The first haircut hits a little different when you’re in first grade and well over seven years old. Getting a first haircut at age seven is a little like telling people you’ve never had ketchup. It’s kind of less an interesting fact and more a thing you’re avoiding for no reason. Maybe that metaphor works, maybe it
Yesterday David took a Latin test he was particularly proud of, and last night after dinner (in the precious hour when the kids are hoping we won’t notice they haven’t done their table-clearing chores) he told me about it. This was a unique night in our house because I was laid up on the couch,
On the last day of school four sixth grade boys showed up at my house. They had grocery bags of ice cream and a separate bag with an ice cream scoop, spoons, and bowls just in case I wasn’t home and they had to enjoy their ice cream out on the deck. But they really hoped I
Anna got the “Outstanding Attitude Award” as her year-end award in her kindergarten class. When she got home from school she was so excited to tell me about it and to show me the friendship bracelet she got from her teacher. She loves school so much. There is not even a hint of the very
This morning, in between bites of her first-day-of-school waffle, Mary looked up and said, “If I were you I’d be really sad this morning.” No one knows me like Mary. This school year marks so many milestones for our family, and the lump in my throat has been ready to rise to the surface for
I took Mary for a haircut at my salon before the start of school. This was her first experience with all the bells and whistles of hair care — shampoo, scalp massage, post-cut styling. This is a major upgrade from the lollipop that comes with the toddler hair cuttery. Although, a lollipop might put the whole
As I type this it has been almost exactly seven weeks since the end of school, but I feel like it’s the first week of summer. The first month and a half of summer was swallowed whole by morning swim practice, sleep away camps, vacation, and swim champs. Now all of those things are over
On a beautiful May morning, Anna skipped across the parking lot, hugged her teacher, grabbed a bubble wand and celebratory balloon and ran down an aisle to hug me. Just like that, she graduated preschool. Later that evening Tom gave Anna a high-five and told her, “For a while there we weren’t sure you were
Just as school is winding down, swim season is ramping up. The swim team is exhausting and all-consuming, but I honestly love it. Three years ago I submitted to the rigorous swim team schedule, and after one season we were a bonafide swim family. I love the social aspect for the kids AND for me,
Back to school! Fifth grade, fourth grade, and first grade. School started for my kids exactly two days after we got back from our week in Deer Valley. On their first day of school they still had mosquito bites and camp songs stuck in their heads. They went directly from their sleeping bags and bunk