I am surrounded by incredible women. My friends, my friends. They are in their early 20s and #fierce; they are approaching 40 and full of grace; they are in their mid-60s, preternaturally energetic and endlessly patient. They are single and married, raising children or choosing a different definition of family, straight and gay. They are athletes and artists, executives and teachers, therapists, stay-home moms, entrepreneurs. They live in tiny urban apartments or sprawling suburban homes. I feel sometimes like I live at the nexus of this beautiful, shining web of women who have come ... [READ MORE]
Spin. Stop.
August 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Driving through North Beach this morning, pondering the closure of the French-Italian bakery and what an olfactory loss that was for the neighborhood, wondering cynically what hipster cocktail cave will take its place, it occurred to me that I'm actively trying to make peace with my city. It's an old saw, how much San Francisco has changed -- is changing -- since the arrival of the Tech Set. It's not particularly new, even (hello, late '90s) but somehow the tiny basement-room ripples became penthouse-level waves, and things are shape-shifting so visibly now. I drive down streets I've ... [READ MORE]
Headlines
July 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
We have to hide half the magazines now that LittleMan can read. We bury the Time underneath the Highlights and the Lego Club and the Cooking Light. We quietly tuck the headlines -- about terror, about sex abuse, about disease -- into our gym bags and out-of-sight. I feel as though we exist on two intellectual planes: one, where we talk in hurried, whispered tones with other adults about the heartbreaking and incendiary news of the day, and another where we talk to our children and go swimming and see the Secret Life of Pets twice in one week, which lately feels like an exercise in ... [READ MORE]
Stripped Down
July 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The long-timers know that back in the day I used to write a column for my girl Jess at Nest Studio called Stylin' Mamma, where I'd put together an outfit based on stuff going on in my fascinating, glamorous life as an inexpert mom-of-two-children under-ten/part-time philanthropy consultant. (I know. Don't be jealous.) I would sometimes link back to LotF and sometimes not; I generally thought of this blog and that blog as two separate pursuits. However, I recently decided that writing is writing, and I might as well start writing all in one spot. Also: I spend an (unjustifiably) ... [READ MORE]
The Only Grown-Up in the Room
July 11, 2016 by 1 Comment
Home. It's good to be home. Last week, after a glorious, extended July 4th weekend, I found myself standing in a hot, dry wind in the parking lot of an insurance office -- or possibly a bank, I'm honestly not sure -- in Travis, California. My heart was beating in my ears and every inch of me was sweating as I stared at our crumpled hatchback and (perhaps slightly hysterically) instructed the agitated children in the backseat to PLEASE AFTER EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED JUST STAY IN THE CAR. I was breathing hard, trying process all the thoughts and questions stacking up in my mind. In no ... [READ MORE]
Love…ish
July 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment
It is Saturday morning and I'm making Star Wars pancakes in the kitchen while the kids wait expectantly in their chairs. They both want Yoda, of course, but there is only one Yoda mold, meaning I have to do two batches before we can put food on the table lest I be accused of the heinous crime of serving one of my children before the other. (As an aside, do your kids like Star Wars? Have you seen these? I bought them on a whim four years ago, thinking the whole time, Ugh, I am such a sucker, this is such a frivolous splurge, but you know what? Roughly 200 Saturday mornings later and it's ... [READ MORE]
Being There
June 9, 2016 by 1 Comment
I'm feeling a little bit under-appreciated by my kids lately. Can I say that? Is that selfish? It's summer vacation, and unlike past years when I froze in the face of tackling childcare/camp/travel for twelve weeks, this year I stared it right in the face and planned -- if I do say so -- a pretty fah-bulous summer break for my kids, complete with Lego Camp for the kickoff, a camping weekend, and no fewer than 3.5 weeks in Tahoe including 4th of July fireworks. BAM. I am #winning at summer. Except that we are, oh, 4 days in, and my kids are not sharing the feeling. Instead of being ... [READ MORE]
