To Babygirl, At Your First Birthday

Dear Babygirl, Did you think I was neglecting you on this blog?  I assure you that's not the case.  It's just that, until recently, you weren't really that blog-worthy. Let's face it: your first year was what I fondly refer to as the Appendage Age (or the AppendAge), as in, you were basically an appendage dangling off my chest in your Ergo carrier, first all snuggled in and out of sight and now sticking out, waving those arms and kicking those legs and constantly attempting to eat my nose and pull out my earrings. But now the AppendAge is coming to an end.  Babyman is in school five ... [READ MORE]

Celebrating a Decade

This week I am back on The Eagle's Nest, with a short bit about our 10th Anniversary, which happens to be today.  Yes, I have been married a decade.  A DECADE! Babyman is rather flustered that he is not receiving presents (my husband gave me a beautiful Mediterranean cookbook at breakfast).  "Is it a special day for me?" he keeps asking.  We continue to explain that it's a special day for all of us, because if Mommy and Daddy hadn't gotten married, then we wouldn't have our wonderful family.  This does not explain the absence of presents, however, so he is consoling himself with the fact ... [READ MORE]

And So It Begins, Part 2 (How It Really Began)

Babyman started his new Pre-K the first Monday after our two-week family vacation in Tahoe. Babyman is not fond of change or shake-ups to his routine.  He is, however, tremendously fond of family vacations in Tahoe.  It follows that shaking up his routine just as our Tahoe vacation came to an end was something less than popular. We dedicated the ride home to hyper-enthusiastic Pre-K prep as only nervous parents can.  We stopped along the way to get a back-to-school outfit and, most importantly, a snazzy Cars 2 lunchbox.  The lunchbox, its utter coolness, its "I can't wait to show the ... [READ MORE]

And So It Begins

Dear Babyman, Last week I dropped you off for your first day of Pre-K.  For the second time in your short life, you will attend school five days a week; this time, however, it's for good.  There will be no chance in the years to come for us to say, "You know?  Five days is a lot for a little man.  How can we scale it back?"  After Pre-K comes Kindergarten comes Grade 1, and that's real school, man. So on Monday I dropped you off, new lunchbox in hand (Cars 2), new shirt on your back (Toy Story), and you ventured into that big room with the big kids and the tall cubbies, and you hung your ... [READ MORE]

Money Well Spent

We are spending about three or four hours a day at the pool since coming to Tahoe, usually a morning session and an afternoon swim.  Babyman loves the pool here; for the first time in his life, he can (barely) touch the bottom of the shallow end, and he spends a great deal of time on his tiptoes gasping for air. My husband and I, of course, would love to see some real swimming.  For the past year or so, Babyman has been taking private swim lessons, and the kid's got skills.  Seriously.  But, as with all things Babyman, they depend massively on his mood and inclination to oblige.  So we wade ... [READ MORE]

Mommy Chic

I cut my hair a few months ago.  I know, I know: what is it about new moms going and chopping off all of their hair?  Well, I have two theories: 1. When you are pregnant, your hair gets AH-mazing.  Prell-commercial fabulous.  When you are hair challenged, as I am, this is a wonderful side benefit of the whole human-condominium thing.  But then when you have your baby and your hormones drop, like, overnight, all of that fabulous hair falls out in giant clumpfuls.  (I'm sorry...if you haven't had kids yet I am probably freaking you out right about now.)  So that lush mane becomes a stringy ... [READ MORE]

Resisting A Rest

It's just past noon in sunny Lake Tahoe and I'm watching Cars 2 with Babyman, blogging, and having a mimosa.  No complaints here (besides Babyman, who at present is calling the landscaper a bad guy! for daring to mow the lawn during movie hour). I've said it before, but Tahoe Time is a rather wonderful parallel universe in which to vacation.   There are swings and slides and rock walls.  There is swimming, kayaking, and digging in the sand.  There are geese in chevron flight and grasshoppers and dragonflies and ice cream cones melting in the sun and cold beers by the pool in the late ... [READ MORE]