Inspiration

  • Whisks, Violins, Rabbit Muffins, and Wishing I had a Tail…

    Hours

    I couldn’t help but shake my head in wonder tonight as two-year-old Henry took the whisk from out of the kitchen drawer, stuck it between his legs, and started to ride it around the kitchen making clip-clop noises with his tongue. “Look a’ me, Abelle” he said and continued to gallop and clip-clop. When he says “Abelle”, it sounds like Apple. George was making a grilled cheese sandwich for Abelle while this went on, and he flipped the spatula in…

  • Another Day in Paradise

    Hours

    Well, well, well, I was sitting in the car in the parking lot at the beach, trying to open Annabelle’s squeezy yogurt. I spent about five minutes trying to open it like a lady, ripping it with my fingers. I was now resorting to trying to open it like an animal, sinking my teeth into it and tearing, but no, it wasn’t budging. As I was sitting there, I felt something hit me in the back of the head, then…

  • The Bunky’s Pink Glittery Footprints

    Hours

    Henry has become obsessed with our neighbor’s nasty-ass trash cans. Today he toddled over to their yard wearing only a diaper and my cheetah print platform flip-flops and dragged their giant can all the way back to our house. He tried to get it up the stairs on the porch and into the house!! He’s a bunky!! (That’ a bunny and a monkey combo for those of you who don’t know).”Henry! Put that trash can down!” I said. “No, Mama!”…

  • Stillwater the Panda and Dynamite in a Jelly Jar

    Hours

    Today we went to see Kung Fu Panda and there were some striking similarities between me and the great panda, namely our love for cookies. I’m loving panda bears right now–especially wise lovable ones named Stillwater–as seen in the brilliant children’s books: Zen Ties, Zen Shorts, and Zen Ghosts by Jon Muth. Stillwater becomes friends with three children and teaches them life lessons through fascinating stories. For example, one story is about two monks are crossing a river the same…

  • Bearded Lady and her Bearded Goat

    Hours

    I have been wanting to take Henry and Annabelle to toddler time at the Native Earth Teaching Farm for years. We’ve never made it.  Usually our mornings are very slow and lovely. The kids completely disappear in their own play worlds in the morning and I absolutely love making them something warm and delicious–pancakes, oatmeal, english muffins. This morning I had a double whammy of delight and made pancakes AND chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. I then dressed each child (a…

  • Idyllic Day

    Hours

    Today we had the most idyllic day in Utah. It started out crazy as we overslept. We had to race out the door to my sister’s to babysit Zoe and Watson so she could exercise. They are 3 and 4 years old. We made bluberry muffins–they loved the tops–and then jumped on the trampoline and chased butterflies around the yard. My sister’s yard is lush and beautiful with acres of emerald green lawn, towering pine trees and the most fantastic…

  • Curves

    Hours

    My oh my. It all began last summer when I saw my friend Neila, and she looked goood! Wearing leggings and a fitted shirt, she was toned. Nothing jiggled or shook. Granted, she has always had a phenomenal body, a dancer’s body with ballet posture and a small ribcage and long long legs, but she just looked good. I asked her what she was doing for exercise and she said she was going to Curves. This surprised me as I…

  • A Pirate in the Park

    Hours

    Ok, technically he wasn’t REALLY a pirate…he was a commodore. Or so he said. We were playing on the playground in Audubon Park when I spied out of the corner of my eye, a man striding across the park wearing a long pirate coat, pirate pants, tall boots, a sword in his scabbard, and a huge three-cornered hat complete with dancing feathers on his head.  His long black hair was tied back in a ponytail. “Annabelle! Look! A pirate!” I…

  • V-Jay-Jay VDay!

    Hours

    Well, Saturday night was my first real night out after bedtime (7pm!) in four years! I went to see VDay–the tenth anniversary of the Vagina Monologues. Eve Ensler has chosen to focus on Gulf Coast women for 2008. She wrote some INCREDIBLE monologues for the women of Katrina and dear New Orleans. She opened the show with a monologue saying New Orleans is like the “woman” of America. People come to her for pleasure, for spiciness, for fun, but when…