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upcoming classes and retreats
January is flying by, which is hard to believe since I spend most of day closeted in my tiny office. But I’m so busy getting ready for AWP and my winter and spring classes that all the sudden I glance at the clock and it’s time to walk down to the bus stop to get Stella. Here’s what…
parents with pens
Thanks to all of you for your kind birthday wishes for my grandpa. He’s had two lovely parties so far and one more tomorrow. (It makes me tired to think about three parties. Imagine doing it when you’re 102.) I’m pleased to announce that I have Kris Woll here at Mother Words today. Kris is…
102
Imagine being alive for over a century and still not being ready to die—to be interested in and excited about (and sometimes disgusted with) the world. Some of you will remember my grandpa Spencer, who was ill a year ago when his abdomen filled with fluid, which made it difficult for him to breathe and…
proud
Cecilia, one of my talented former Mother Words students, has a wonderful piece in Cassie Premo Steele’s Birthing the Mother Writer column at Literary Mama this week. Lovely writing, Cecilia. If you don’t read Cecilia’s blog, you should. She’s so fabulous. Congratulations, Cecilia!
kudos
I’ve spent the last few days obsessively reading the New York Times and listening to public radio as they cover the devastating shootings in Arizona. I can’t stop thinking of the victims’ families, and I feel heartsick about the whole thing. But today I want to focus on something positive. I *will* be positive. Here…
when clutter really means clutter
Many of my favorite mother bloggers have been writing about the desire to get organized at the same time they’ve been lamenting the challenge that “getting organized” poses when you have a house full of small children. I get it. I spend so much of each day picking up toys that I’m often tempted to…
happy new year!
I hope you all had a lovely holiday. We spent the week after Christmas up at my mom’s cabin in Northern Minnesota, and it was just the change of scene I needed. Stella and D cleared an ice rink on the lake, and Stella skated back and forth, undaunted by the number of times she…
merry christmas
We’ve had a lazy morning so far. Stella sewed a skirt for her Our Generation doll with her new sewing kit. Zoe has spent the last hour dancing around the living room in her frilly new dance skirt. There is fresh snow on the ground outside. Coffee and eggs for breakfast. I’ve even had a…
snowy days
Across the Twin Cities, snow is heaped in piles as tall as houses. The roads have grown narrow, encroached on either side by towering boulevards. Cars inch across the city and back again. I have taken to driving with a shovel riding shotgun so I can leap out and clear a path through freshly plowed…
2011 mother words writing retreat
There are still a few spots available for the 2nd annual Mother Words Writing Retreat at Faith’s Lodge. When: 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 24 – 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 27 Where: Faith’s Lodge, Wisconsin We’ll write, share our writing, discuss challenges with craft, and have time to connect with other mother writers in…