Navigating motherhood in an intercultural and interfaith family.
What did I do this week? I graded papers. But I also finished the February issue of my Real Simple magazine and decided to write something inspired by this month's question, "What is the sweetest thing that a loved one has ever done for you?
Read MoreFor the past three years, February Vacation has been the one break from school during which we don't travel, which means that I have a full nine days to do whatever whim strikes me. As always, I made an overly optimistic to-do list that had no hope of being completed, but the things I did manage to squeeze in made for a relaxing (although frozen) break.
Read MoreI suppose that it wouldn't be right if I didn't write about the massive amounts of snow that have inundated Boston this winter (truthfully, this month). Thanks to a number of winter storms, we've seen (and shoveled) over 90 inches of snow in 2015. As of this morning, our the snow pile that is our front yard is taller than I am, and we've officially replaced "snow shoveling" with "snow launching" to try to keep the driveway clear. I've learned a lot of new things as a result:
Read MoreWe kicked off the week with a Superbowl party and the third snow day of the year. At this point, the snow piles in the front yard are up to the car windows. However, the extra blanket of snow gave me the opportunity to cross another item off of my Boston Bucket List, which is to visit the Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House during each season of the year. I drove to Concord after work on Tuesday and found the house untouched by plows or shovels. As the sun set, a few puffs of friendly chimney smoke created a cozy scene that reminded me of the scene in Little Women when the sisters huddle together next to the fireplace to rewrite Jo's story after Amy fell through the ice.
Read MoreI was the child who tested my mother's patience by refusing to draw on either side of a paper with visible erasure marks, the ghosts of crooked lines and ovals that should have been circles.
I was the child who entreated my mother to transform my coloring books into color-by-number after I'd finished replicating the front and back cover illustrations.
I was the student who would re-write my notes half-way through class, when I finally deduced the organization of my teacher's lesson. Or because my handwriting wasn't neat.
And I am the writer who feels compelled to un-publish my past posts and begin with a fresh page every time that I change my mind about what this blog could/should/will be, so that when I finally know for sure, it will look as though I really knew all along.
But I'm resisting the urge, especially since my first two posts, "How to Wear a Sari" and "A lot of different Annes", (which, I confess, I have rewritten twice already) still represent the core of what I am writing for, and here's why:
Read MoreI'm a little late with the rest of August's week-end update as we've been out of town and the school year just began. Here's how I celebrated the end of summer vacation!
Read MoreLast week, I found myself overwhelmed by all of the choices at the SOWA Market, so this week I came up with a plan and a shopping list. What a difference it made! Without having to come up with a meal idea on the spot, I felt free to simply meander through the different stalls looking for the best ingredients.
Read MoreI've been thinking up ways to expand past my "Week-End Update" posts, and cooking has been at the top of my list for a while. The problem is, I'm definitely in the learning process, which means that meal planning is currently a stressful activity for me as I have to sift through magazines each week for recipes. I am never more excited than when I can look at a few ingredients, put them together on my own somehow, and have it turn out! In honor of that simple joy, I present the inaugural post of "Pantry Cooking": recipe experiments based on what I've got around the house.
Read MoreFor the past two weeks, I've been pretty much housebound as Jim the Contractor has been fixing up things around our new apartment. As of yesterday, everything is done and there's a fresh coat of paint on all of the walls. Now we just need to research some ways to hang picture frames without nails to keep our landlady happy :-)
Read MoreAs you can see from this month's plethora of posts, I'm keeping up with my Summer Resolution to get back to writing! In addition to these posts, I've written some personal pieces, which I hope to parlay into a bigger project that's been in my head for a couple of years now. Thinking about writing is a bit stressful at times, as I still feel a bit self conscious about it, and I haven't worked up much courage yet to share, but the writing itself has been an exciting relief--I'm looking forward to getting more into the habit and developing my style for this blog.
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