For those who know me, it’s no secret that I have a special bond with gay men. We like the same movies (Auntie Mame!), we love stories with dramatic flair, and we appreciate fabulous fashion. So, when my second child was a boy, I was thrilled! “Oohh!! Maybe he’ll grow up to be a drag queen!” I thought. Sparkles, rhinestones, gorgeous costumes, cabaret songs all danced in my head. At first, there were all sorts of positive signs. He wore…
Walt Whitman: “This is what you shall do: love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone who asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unkown.” I love this quote. It frees me from the shackles of anger. I get so mad at people who want to restrict…
A friend brought us cuttings of amazing purple irises today to plant, along with some compost. While George was planting them, Annabelle found a slug in the compost. “What should I name it, Mom? Sam or Elizabeth?””Hmmm, well, does it seem like a Sam or Elizabeth to you?””Sam,” she said, and she made a little house for it out of a seashell and a stick.She was very excited about her new pet, so when George took the pot of dirt to…
OK, I elect two-year-old Henry as messiest toddler of the year. This afternoon, he was eating a chocolate ice cream cone which is only allowed in the kitchen. I saw him through the crack of the door toddling down the hall with his cone. I watched him drop it upside down, squat down to pick it up, but then change his mind and get down on all fours where he promptly began eating it like a puppy. I was brushing…
Well, it happened–I’m really 40 years old!! Who would have thought I’d ever reach this milestone?! I feel fabulous! I’m exactly where I want to be, living my impossible dream–absolute bliss with Henry and Annabelle and George, living in exotic New Orleans and the beautiful Martha’s Vineyard, a family I adore, incredible friends…I had the perfect birthday–friends, family, skiing, laughing, sitting in the hot tub with dear girlfriends, a huge dinner and hilarious talent show with my family, laughing with…
As my 40th birthday looms (a mere month away) I’m amazed by people’s reactions when I tell them I’m turning 40, the most common being, “YOU’RE turning 40?! Wow! You look great!”I’m so perplexed by this! I guess I could understand if I was turning 80, but I don’t think of 40 as old. Yes, by the age of 40 there’s no getting around the fact that you’re officially a grown-up, but I’ve been toying with this idea for a…
Henry awakened me last night asking to nurse “fo one minute.” I said no, he kept asking, so I raised the two-finger tickle monster who said, “Sh!” over and over again until it reached Henry’s tummy and he collapsed in giggles. This went on for a while, and Henry kept asking, so finally Dr. Pinky came out and said, “No nursing! You’re too big! Nursing is for babies.” Henry said, “Dat pinky can’t talk! He doesn’t have a mouth!” Exactly!…
Well, she asked the next biggie: “Mom, who is the sandman?” “What do you mean?” “Is he a guy?” “Hmmmm, well, he’s kind of like a flying gnome with a long beard and a bag of sand over his shoulder.” I don’t know, what do you tell a four year old about the sandman who comes and sprinkles sand dust dreams over her eyes at night?
Annabelle asked me the big question the other day.”Mom, where do babies come from?””From their mothers,” I replied.”I know, but where do the mothers come from?” she asked.”Oh, well, the ocean and the stars and the mountains all come together and swirl their energy and make a baby.””Oh,” she said, drawing a picture of herself standing next to a flower, “I thought they came from nurses.” My little sister has always told me that you’re supposed to tell the biological…