My attempts to appreciate the great outdoors almost always turn into near-death experiences
When considering activities to enjoy in Boston this week, a friend suggested we explore nearby rural areas. That suggestion reminded me of a time, several years ago, when I attempted to walk around outside. We are still recovering… It’s been established that, although the great outdoors should be preserved, I don’t actually *enjoy* being outdoors. [...]
Fear and self-loathing at a funeral
I have a bad habit of not thinking things through. I usually blame it on my childhood, even though I can’t point to anything specific. After all, the 1970s was when all those synapses and neurons and bad habits started forming. Come on. How else do you explain The Brady Bunch? Example of this habit: [...]
Worst morning ever
Most moms I know can remember the really bad mornings, the ones that didn’t involve death or dismemberment, but were equally as upsetting. I know I can. Try and beat this. 01.04.07 After getting my children ready for school, I went into my room for my favorite daily ritual: staring into the magnifying mirror and [...]
Symptoms of a dreaded disease
I can’t keep up with all the new illnesses, conditions, and diseases out there. Something that used to require just a good swift kick in the arse, now calls for medication and a support group. Issues previously attributed to laziness or faulty upbringing, are now much more complicated, and adding fiber to our diets won’t [...]
Hey, pregnant lady
A dear friend is pregnant and oh, so excited. Her first baby, belly just starting to grow – the best of times! I don’t want to stomp on her buzz, but someone has to prepare this woman for the ultimate in horror shows. Because what starts out quite lovely…
What advice would you give to a mom who goes on television without wearing industrial-strength undergarments?
I wear several hats. Some fit quite nicely over the mop and billboard-sized forehead, others are tight, while a few are too big. That’s okay, though. I wouldn’t want it any other way. Like most mothers, I am a multi-tasking queen and cannot be defined simply by what comes out of my uterus. There has [...]
Helping your children talk back on the playground and other fun parenting lessons
As a child, I never knew what to say when kids picked on me. This quick wit you enjoy is a recent development. Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I’d just stare straight ahead and pretend to be deaf. If I went home and complained to my mother, her advice was quaint and [...]
The “your son doesn’t feel well” call from school and other firsts
When your precious child gets his first fever, it’s hard to tell right away if you’re overreacting when you call 911 and request a Medevac Helicopter. After all, parenting is not an exact science. It’s more like an art. The kind of art your kids created when they were three – using clumpy paint, watery [...]
I’m a sap.
Fifteen years ago, I was a tough business woman and political activist living in Boston. I refused to wear pantyhose or listen to love songs on the radio. Now I get weepy at Wal-Mart commercials. What happened to me? I’ll tell you what happened to me. The doctors removed two children from my uterus and [...]
Catherine Durkin Robinson
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she’s crafty
