Lieselotte Landgrebe, 1932-2016
family . long island . motherhoodMy grandmother died last month. Below is the eulogy that I wrote for her and read at her funeral… Oma wasn’t your typical grandma/nana type. No smells of baked goods wafting from a kitchen window or overly saccharine compliments. She was German-American, a child of the Great Depression, and she survived many hardships. Her way
Earlier this week, in an effort combat the longer summer days and make sure my kids sleep in (purely for my own sake), I taped cardboard on their window behind the blackout curtains. See the screenshot from Facebook. Judging by the emojis, other moms are in the same boat or were when their respective children
The opening chords of Fifth Harmony’s “Work from Home” trigger a hysterical reaction in both of my children. Darcy closes her eyes (a classic Darcy dance move) and begins conducting an invisible orchestra of synthesizers. And Jackson hides behind a “curtain,” or whatever piece of furniture will hide him adequately so he can make a big
I’m profoundly sad about Adrienne Rich’s death. I’m also profoundly grateful for her life and work. Don’t expect anything insightful from me. Nothing I can say will pay adequate homage. Just bookmarking this event on my blog for posterity, I guess. I enjoy everything about her poetry, her politics, and the intersection of the two.
They are probably doing something wrong. I’ve walked in on shampoo painted on the bathroom walls, evidence of cave baby in her natural habitat. I’ve walked in on my son stuffing a scarf in my daughter’s shirt and proclaiming she now has boobs. “Now she can go to parties,” he smiled brightly. Let’s not even touch
Farewell, Austin
austin . C.K. . family . food . friends(written from the Embassy Suites on Congress Avenue in Austin, TX on August 20, 2015) Hi, I need to order four pies. Beat. Yes, pizza pies. 2 pepperoni and 2 regular. Beat. Yes, 2 with pepperoni and 2 with just cheese. My husband called our local pizzeria to buy lunch for our moving guys. His
My piece about Women’s Storybook Project was published on Motherlode, the New York Times parenting blog, a few weeks ago. I’ve been pitching to editor K.J. Dell’Antonio for a few years now. I think my first pitch was about conducting a successful kickstarter project to publish my novel while I had a toddler at home.
And my heart is full. Jackson graduates from preschool tomorrow at 11 am in the chapel of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. He’s already revealed that the class will sing “Jesus Loves Me” and do sign language along with the lyrics. I’m bringing tissues for that part alone. I have no idea what to expect other
I was never a podcast person. I barely even listen to talk radio on the morning commute. Listening–in the car, at the gym, around the house–is for music. But that all changed when I started listening to Serial, a podcast by This American Life that took my facebook feed (and the iTunes charts) by storm.
Saying Goodbye to Funny Girl
family . friends . UncategorizedThis will be a long post. This will be a sad post. I’ve been thinking about this for awhile, about the experience of eulogizing a beloved family member. And first and foremost, I’d like to thank my Uncle Kenny for not only allowing me to speak at my aunt’s funeral service but also for giving