The other day we got home from school and the children went through their motions: shoes off and tucked near the desk in the bedroom, sweaters on the chair, potty, wash hands. This little routine is the ONE THING I have managed to ingrain in them (don't ask me how; the brushing of teeth twice a day still seems to take them by surprise, yes, twice a day) and it affords me ten minutes to turn on the kitchen light, hang the car key, and assemble the snack (still peanuts and club sodas all around, always making me feel as if my house were some kind of hotel bar for the under-18 ... [READ MORE]
Goodbye, Hello
May 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment
On a Monday morning not long ago, I had trouble waking up. I missed my usual morning workout, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise: the temperature shot up past 70 degrees that afternoon, so I dropped everything I had planned for the 90 minutes the kids attend After School Care and bolted for the Embarcadero the minute I left work. The promenade was alive with sun-seekers, nannies and mommies with strollers, dogs, all moving at different speeds. I set my sights on Mission Creek. There is a playground near the ballpark, a blink-and-you'll miss it little fenced-in spot ... [READ MORE]
The This and The That
May 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
What has this woman been up to? This poor blog, what whiplash it must feel: sometimes I just love all over it and sometimes I let it lie there, alone and untended, for weeks upon weeks. But there I go anthropomorphizing something that doesn't need it (I have quite enough living things depending on me, thanks); I suppose it's nice to have a project like this, a sort of faux-commitment entirely of my own making. So I let the blog go! Who cares? La dee da! Look how free and loose I am! The truth, for those of you following at home, is rather multifold. One: as has been hinted, change ... [READ MORE]
Duets
May 13, 2014 by 1 Comment
Do you have a sister? I do. My husband I don't plan to have any more children, and we feel fortunate to have one of each, a boy and a girl. When you are planning a two-child family, it's nice when that balance occurs. But... There is no relationship in this universe like the one I have with my sister. Deep as an ocean trench and fun and complicated and sometimes combative; validating and supportive and honest; sometimes frighteningly honest, because there is no one, and I mean no one, who knows me as well as she does. She's like a mirror, in a room with really bright light that ... [READ MORE]
[hashtag]Bellyache
May 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
![[hashtag]Bellyache](https://lessonthefloor.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/photo-31-296x296.jpg)
On Sunday morning I woke to the swish-swish-tap-tap of Babygirl's mosey to my bedside. I could feel her standing next to me, waiting patiently. As I willed my eyes to open, still blurry and bleary in the dawn, she whispered, "Here you go, Mommy," and thrust something towards my face. I registered the smell of mint. "What's that, Babygirl?" I whispered back. "Here, Mommy, look. I ate all your gum. But that's okay, right Mommy?" Suddenly I was focusing, confirming that the object in her hand was, in fact, an empty packet of Orbit gum. "Where are all the pieces?" I asked. "In my ... [READ MORE]
And In Other News…
April 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Graphics by Cori Magee for Nest Studio I still find time to shop. (Priorities.) Jonesing for new kicks (and possibly new denim too -- the momiform can always use an infusion, n'est-ce pas?) on the Nest Studio Blog. ... [READ MORE]
The Tightrope
April 9, 2014 by 3 Comments
I think a lot about the decision to go back to work after having a baby. My baby-having days are long in the rear-view mirror, but the decision is present, so present: since having my first child nearly six years ago I have kept at it, stuck to my guns and backed down in equal parts (every day). I have worked full-time and part-time for three employers (plus freelance) in my attempts to Make It Work. I have lost earrings and run in heels. I have wondered why the conference room smelled like vomit only to realize it was my own sweater. I have managed to locate my poise anyway, and given ... [READ MORE]
