Abraham Lincoln once penned a note to the world regarding his young son beginning school: “Teach him, gently, World, but don’t coddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel.” I am grateful to have had the Merrimack Youth Association, travel soccer leagues, and truly incredible coaches from recreation straight through college. But… Continue reading In Honor of Great Coaches…
The kids were playing in the afternoon sunshine and rushed inside, “Mommy, look what the leprechaun left us in the snowbank!” Thank you to whatever neighbor dropped this mini REAL glass message in a bottle with shamrocks in the yard, reinforcing our children’s belief in leprechauns, fairies, dragons, etc. They were so excited, and Greta… Continue reading Irish Blessings…
Her technique is text book. Knees bent as to take pressure off her back. Hand placement on the back rest is perfect- direct pressure not too high, not too low to cause a flip backward. She has known this from birth, an inherent skill as a daughter of a wheelchair user. The rest of the… Continue reading A Sure Sign of Spring…
Every year, I overhear a student casually talking about a wife-beater. And every time, I cringe with the image that contrasts with the ones my students are talking about. Most recently, the conversation sounded a little like this, “I can’t believe he was skiing with only a wife-beater beneath his jacket. What a jackass.” The… Continue reading Eradicating the World of Wife Beaters, One at a Time
Only in New Hampshire (or perhaps this does occur in other wintery states- and if it does please comment) do we put children and toddlers in cardboard boxes, decorated and duck taped, and shoot them down an ice luge in front of cheering parents and spectators. There is a groomed luge “for safety” to keep… Continue reading Only in New Hampshire…
Getting the call at 5:35 AM for a delayed opening is nothing short of a miracle in the White Mountains of NH. Then to head outside and find my walkway and driveway already shoveled and both our cars already scraped off by a thoughtful neighbor- this is truly a gift. Thank you, Seth Chandler! He… Continue reading It’s the Little Things Some Mornings…
Leah Rondon died last summer, at 6 years old, when she was hit by a car while playing with a wagon in a friend’s neighborhood in Ansonia, CT. I cried afterwards whenever I thought about what her parents and older brothers must have been feeling, never having met Leah personally. Her picture when posted to… Continue reading Remembering Leah (age 6) and Royce (age 7)…
I consider myself a Grease expert. Not Grease 2 because it doesn’t even compare to Grease, the original, in any way, shape or form. But from the first time viewing Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, probably in fifth or sixth grade, I was hooked. I memorized the entire film. Sheer performance art… Continue reading For the Love of Grease
We honored Martin Luther King, Jr. by skiing at Loon Mountain in some fresh lovely snow this morning. Like car rides, chair lifts and gondolas also allow for a captive audience with one’s children. The snow fell in big, fat flakes. We carved through inches of powder. We fell and laughed, and I dug our… Continue reading Talking about MLK, Jr., Minister Marcus, and Gibbs the Rabbit While Skiing at Loon Mountain
Our little boy is 6 years old today! He is a spunky, bright, active, Star Wars obsessing, site word reading, and bird of prey loving little guy, who likes to ski fast, play hard, and wear many costumes. My mom likes to compare Carver’s birth to the second coming of Christ, since everyone in our… Continue reading Wishing Our First IVF Miracle Baby a Happy 6th Birthday!
