Posts tagged “Finley

Broken Plug

Posted on May 14, 2013

The concept of unplugging is a thing of beauty. Set aside the phone, close the laptop, hide the remote, and give yourself completely to the three dimensional. The pressure to unplug and the judgement of not doing so has become an oppressive blanket. The divide between those of us who use the online realm for work and those who don’t is a rapidly growing chasm. Essays on “That mom at the playground” abound. Luckily, of all the things I take to heart and struggle to overcome, this kind of judgement isn’t one of them. I want to unplug. I set my phone to silent and tuck it beneath the lamp in my bedroom. The tv isn’t an issue, it holds no real draw. Laptop,…

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No Recipe

Posted on March 26, 2013

I have no illusions that raising three daughters will be easy. I know from my own experience that self-confidence and self-acceptance can be ephemeral, a revelation of my own worth one day is hammered by crippling doubt another. Then there are things like Steubenville and the coveted thigh gap. The technology that they are growing up with changes accessibility in ways that I can barely grasp. Each time the headlines explode with these sorts of things I take a deep breath and think, “How can I use this?” As I look at our girls now, it’s hard to imagine having to worry about whether they will ask me to wear assboards. Right now our life is about a joy that springs from inside themselves,…

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The Way It Is

Posted on February 24, 2013

A few months ago we went to a fundraiser for a local organization called Art in the Public Eye. Sean and I walked around scanning the silent auction items before bidding on a few different things, one of which was a family fun pack for three hours at a Lake George Arcade. I think somehow the idea of bidding on (and winning) a kid-friendly item tempered the guilt of another late night out without them. The certificate has been on the side of the fridge ever since. The other day we decided it offered the perfect opportunity to do something entirely kid-centric. The certificate didn’t really explain what it represented, upon showing it at at the counter we were told, “Here’s a bucket of…

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Just Another Sunday

Posted on January 14, 2013

It was just a regular Sunday here. I did some laundry, stripped the beds, made a grocery list and took Ave with me to the store. As usual, the final tally was double what I intended, both in cost and time. I shrugged it off because I was having great one-on-one time with Ave and despite taking a long time I was going to be done with the tedium of Sunday chores before 3pm, which never happens. We were walking up the stairs and Sean called to me, “Did you get my text?” I had not and my shoulders slumped imagining that I was going to need to head back out for some very important something or other. I was wrong. The very important…

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You Promised

Posted on January 1, 2013

Finley discovered earliest, and implemented most potently, the phrase, “You promised.” The fact that most times I did not in fact promise means very little to either of us. When the plaintive request comes through, if it does not involve a trip to Disneyland or a kitten sized bar of chocolate, I tend to find someway to acquiesce. Lately this has involved many rounds of “Orphanage/Pet Shop” wherein we caretake woebegone woodland creatures and foster orphaned girls whose parents “didn’t make it” during the war. Often times I have my phone with me as I wait for an email response to some work related thing, but she’ll direct me to pretend it’s a walkie talkie and its presence becomes a part of the game.…

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