Fast times and wild living with (the former) Baby Whozit…
Posted in Jessica, Second Grader on Sep 11th, 2014
I’m no fan of rigid gender stereotypes in general, but I particularly dislike how color coded things have gotten. It seems like almost everyone I know who opted to learn her baby’s gender before birth did it so she* could “get the nursery ready” or “shop for clothes before the baby arrives.” After all, if […]
Posted in Jessica, Second Grader on Sep 3rd, 2014
Brandeis offers rewards to students each month who exemplify a certain characteristic. One month it might be “generosity”, another it might be “conscientiousness.” I’m nominating Simon for the “self control” award. Actually, I’m unilaterally awarding it to him, and I defy anyone to challenge me. This is a kid who has been corrected at school […]
Posted in Jessica, Second Grader on Aug 28th, 2014
Picture the scene. It’s about 10:30 p.m. Simon is upstairs in bed, and Matt and I are downstairs in the living room. He’s sorting electronics parts and I’m collating PTA flyers while we both keep an eye on the Arsenal Champions League qualifying game. Suddenly, I think I hear footsteps. A few seconds later, I […]
Posted in Family, Jessica, Second Grader on Aug 26th, 2014
Much to my surprise, the era of Dirty Dog and Dirty Dog’s Twin appears to have reached an end. For the past week or so, they have spent the night with me, as Simon has determined that I can “take care of the 7-year-olds” while he attends to the younger set. This is all a […]
Posted in Jessica, Second Grader on Aug 21st, 2014
It has come to my attention that I haven’t been doing a good job of helping Simon become more independent. This is largely the result of his being an only child; there wasn’t anyone younger or needier to divert me away from him when he was two or three, so I’ve kept on doing certain […]
Posted in Jessica, Second Grader on Aug 15th, 2014
Second grade started Wednesday this week and brought with it a bundle of mixed emotions including trepidation, concern, anxiousness, and fear. It’s probably the worst I’ve felt about the beginning of a school year since the early days of preschool. There were two primary reasons for this. The first, as I’ve mentioned before, is the […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Aug 8th, 2014
As you may recall (or not), Simon spent a lot of time in swim lessons back when he was five. He started with Red Cross swim classes the summer before his last year of preschool, switched over to the Lenny Krayzelburg academy (also at the JCC) in September, and continued there through May, nearly 10 […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Aug 5th, 2014
Simon has, and has had, many girl friends in his short life. Not girlfriends, mind you, he’s still too young and innocent to think that way, but girls who are friends. I have assumed all along that this will pay off in about four years when he suddenly “sees” girls and knows how to talk […]
So there’s been something afoot in our house for the last six weeks or so that I haven’t written about: Cambria has been sick. One day in early May, Cambria gobbled up his dinner and then promptly thew it all up. I teased him for eating too fast, re-fed him, and forgot about it until […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Jul 23rd, 2014
More than once, my mother has told me that I am a better mother than she was in certain regards, namely in patience. I appreciate it, even if that kind of praise slightly embarrasses and humbles me. Well, mom, this one is for you! Simon is at the University of Louisville soccer camp this week […]