Deep Thoughts

I said to my three-year-old, “Are you ready to get dressed now, or what?” She replied, “What!” I asked to her, “Are you hungry for a snack now, or what?” She answered, “What!” I said, “Can we read a book together now, or what?” Of course she said, “What!” The joke was subtle and hers…

One of my favorite parts of teaching kindergarten where I currently work is that I have the opportunity to give my students ample time to play. During play centers, children frequently work with blocks. I’m referring to those big, wooden floor blocks that are also known as unit blocks. Unfortunately, the block corner in my…

My mother died in the month of March in the year 2006. Her name was Sharon Kalb-Komarin. It’s still impossible to believe. I was twenty-five and she was fifty. She had ovarian cancer and was diagnosed only six months before her death with what was already an advanced and aggressive case. It came out of…

As we nearly wrap up this year’s Slice of Life Story Challenge, I want to share a few things I’m thinking about (some deeply and some slightly less). When there’s broccoli in your baby’s bellybutton, you can laugh and smile and say, “There’s broccoli in your bellybutton!” Water is very good to drink. Drink a…

Worrying. Eating pizza. Eating cereal. Eating ice cream. Avoiding conflict. Being too hard on myself. Reading books to little kids. Canceling social engagements. Making coffee single handedly. Leaving messes for the next day. Checking out too many library books. Not returning them for months (years!). Not getting people presents. Ever. Leaving things to the last…

IT’S GUNS. BAN ALL GUNS. ALL OF THEM. BAN THEM. BAN THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CALL ME UN-AMERICAN. I DON’T CARE. I’M DEVASTATED. CHILDREN ARE DYING. GROWNUPS ARE DYING. PLEASE. I CAN’T. IT’S BEYOND INHUMANE. OUR CHILDREN. OUR CHILDREN. OUR CHILDREN. I’M DESPERATE. STOP NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The other night as I was tucking my three-year-old daughter into bed, she told me, “I love your heart.” I have expressed to her so many times and in so many ways that I love and adore her, deeply, eternally, and with all my heart and soul, but I’ve never put it to her exactly…

Laundry Bottles Dishes Dishes Laundry Laundry Dishes Bottles Laundry Dishes Bottles Bottles Dishes Laundry Bottles Dishes Bottles Dishes Laundry Laundry Dishes Bottles Laundry Bottles Bottles Laundry Dishes Dishes Dishes Dishes Laundry Bottles

Don’t ever promise your kid a special surprise for brushing their teeth. If you do, it will surely backfire. Last night in my daily struggle to get my three-year-old daughter’s teeth brushed, I said I would take her to get a cupcake after school today. That was the special surprise. Not so much a surprise,…

There are dozens of stickers everywhere–all across the wood floors of my house. My daughter put them there. She’s three. They’re quite stuck, as stickers do. Hearts, rainbows, animals, stars, emojis, hamburgers, catchy phrases, and more. They’ll go away eventually. Every so often I try to scrape one off with my fingernails. But it’s hard.…