motherhood

a thought for minneapolis

By Kate / August 3, 2007 /

I’m sure all of you know about the I-35W bridge collapsing into the Mississippi River on Wednesday night. It’s a bridge that I drove over from work to Stella’s daycare. It’s a bridge that countless people drove over every day to and from work. No one I know (that I know of) was injured or…

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weary

By Kate / July 23, 2007 /

I had a very long weekend. It was the USA Cup, which is (for those of you who don’t follow youth soccer) a week-long tournament in Minnesota that draws kids from all over the world. They descend on the National Sports Center by the thousands to play their little soccer hearts out and bake in…

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the power of a carol — mothertalk blog bonanza: parenting beyond belief

By Kate / May 25, 2007 /

Today’s MotherTalk blog bonanza is inspired by the new book, Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion by Dale McGowan. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to post today because my struggle with faith is one of the main narrative threads of my book, and I’ve been mulling that thread for…

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what a few stitches can do

By Kate / May 21, 2007 /

How annoyingly ironic it was to spend the evening in the emergency room mere hours after posting about my dare-devil girl and my I’m-so-proud-of-myself lack of hovering. I mean, really? This is what happened: I was in the kitchen washing dishes. Stella and D. were in the other room playing “scary monster,” which ranks second…

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her turn to climb – mothertalk blog bonanza: dangerous boy friday

By Kate / May 18, 2007 /

Today’s mothertalk blog bonanza is inspired by The Dangerous Book for Boys, in which Conn and Hal Iggulden lament over the loss of more carefree childhoods, and outline ways to bring the fun and adventure back into boyhood. Now, I am not a boy, I don’t have a boy, and the brothers Iggulden are obviously…

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willow room

By Kate / May 13, 2007 /

This morning I woke slowly, to the sound of birds and wind in the trees. D. and Stella brought me breakfast in bed, one of my favorite things. I held Stella in my lap as we waited for her new clothes to come out of the drier. A bowl of oranges in her hand, she…

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running out of fear – mothertalk blog bonanza: fearless friday

By Kate / April 27, 2007 /

Sometimes, it feels as if I am hardwired for fear. When I start awake in the middle of the night, every slammed car door or clanking muffler or raised voice on the street is full of portent. I jump from bed, heart pounding, and pull aside the curtains, just a little. I scan the street,…

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have you hugged your hygienist today?

By Kate / April 25, 2007 / Comments Off on have you hugged your hygienist today?

Yesterday afternoon Stella and I went to the dentist. Earlier in the morning, as Stella was getting dressed she said, “Mom, I don’t need to sit on your lap today.” “Oh?” I said, not really knowing what she meant. “At the dentist,” she said, exasperated. (How a 3 1/2 year-old can be so exasperated with…

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mother love and Snow Flower

By Kate / February 21, 2007 /

I just finished a wonderful novel: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. It’s a story set in nineteenth century China about enduring friendship, footbinding, and nu shu, women’s secret writing. It’s also a story about motherhood and mother love. Aha! The dialogue between different pieces of writing continues. Just two weeks ago,…

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