He Had Us At Hello

Posted March 2, 2010

Once upon a time, there was a boy. The boy owned a red dog with a curly tail. The dog was one of a kind—a mixed-breed stray found riding the “T” in Boston. This boy loved this dog more than anything in the world. Until the day the boy met the girl.

At first, the dog resented the girl for usurping his place in the car (among other places) but after many months, he grew to tolerate her. The trio moved to the suburbs. The dog was unhappy. He was no suburbanite; he was a city dweller. The boy and the girl tried to cheer him up. They got a puppy to keep him company. The dog thought this was a tremendously stupid idea but learned to tolerate the puppy at least as well as he did the girl. Life was good.

Time passed. Before they knew it, the boy and the girl grew up…(click for more)

The Little Usurper

Posted January 5, 2010

I do like to share! But sometimes, I don’t. Mom got this picture in the mail and then she hung it up on the big board in the kitchen. She thinks it’s funny. I don’t. It makes me mad!

I share stuff with my big brother and my sister and my friends at school. And I share with my baby cousins. But I don’t always want to.

Babies! Who needs them?

When I woke up today, Mom told me that G.B. (Gargantuan Baby) was coming over to play. She took out all the baby toys and put the gate around the stove. Ha! G.B. doesn’t know that fire is hot? I know that fire is hot…(click for more)

Riddle Me This

Posted September 28, 2010

A friend of mine sent me a link to an ABC feature piece. It starts with this 40 year old riddle: A father and son are in a horrible car accident. The father dies at the scene. The son is transported via ambulance to the closest hospital. In the emergency room, the head surgeon says, “I cannot operate on this boy; he is my son.” Who is the head surgeon?

This is easy, right?

Except, for some people, it isn’t…(click for more)

Good to Know

Posted June 18, 2009

Last week, I was informed that for the past month, Henry opted to spend his weekly “swim time” parked in a pool-side chair instead of paddling in the swimming pool. His recalcitrance spread to the other children and was an “issue.”

Indeed.

I hate to swim. Not only am I a sinker, but I am uncomfortable in the locker room. I never know where to look.

Nonetheless, I agreed to go swimming with Henry….(click for more)

Labels

Posted July 14, 2009

We were at my husband’s high school reunion. It’s been twenty years since he made headlines in the local newspaper for wearing sunglasses while giving his commencement speech.

My name tag read Mary [Not My Legal Last Name Because I Felt Strongly About Keeping My Maiden Name]. I smiled blandly at lots of people that I didn’t know and had heard hardly anything about. I shook hands and laughed politely at little jokes. And then it happened…(click for more)

The Show Must Go On!

Posted July 25, 2009

Years from now, I may have to explain to a medical professional—potentially court-appointed—that I was the person who introduced my two youngest children to cannibalism.

We were on our way to watch Liam’s acting debut in his Drama Camp’s six-scene play called “Potions 4 Peace.” In accordance with my modus operandi, we were running about ten minutes late. I hustled the kids into the Flynn Center’s elevator. Henry lifted up “Piggy” (his ever-present companion) to push the button for the third floor. For the millionth time, I tried not to think about the germs that are undoubtedly embedded in Piggy’s stuffing…(click for more)

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