Why we’re all Luisa from Encanto’s “Under the Surface” right now

Why we’re all Luisa from Encanto’s “Under the Surface” right now

I’m not sure how much more can be said about the amount of seismic stress crushing parents right now. A month or two ago, I was feeling pretty optimistic about the way things were going, with lower case numbers and vaccines for kids under 5 (both of mine are in this age group) on the [...]

Why I’ll keep masking . . . for a little while, at least

Why I’ll keep masking . . . for a little while, at least

The CDC announced this week that vaccinated people no longer need to mask or social distance, and that's really exciting news. But last night, as I took my two teenagers to get their vaccines and left my disappointed on-the-cusp 11-year-old at home, it struck me that this new phase of the pandemic might be scientifically [...]

Don’t suppress your pandemic rage. The world needs it.

Don’t suppress your pandemic rage. The world needs it.

I had mostly succeeded at scrubbing my vocabulary of curse words when my oldest child became sentient, but lately they've crept back into my head. And also my speech. Apparently dropping an F-bomb here or there releases endorphins, which is probably why these words keep rising to my lips unbidden. There is a serious lack [...]

A lament for spring

A lament for spring

My daughter sits in the backyard, digging through mud, her clothes stained with dirt and her face strained with focus. I reach for my phone and flick it on. Tap Instagram. An acquaintance is organizing her Tupperware to a Spotify playlist she made just for the quarantine.  I stand, stretching out the ache, and plod [...]

Daily quarantine thought: Missing your life

Daily quarantine thought: Missing your life

I keep thinking of this line from Spanglish. Yes, the 2004 Adam Sandler rom-com which netted only 53% on rotten tomatoes. That one. We've brought you Dorothy Sayers, C.S. Lewis, and now . . . Spanglish. Bear with me. Let’s be friends: Join our email list Mid-way through the film,Tea Leoni’s character cheats on her long-suffering [...]

Returning to “normal life” again will be a big adjustment too. Get ready for it.

Returning to “normal life” again will be a big adjustment too. Get ready for it.

Hey there, mama. You've been staying home with your kids for a long, hard couple months. You're exhausted and are looking forward to nothing more than a girls' night out in the post-quarantine world. Chips and salsa, sangria, and clothes that aren't yoga pants—if they still fit—are in our future soon. Mental note: I need [...]