Recreating My Childhood, One Board Game At a Time
I’ve been recreating my childhood one board game at a time. Or actually, not my whole entire childhood. Were I to try to recreate my whole entire childhood I’d need … Continue reading
Summer Camp, All Alone
This week is camp week. You know the kind I mean. You slather four children in sunscreen, pack four bags with yesterday’s damp swimsuits and towels, and then send them … Continue reading
The Tooth Fairy Forgot to Come Last Night
The tooth fairy forgot to come last night. Mica walked into my bedroom this morning, waking me with his sad, sweet little face and shuffling footy pajama’ed feet. He said with the … Continue reading
The Twins Turn Six (from the Basement Tapes)
Again and again this year I found myself beginning posts I never finished or finishing posts I never polished enough to post. So they’ve sat half-lost in a virtual notepad, … Continue reading
Sleeping Children, Peace, and Other Thankful Thoughts
Tim brought Mica to me last night. I was in bed. We were watching television, the president juxtaposed against Ferguson, burning cars and police in riot gear throwing tear gas, … Continue reading
The Nose, A Life in Smells
We have a smeller in the house. One would think I mean that we have someone who’s making the house smell bad, which isn’t that inaccurate. All four of my … Continue reading
I Am Afraid
Mica lost his first tooth today. It’s been wiggling in his mouth, nestled in his tiny deep-ocean gums like a pearl, since mid-winter. Today, in honor of Roald Dahl, it … Continue reading
It’s the Little Things
All the big stuff is mostly done: the auction auctioned, the art show hung, the birthday party partied, even school is almost finished. This Sunday was a day of rest. … Continue reading
Circle Time, My Baby Boy Turns 7
Today is Jasper’s seventh birthday. I actually forgot it was today. It turns out that with planning the big party for a million kids and apparently hundreds and hundreds of … Continue reading
Motherhood is… (A Toenail in Your Eye)
I should have something to say about Mother’s Day. When Tim asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day I initially said I wanted two hours to go use the … Continue reading
A Blanket of Children
These days seem to be more and more filled with distancing moments. Moments when I try to manage my five-year-old daughter’s Mean Girl moments and she rolls her eyes and … Continue reading
Memento Mori, the Baby’s Dress
I’ve been busy. You know, busy with that other thing I do besides being a mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, blogger (that still feels so weird to type), runner, and … Continue reading
Forgetting to Remember
I thought of this thing today, but then it left my mind. It left my mind amidst the tumble of things I’m supposed to be doing, the school auction, the … Continue reading
4 Thunder Road, Cape Cod, New Jersey (for my Dad)
This is us, creating a sense of time and place for our children. Last night at bedtime, after the teeth were flossed and brushed, the pajamas put on, the stories … Continue reading
Cleaning House: The Craft Table
This is the part I wrote two weeks ago: Once a week I take all the recycling piled in the mud room out to the garage, put it in five … Continue reading
Becoming a Parent
Do you remember the first time you held a newborn? I was sitting in my sister’s house. She pulled out a boob that no longer even faintly resembled mine (we … Continue reading
Today is the Day
Today is the day. Today is the day we all woke up late and groggy and grouchy because of the high school holiday concert last night that began at 7:30 … Continue reading
Celeriac, A Coming of Age
“Is this celeriac? I love this celeriac!” Five-year-old Mica exclaimed this while sitting in the bar of a funky little Mexican, biker, gourmet, locally sourced Mexican restaurant in Brunswick, ME. The … Continue reading
The Song and My Father
I’ve been wanting to write something. I’ve been wanting to write two somethings, actually. One something begins like this. It finally happened. Today, driving in the minivan, I heard the … Continue reading
Four Kids, One Limo
“Mo-om!! I don’t want her in my room! It’s MY room!” Driving home from school last week with every car seat in the minivan full, Reid was contemplating a play date … Continue reading
Lego My Ego
Another long-overdue thank you. Dear Ole Kirk Christiansen (May I call you Ole?), It was great reading about you in Wikipedia the other day. I’m sorry this thank you is … Continue reading
A Response to All the Things Our Parents Did Badly
I was standing in Jasper’s kindergarten classroom for orientation and during an awkward moment of quiet I turned to the mother I’d just met and said, “I feel like our … Continue reading
I love the word retarded, and it’s a complicated love.
I love the word retarded, and it’s a complicated love. Third-Grade Me: “Blah, blah, blah, my retarded brother.” In my memory time stands still in this very Quentin Tarantino way. … Continue reading
Picture Day?! Seriously?
I missed picture day last Monday. I mean, my kids were at school and everything, but Reid was dressed like a polka dot Oompa-Loompa and Mica’s pants didn’t entirely cover … Continue reading
Mama Makes Art (and I Ain’t Lion)
So I have an art exhibit hanging somewhere. (At Pingree School, Bertolon Gallery, opening party at 6 pm on Nov. 5th, 2013, but who’s asking?) I write this because the … Continue reading
It’s Almost Like Remembering (Seize the Day)
I wish I had written more during my first six years of motherhood. When I try to remember back, everything looks so fragmented, like a poop-filled, life-flashing-before-my-eyes moment. If I … Continue reading
jen groeber: mama art 