a radio was on.

As I failed to get the volume button to respond on the remote, Asher remarked to a visiting five-year old friend, “My mom isn’t good at using the television. She’s not good at anything.” Visiting five year old (clearly not raised by wolves): “She must be good at something. Everyone is good at something.” Asher: “She’s good at sleeping.” Couple of take-aways. I’m not ashamed of the fact that I am not good at using the television. It’s part intellectual snobbery (have you guys ever seen how easy it is to open a book?), and part an acceptance of a deep inability of my brain to get interested in and then think through how anything in the world works (not sure what order those two come in, but I may have it backwards in the sentence). If I have a toaster with four slices that only cooks two slices, we will live with that toaster for years until either someone gets us another one, or the intersection of me feeling flush with cash (rare) intersects with me standing in a Home Goods store (equa...

As I failed to get the volume button to respond on the remote, Asher remarked to a visiting five-year old friend, “My mom isn’t good at using the television. She’s not good at anything.” Visiting five year old (clearly not raised by wolves): “She must be good at something. Everyone is good at something.” Asher: “She’s good at sleeping.” Couple of take-aways. I’m not ashamed of the fact that I am not good at using the television. It’s part intellectual snobbery (have you guys ever seen how easy it is to open a book?), and part an acceptance of a deep inability of my brain to get interested in and then think through how anything in the world works (not sure what order those two come in, but I may have it backwards in the sentence). If I have a toaster with four slices that only cooks two slices, we will live with that toaster for years until either someone gets us another one, or the intersection of me feeling flush with cash (rare) intersects with me standing in a Home Goods st...

There is the delight of a cookie called rugelach. The cookie recipe I use is from a wonderful cookie cookbook by Rose Levy Bernbaum, who borrows her recipe from Lora Brody; there are differences in rugelach recipes but they all have in common that they really are a lot of work to make. Essentially, you make cream-cheese-based cookie dough and divide the dough into four pieces, shape each pile into a disc shape, and put them into the fridge until the dough is really chilled. Then, you bring the circles out into your kitchen and let them warm up a bit. Roll the circle out into a thin disk. Spread some warm, thinned apricot jam onto the circle. Then choices: either chopped walnuts and plumped raisins (regular or golden) or chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips. Mix the raisins or chocolate and nuts with cinnamon and sugar. Then spread a nice even layer over your jam coated circle of dough. Now, you cut the circle in half, then again, and again, until you have eight triangles, each cove...

There is the delight of a cookie called rugelach. The cookie recipe I use is from a wonderful cookie cookbook by Rose Levy Bernbaum, who borrows her recipe from Lora Brody; there are differences in rugelach recipes but they all have in common that they really are a lot of work to make. Essentially, you make cream-cheese-based cookie dough and divide the dough into four pieces, shape each pile into a disc shape, and put them into the fridge until the dough is really chilled. Then, you bring the circles out into your kitchen and let them warm up a bit. Roll the circle out into a thin disk. Spread some warm, thinned apricot jam onto the circle. Then choices: either chopped walnuts and plumped raisins (regular or golden) or chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips. Mix the raisins or chocolate and nuts with cinnamon and sugar. Then spread a nice even layer over your jam coated circle of dough. Now, you cut the circle in half, then again, and again, until you have eight triangles, each...

Happiness.

Happiness.

Yesterday was kindergarten walk-through for the boys. It was an hour-long program meant to kick-off their academic year. The “big kids” have officially started their school years, and the kindergartners--while these small five year-old bodies, close enough still in our collective memories to evoke a time when we could literally cradle them in our arms and far enough from the anticipated time when they tower over us, mocking us mercilessly for our musical choices and unrepentant love for jeans of a certain style--in Carlisle, anyhow, board the bus and start school in earnest next Tuesday. At one point during walk-through, the parents were herded into the auditorium to finally give the teachers a moment alone with their companions for the school year and the staff--the school psychologists and social workers and the principal--a chance to start explaining to us parents what our role in the indoctrination into the formal education system is going to be. [Side note: earlier this week, the ...

Yesterday was kindergarten walk-through for the boys. It was an hour-long program meant to kick-off their academic year. The “big kids” have officially started their school years, and the kindergartners--while these small five year-old bodies, close enough still in our collective memories to evoke a time when we could literally cradle them in our arms and far enough from the anticipated time when they tower over us, mocking us mercilessly for our musical choices and unrepentant love for jeans of a certain style--in Carlisle, anyhow, board the bus and start school in earnest next Tuesday. At one point during walk-through, the parents were herded into the auditorium to finally give the teachers a moment alone with their companions for the school year and the staff--the school psychologists and social workers and the principal--a chance to start explaining to us parents what our role in the indoctrination into the formal education system is going to be. [Side note: earlier this week, t...