said, "Chobani," Jasper would come running. We even use it [...]
I'm coming to the realization that one of the worst feelings in the world is powerlessness. I felt it when we were coming back from Mexico and the mean TSA agent took my kid's water bottle for no good reason. And the other day, I felt it at the park. Elfie (9), Newt (almost 11), [...]
So I'm happy to report that the kids not only survived camp but had a fabulous time. Apparently the first night was a little touch-and-go: Newt wanted to come home very badly, and Elfie got stung by a bee. But they sucked it up, and the memorable stories have been trickling out of them since [...]
"I just really don't want to go. I'm going to miss you guys too much." My 10-year-old son is lying in his bed. I'm snuggled next to him, stroking his head. He finds a hole between my body and the mattress so he can get both arms around me. It's like he's holding on for [...]
Some days, I'm a good mom. I'm excellent, actually. Even though I feel like I'm walking through mud and the last thing I want to do is have a "teachable moment" with the children, I somehow rally and become this Gandhi-esque creature who I barely recognize. It's freaky, really. Like standing outside yourself and expecting [...]
So we're back from Mexico. We failed to get pictures of us swimming with dolphins, ate one of the best meals of our lives, and almost got in a fist fight with a TSA agent. Just your typical spring break... A little background: Tenzin, my husband, and I made the monumentally bad decision to purchase [...]
More tales from the autism front. Today's questions come from the mother of "Tara," a 3-and-a-half year old who was just diagnosed. Keep in mind that I've never met these people, so I'm basically just relaying what we did in these same situations. Our son, Newt, was diagnosed with high-functioning autism at the same age and [...]
The kids turned in their science fair projects last week. Neither of them made it to "the big show," but that wasn't a huge surprise. Motivating kids in this department has been historically. . . frustrating. They basically procrastinate for two months, decide last minute that they want to do a "great job," and then [...]
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