I can’t think of anything to write about because all I can think about is ebola. I know I’m insanely alarmist, and I’m trying really hard not to be. Clearly I am not succeeding. Please don’t fill up my combox with all the science-y reasons about why it’s not going to spread and why I have nothing to worry about, because all my science friends already tried that. It all sounds completely reasonable and I feel immeasurably better until I... Read more
Six months ago, I bought a big whiteboard to function as a chore chart. On Saturday, I finally put it up. After it was up for 24 hours, I couldn’t handle the big, rectangular blankness of it, so I began designing a chore chart for my wee hellions minions. The first four drafts were based on Pinterest pictures. After repeatedly measuring, graphing, adding cutesy flourishes and rhymes, and doling out hilariously optimistic chores, I remembered that this was not supposed... Read more
Last night, I was on the phone with Charlotte’s godfather, whining about how I’m sick again, with a horrible sore throat, and how the Ogre has to work every night, and how everything is a study in tragedy — then Liam threw a package of paper towels at my face. I was annoyed, and told Borja so, and he responded with all the wisdom of a Greek chorus. “Throw them back,” he said. And so I did. Merriment ensued, and... Read more
The Ogre: “So, are you still ovulating?” Me: ” ‘Still’? Babe, do you even know how ovulation works?” The Ogre: “I know you guys shove an egg down a conveyor belt or something and I have to wait until it falls off the other end.” Me: “Wow. No wonder it took us 10 years to get the hang of NFP.” Read more
Just a few years ago, though, I wrote a post about how NFP sucks. I meant every word of that post. I still mean every word of that post. But now I have experienced a counterpoint to NFP’s magnificent suckery, and I think I should tell you about it, because until now I truly believed that the benefits of using NFP were about as real as a unicorn made out of leprechauns. Wait, let me just head off at the... Read more
When I was a kid, all the way from middle school to high school, I had three best friends. We called ourselves the “fearsome foursome” and did ridiculous things like go see Hanson in concert at 8 am on a school day and crash a golf cart in an ill-conceived attempt at joyriding. We grew apart in college, and we each made adult lives for ourselves with new friends and new family. I miss my friends sometimes, and I pay... Read more
Yesterday was Lincoln’s birthday. He turned two. He had no clue what was happening, he had no expectations, and he had no capacity for disappointment. His long-suffering Dada, however was another story. I’m not the greatest at planning ahead for birthdays…or really even remembering them. The girls’ are easy, because they’re a week apart, right before Christmas, and Sienna starts talking about it at the beginning of October. Liam’s always gets lost in summer travel and/or celebrated in Texas. Lincoln’s... Read more
Charlotte and I got a rare couple of hours alone in the car this morning, and as always with Charlotte, our conversation was both terrifying and delightful. Charlotte: “Mommy, what day is today?” Me: “Today is Monday. It’s the start of a new week!” Charlotte: “So today is the first day?” Me: “Yep, that’s right. Monday is the first day of the week.” Charlotte: “So tomorrow is the second day?” Me: “Yes, Tuesday is the second day.” Charlotte: “And there... Read more
The Ogre (snarkily): “How’s your Manhattan?” Me: “It’s delicious. I love Manhattans. What’s wrong with a Manhattan?” The Ogre: “It’s just sort of an old person’s drink.” Me: “No way! Manhattans are the new hotness.” The Ogre: “You’re the new hotness, babe. The Manhattan is not.” Read more
Christendom has fallen. It is no more. It isn’t fatalistic to say that. It isn’t hopeless to admit it. It’s a good thing to realize when and where we are in history, so we can do what is being asked of us right now. These people aren’t our enemies. We shouldn’t fear them or fight them. We shouldn’t entrench ourselves and dig in, desperately clinging to the last bit of control we think we have over a world gone... Read more
Barefoot and Pregnant
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