When life gets overwhelming, I retreat. I avoid family and friends and social situations. I stop calling. I stop emailing. I stop transmitting. I go completely radio silent.
Honestly, I don’t know if anyone really notices. Which is exactly what I prefer. It’s easy to just fade [...]
I used to travel a bit in my old job. Whenever I was required to leave for more than a couple of days, I would promise to bring the kids a present. This seemed to ease the pain for everyone, their sadness and my guilt. I know this wasn’t the best approach; it was just [...]
I have an unconventional child. He is different. He thinks, feels, and sees things differently. And although we celebrate the different under our Big Top, sometimes, different can be really hard.
There was a time when we thought he could navigate life and the education system like any other conventional child. [...]
Last week the Acrobat had her first Girl Scout meeting. It’s her second year as a Girl Scout, before that she was a Brownie.
It’s easy to distinguish her vest from the other thirteen vests in the room. Hers is strikingly absent of badges. Not a single patch can be found on [...]
My kids know that smoking and drugs are bad. They know they can kill you. They learn this in school and at home. It’s rare when they see someone smoking, but when they do, they usually point it out in disapproving shock.
I just realized that they probably don’t have the same [...]
Back when the Magician was in 2nd Grade, his teacher, Mrs. Smith, introduced the 200 Club. It was a way to motivate the kids to learn how to count to 200, and then 300, and so on.
When I started hearing about this club, I casually asked the Magician about it. I [...]
Once upon a time, the Painted Lady suffered from warts. She was embarrassed and self-conscious. They were on her knee and her hand and they just kept spreading and multiplying like bacteria in a petri dish. She tried Compound W with no results. Twice, she had a dermatologist painfully burn them off, [...]
“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.”
John Maeda
I love to sing. I also happen to be tone deaf. My dear, sweet Auntie Val broke this news to me years ago. I can’t remember how old I was, or what I felt. I just remember her telling me. That moment, although not the least bit traumatic, spared me years [...]
“You should know the Christians are converting the Jews in the neighborhood.” This was the phone call that I received from my neighbor. Mind you, we are not Mormons. My kids are not riding the streets in dark suits, carrying bibles and looking to convert anyone in their path. This was merely [...]
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