“I am scared Mommy,” my daughter whispers. She wraps her wet arms around my leg and soaks the fabric of my bathing suit cover up. We are at my friend’s country club with a few other moms and their kids. After an hour in the shallow, inviting kiddie pool, our group has moved over to… [Read More]
The Yiddish Word Helps Me Be a Loving Parent
There is something powerful about the way that a single word can bring up so many memories. I delve into this topic in an essay published on Kveller last week about a comforting word that my family has used for generations. Click here to read the whole essay. An excerpt is posted below. My… [Read More]
Starting Small and Speaking Up
Our voices are powerful and we have a responsibility to use them. This was the most important lesson that I took away from my attendance at BlogHer 2015 last weekend, which is a blogging conference that I attened in New York City. The weekend was overwhelming – in the best of ways. From a practical standpoint, one of the best benefits of… [Read More]
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I started keeping a journal as soon as I learned how to write. I wrote on whatever I could find, like loose pieces of paper, pink diaries with heart-shaped locks and spiral notebooks. My wild imagination as a child resulted in the writings of my early years being full of mystical realism: half truth and… [Read More]
The Weight of Her
We are all weighed down: by people, our histories and our troubles. As much as I live and breathe my daughter, she weighs me down, literally and figuratively. In this piece published on Mamalode, I write about the weight of her and how it comforts me. My essay, “The Weight of Her” is posted below: … [Read More]
The Morning of Imperfect Butterflies
The rhythm of the rain on the roof made a pitter-patter sound and the windows were foggy from the moisture when I woke up. We had a quiet morning planned, just me and my daughter. I secretly felt a bit relieved, that I wasn’t going to spend the day slathering sunscreen on my daughter and putting her hat back on… [Read More]
When coming in last place feels like first
My two-year-old daughter loves to run. She bolts ahead of me in the worst places, like grocery stores and parking lots. “Run, run, run!” she calls to her little legs, willing them to go faster. When I take her out in the running stroller she always cheers me on. “Go Mommy run,” she yells to… [Read More]
Does it Really Get Better?
When I mention that I love having a two-year old, I often get the same response. “It gets better, just wait,” people tell me. They say it with knowing smiles, thinking about their own kids who are teenagers or adults or middle-schoolers. I can see in their faces how well rested they have become over… [Read More]
Adventures in Gardening
Last month, I decided that I was going to plant herbs this summer. My yard has a dirt bed that is perfect for planting and my mom gave me gardening instructions. I have never gardened before in my life and actually had to purchase tools, so this was a new adventure for me. I brought… [Read More]
unfinished…
Cheerios are everywhere – always: in my diaper bag, in my daughter’s pockets and behind the sofa. They crunch under my feet in the kitchen. My daughter picks them up from the floor and eats them. I shrug. “At least she is eating something for breakfast,” I tell myself. I find them in her toys… [Read More]