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Today I shall accomplish great things, many many great things. And in honor of those things, I will post them here, to share, as the day goes by. I have already accomplished the first: Laundry Basket Reclamation. When we returned from China, in July, I put all the things we acquired there into a laundry basket and sat it on the dog crate in our bedroom (which, as you can gather from that statement, is a very relaxing and well-designed […]

Happy New Year! Originally uploaded by kjda For us, that meant fondue with friends, a neighbor’s bonfire and bedtime! KJ Dell’Antonia sent from my iPhone

New Years Resolution 1 Originally uploaded by kjda The kids get more chores. Christmas is a good time to be reminded of the abundance that we share…and also of the work that goes into it. It’s time, I think, to get more help (and accept some imperfections…). I know, the most common kid-related resolutions must be stuff like “spend more time with them” or “yell less” (made that one, anyway) and “have more patience” (ditto). But we have had such […]

I do think we managed to savor Christmas. That Lego train? Put together in full by Sam and Grandpa, with occasional help from other kids. We played dominos (Mexican Train! from Lily to Sam!), did puzzles and baked cookies. Carols were sung, hummed and whistled all across the house, although not by me, because I have a cough and cold I can’t shake. Candy canes were eaten, stockings emptied, and even, in a few cases, thank-you notes written. And now […]

Holiday Update: Return to one-on-one Originally uploaded by kjda My folks are here, so we have one adult per kid. Very relaxing–except for the 800 piece Lego train that was part of Santa’s contribution. We may be done by New Year’s. KJ Dell’Antonia sent from my iPhone

Yesterday was a day so filled with blogging fodder that I decided to clean out the tupperware drawers instead of sitting down to the keyboard. Actually, I decided to go to bed, but I had to pack lunches first, and I was hating it, and I thought about what it was that I hated about packing lunches so much, and one thing was that I can never find lids to the adorable lunch tupperware. (Because we cannot use baggies anymore, […]

Holiday concert Originally uploaded by kjda Solemn and ready to sing. KJ Dell’Antonia sent from my iPhone

Me, solo usually translates to me, shrieking, but tonight Rob missed Sam’s holiday concert–which means me and Lily, Rory and Wyatt all bundled into our chairs for an hour and a half, collectively wondering “why they sing one more song? Why?” and “When is it time to go home?” as we watch K-8 each step up for their time on stage. Some of us just wonder it a little more audibly than others. That, plus pizza, would usually be a […]

The Person I Want to Be Originally uploaded by kjda Today, after school and Sam’s early dismissal and a fairly lengthy incident that seemed as if it was all Wyatt’s fault for having a temper tantrum and hitting me in the preschool parking lot but was really my fault for running late, we made snickerdoodles. Sam and I put the ingredients together, Lily ran the mixer and everbody rolled balls on cinnamon and sugar, and everyone was happy, and Sam […]

Today’s DoubleX post (I only link here if I think you might be interested): What if Santa isn’t bringing you exactly what you want? Wyatt wants his own Nintendo. Despite the post, I remain tempted.

We just did a DoubleX round-up for the Washington Post on New Year’s resolutions (can’t link, it won’t be pub’d until the Sunday after Christmas), and I realized there’s something I forgot to say. I tend to make resolutions and changes twice a year: September, and New Year’s. (I make organizational and career resolutions, usually, which are both things I enjoy, so I really like making resolutions. I look forward to these moments that spur change. Anyway, this morning, as […]

I have just been mocked, mocked. So mocked. I told a friend–mother of a 4th grade girl–that this coming Wednesday, I will be taking Lily to Boston to the American Girl Doll store, to buy her a doll. We do not own an American Girl Doll. We do not own one, and Lily has been asking, for the past year, when she would be old enough for one. Soon, I kept saying. Her friends began to acquire them, one by […]

It’s Here! Originally uploaded by kjda Genuine snow, about 2 inches of it. Enough to sled on and toss a small snowball or two. Enough to force me to finally get out the snow pants. Enough to thrill everyone and count as Rory’s true first snow. She loved it. The funny thing is, we went to a Waldorf winter fair today. Waldorf being what it is, there is no Santa, but there IS a King of Winter, who was walking […]

Sam likes Tin Tin. And that is it, that is what Sam likes to read, Tin Tin. He liked to be read to–almost anything, and most especially Harry Potter. But to read to himself he likes…Tin Tin. So tonight I took him to the bookstore, put him on one side of the shelves and me on another. We would gather lots of books, I said, and he could read the first pages, and see what he liked. And I gathered–oh, […]

i am finally coming out of the flu fog, with this to report: This morning in the car, Rory was humming a little repetitive hum, a sort of non-song, over and over, and Wy chose to be outraged. You can’t do that! It’s annoying! She’s being annoying! Rory, everyone in your class will say, that’s so annoying! Mommy, Rory is being annoying! After a few miles of this, I asked Wyatt why he thought Rory was humming. (Rory, very satisfied-ly, […]

Bumpkin City Originally uploaded by kjda I have spent my entire adult life in either Manhattan, Chicago or a small town. The result is that in any fast food chain other than Starbucks, I gaze at the menu like I’ve never seen it before, desperately interpreting. Happily, Panera Bread was not crowded, and my Dr. Pepper and blueberry muffin are bringing my feeling-a-little- better self much joy. KJ Dell’Antonia sent from my iPhone

Just when it was getting kind of easy and nice, it developed that it’s only easy and nice if I don’t feel like total crap.. I have yelled mercilessly at each and everyone of my children today, and that makes me feel even worse. Bleh.

Happy Thanksgiving! Originally uploaded by kjda Well, ok, that’s a Christmas tree. Which we put up, because yesterday we actually had time to do it, and not in between rushing to one thing and racing off to another. Of course, one reason that we can do that is that what you see there is a big ole FAKE tree. Yep, right here in New England. I grew up in the south, with a very practical mother and an allergy to […]

Sam and Lily’s favorite friends came over tonight, and all was quiet and peaceful in the playroom–oddly so. Rory was taking advantage of some snuggle time on the couch with the grown-ups (I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that was kind of annoying, but I try to keep in mind that her “family age” is different from her real age, and she needs all the snuggle time she can get), but what were the others doing? Playing Monopoly. This […]