From the category archives:

holidays in hell

Father’s Day

June 21, 2009

“I don’t remember my first Father’s Day,” my husband says. Our children play and shriek at his feet. He looks at me over the head of our oldest, our daughter, with a half-smile on his face.
I look at him for a minute, then I remember. “We went to the cemetery,” I say. “With my mom. [...]

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Snips and Snails and Puppydog Tails

March 29, 2009

He is so different.
He doesn’t want to cuddle, even with his mama, unless there is a bottle involved. First thing in the morning, riding high on his daddy’s arm, he greets me with rosy cheeks and a slow, shy smile that finally bursts as bright as the sun shining in our eyes.
I hear them, before [...]

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Toothsome

January 1, 2009

I don’t remember what The Poo was like when she was teething.
In fact, I find that I can barely remember what she was like as an infant at all. Her first Christmas came and went, made remarkable only by the 6-inch fresh scar on my abdomen and the shell shock of newborn nights.
When did [...]

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Let There Be Peace On Earth

December 25, 2008

… and let it begin with me.
Merry Christmas to each and every one of you, and may God bless us in this new year.

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Prayer

December 24, 2008

We are practicing Catholics.
Some combination of us attend Mass Saturday evenings; lately, Mr. C takes The Poo, while Shaggy and I stay behind. The five o’clock hour is the boy’s worst, and trust me when I say no crying room can contain his wrath.
The Poo generally behaves as would any other four-year-old who is asked [...]

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Winter Driving Tips From Mrs. Chicken

December 18, 2008

If the weatherman predicts an ice storm for the next day, IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO DRIVE WITH EXTREME CAUTION THE DAY BEFORE THE PREDICTED STORM.
When an ice storm does hit, STAY HOME.
When the posted speed limit is 35 mph, IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO DRIVE AT 30 MPH.
If you are driving under the posted [...]

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Fifteen Hours

December 1, 2008

She jogged across the parking lot, baby carrier in her hand. Fast and nimble, her head hidden by her brown hood.
She’s traveling alone, I noted. Then The Poo tugged my hand.
“Hurry, Mama!” she yelled. “It’s so cold!”
***
It rained and snowed all the way from New York, the roads misty with spray. For two hours we [...]

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The Poo’s Perspective

December 31, 2007

The Poo received a digital camera for Christmas, one made just for kids by Vtech. It is fascinating to see the world from her perspective.
Here is Christmas, as seen by one just-turned-three-year-old:

If you’ve got time to kill, you can see the whole set here.

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From Us To You

December 24, 2007
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Someone Was A Very Good Girl This Year

December 18, 2007

She sat down on the stairs, her face skeptical.
“Poo, there’s something I think you want to see,” her father said, looking like a little boy himself in candy-striped pajama bottoms.
“What, Daddy?”
“Santa came in the night while you were sleeping!”
Her eyes widened, and her resolve to remain on the staircase deepened. We looked at each other [...]

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