Finding my game at midlife
Have you ever had one of those days? Maybe not a day worthy of posting to the FML website, but one that reminds you of the children's book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? Monday was like that for me. By the time the day ended, I couldn't isolate anything that I'd call ... [Continue Reading]
By any name and in any form, losing is a drag. Our family experienced this yesterday, when my son's water polo team lost a playoff match to a lower-seeded team -- an opponent that, on another day, they probably would have defeated handily. Post-game analysis of why they lost might be useful to the ... [Continue Reading]
Phew, it's done. My son submitted his first college application this week. He still has more applications to complete before January 1, but getting that first one done is a big accomplishment. Especially because turning in an "early application" usually means you have to fill out the Common App, ... [Continue Reading]
Yesterday I hosted the last team dinner I'll ever get to host. My son's water polo team gathered at our home prior to a tournament they're playing this weekend. Two other moms helped me, and we served the boys mounds of carne asada, hot tortillas, enchiladas, Spanish rice and salad. As if that ... [Continue Reading]
A family wedding lets us reconnect with relatives, revisit memories, and reflect on the bond that draws families together. That's what I did last weekend, when I attended the wedding of my husband's cousin's son. While neither of us knew the groom well and had never met the bride, we were happy ... [Continue Reading]
First day of school photo Yesterday I took my last "first day of school" photo. I have thirty-nine such photos, thirteen of each child. I've stashed them in various places around my house or on the hard drive of my computer. But yesterday's was the last one. The final picture I would take of my ... [Continue Reading]
Today my incomparable daughter turns twenty. It sounds trite to say, "I was there when you were born." But I was, actually. Where did two decades go? I can see the passage of time in the wrinkles on my own face, but it seems like such a short while ago that I was pushing a ... [Continue Reading]
Despite magnificent weather, gorgeous scenery and the company of three of my four favorite people (our daughter wasn’t there), I still struggled over “unplugging” from the Internet in order to enjoy our family’s trip to Yosemite last weekend. I knew from past trips that cellular coverage ... [Continue Reading]
Today my last child takes his last SAT. He took it earlier this year, and conventional wisdom suggests taking it a second time can help you improve your scores, but you need to be careful about giving the appearance on your college applications that you've taken it "too many" times. Meaning you ... [Continue Reading]
Greetings from Puerto Vallarta! I came here for the long weekend with my college kids and my son's girlfriend. We're staying at a property we used to enjoy when it was operated by Hoteles Camino Real, a high-end Mexican chain similar to Westin. But several years back the property changed hands and ... [Continue Reading]
