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Doing the best I can

  • A response

    Number of comments: 1
    I know, I know. It isn't fair to get you all ready  and leave you hanging like that.

    Yes, the Parent Teacher Conference was on Thursday and Yes, It went spectacularly wrong. This chick has now also pissed off Terrance, which is hard to do if I have already' [...]
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    Posted: December 07, 2009, 9:58am EST
    by Dawn

  • The Scent of Fear

    Number of comments: 18
    On Friday afternoons I volunteer Emily's school library.

    This isn't new, by any means. I have been working with the librarian during this shift since Emily started at the school in 2006.

    What was new, however, was the greeting given to my by one of Emily's teachers last' [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 8:09am EST
    by Dawn

  • When Insomnia and Pop Culture collide

    Number of comments: 0
    You get this.

    Yes, I made them - and Terrance is buying them for us for the next meeting.

    I may have become a Mom - but that doesn't mean I have to go down without a fight.' [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 1:13am EST
    by Dawn

  • The Letter to school

    Number of comments: 10

    November 24, 2009


    First name of Teacher here,

    I wanted to take a moment and ask for some clarification regarding the policy around water bottles and bathroom use in your classroom.

    Yesterday, Emily arrived home complaining of a sore throat. My first thought is that [...]

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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 11:21am EST
    by Dawn

  • Just like prison

    Number of comments: 5
    Oh, Mrs XXX.

    You just can't seem to resist can you? Whatever little Napoleonic dreams of dictatorship you possess, whoever you believe yourself to be in your mind? I am not having it.

    Now, according to my student teachers at McGill...You are retiring at the end of' [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 4:14pm EST
    by Dawn

  • Ask a Sophist

    Number of comments: 1
    Who knows what the answer will be?

    http://twitter.com/askasophist [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2009, 3:21pm EST
    by Dawn

  • Diametrically opposed

    Number of comments: 2
    "I've got a bone to pick with you"

    The voice of my best friend wanders out of the phone and pierces my spine.


    Oh Shit. Did I do something? Its true that I can be incredibly oblivious to things that normal humans with normal social aptitude pick' [...]
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    Posted: November 16, 2009, 9:47pm EST
    by Dawn

  • The problem of friends

    Number of comments: 2

    Its been a tough week at our house - and No, not just because we are all stuffy and overtired. Although that certainly hasn't helped.

    No - most of the drama is about Emily and her "friends". Or who isn't her friend. Or who is, but shouldn't' [...]

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    Posted: November 14, 2009, 6:53pm EST
    by Dawn

  • No sympathy

    Number of comments: 8
    It's been a week.

    Last Sunday, Terrance made some moaning noises about not feeling well. But honestly what is new about that? The man is perpetually either sick or tired, and frequently both sick AND tired. After nearly 2 decades, I simply tune it out to the background noise' [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2009, 9:41pm EST
    by Dawn

  • A sucker for Holidays

    Number of comments: 2
    I seem to have gotten talked into purchasing not one, not two, not three but SIX pumpkins today for carving.

    While certain eleven year olds promise to help carve said pumpkins by at least scooping the guts out, I know in my heart that this is bullshit said specifically [...]
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    Posted: October 25, 2009, 10:31pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • Not a receptive audience

    Number of comments: 4
    When crossing the border to come back to your home - which is not in the country in which you are a citizen - do not, under any circumstances, decide to be funny and answer the question: "Are you bringing back anything with you to Canada?"

    With this response: [...]
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    Posted: October 19, 2009, 11:09am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Where My Wild Things Are

    Number of comments: 5
    I was six years old when I first saw the book.

    My surroundings are what I imprint upon. I was on the floor which had your standard issue industrial school carpeting. The cubbies were to my left and formed the wall that ran the length of the room. The [...]
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    Posted: October 12, 2009, 10:40pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • Impasse

    Number of comments: 8
    I wouldn't say that I am at a truce with Emily's teacher.

    No.

    I would characterize it as being stopped at a red light, and eyeballing the asshole in the car next to you who is going to try to cut you off as soon as [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 9:20pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • Preaching to the Irritated Choir

    Number of comments: 6
    It was at the curriculum night that I decided, in a spur of the moment action, to put my name forth for the home/school governing council.

    To be honest,my all consuming hatred for the shirt man was the impetus. I was determined to crush him and do everything in [...]
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    Posted: September 30, 2009, 10:36am EDT
    by Dawn

  • White Shirted

    Number of comments: 13
    Ah, so where was I? Ah, yes. Stuck in a Curriculum night being lectured by a woman who was rapidly pissing me off.

    First, because she conveyed no warmth to the parents of incoming students...looked at my spouse and I like we were the village idiots when we asked [...]
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    Posted: September 28, 2009, 9:25am EDT
    by Dawn

  • A Bad Beginning

    Number of comments: 8
    If there is one lesson I have learned as both a teacher and mother, it is this: During the first month of the new Parent/Teacher/caregiver relationship, it is REALLY important that all parties set a good tone. The Teacher/caregiver is the lead in this new relationship, as the parent is [...]
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    Posted: September 25, 2009, 10:48am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Girl, you'll be a woman soon

    Number of comments: 13
    If I have to have one more discussion about vaginal mucous and its consistency, frequency, color or texture I may have to kill myself. [...]
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    Posted: September 24, 2009, 10:43am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Ahhh-oooooooo

    Number of comments: 6
    Can I take a moment to express my utter dislike for the Shakira song - "She-wolf"?

    Not because I dislike Shakira, nor her right or the right of any other woman to be a "she-wolf" in or out of the closet.

    Its that dreadful howl she insisted on [...]
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    Posted: September 22, 2009, 10:43am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Me and My Big Mouth

    Number of comments: 5
    Back when I was gainfully and steadily employed by a Government Agency, we had a joke amongst my work colleagues.

    Let's NOT send Dawn to any meeting where we don't want to offend any attendees, because inevitably - regardless of the meeting - She WILL say something that will [...]
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    Posted: September 17, 2009, 11:27am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Lazy Sunday, Emily Style

    Number of comments: 4
    Sunday Morning:

    Em: “Mama, can you get up and make me some eggs”
    Me: Yep, just let me wake up”
    Em: “Ok…Are you awake now?”
    Me: “Emily – You have to give me a minute. Your mother doesn’t move so fast”
    Em: “Ok Mama. Are you getting up now?”
    [...]
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    Posted: August 31, 2009, 11:12am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Lesson Learned....Never Aim for the Head

    Number of comments: 3
    By Popular demand, The Back story of "Another Mothering Fail":

    Hello all. Sorry for my little “hiatus”. Work has been, well, blecky, and I am premenstrual. Never a stellar combo. Add in the perpetual “My Balls hurt” moaning and you can well imagine the joy that has been present [...]
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    Posted: August 21, 2009, 10:58am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Let's call a spade a spade, shall we?

    Number of comments: 14
    Part of the beauty of being a white American has been that we - as a group - get to "Opt out" of the ugly side of life.

    We get to come up with phrases like "It was just a Joke - can't you take a JOKE?" or other' [...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 9:52pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • Another Mothering Fail

    Number of comments: 9
    Really it wasn't shocking. This latest incident. Since the incident with the Bitty Baby shoe, I have regularly confessed my less than stellar mom ability. My plan is that if I confess it first, she'll get alot less money for the tell-all book I expect her to someday shop [...]
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    Posted: August 10, 2009, 10:05pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • Not seen, Not believed

    Number of comments: 4
    Terrance was born in Detroit, Michigan, on a fine October day back in 1961. Attending the birth were his mother, father , and various nurses and doctors.

    He grew up in the same city in which he was born.

    Later, he went east to some fancy pants school [...]
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    Posted: August 06, 2009, 7:29am EDT
    by Dawn

  • I was racially profiled

    Number of comments: 3
    Several years ago I was stopped by the police.

    I was just driving along and bam - pulled over.

    Well, actually I was speeding a bit - but downhill. And I was only coasting. And I was on my way to jury duty...where I was juror number 5 [...]
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    Posted: August 04, 2009, 10:26am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Lost Playmates

    Number of comments: 14
    So here is a not so shocking bit of news in the Blog-o-sphere...

    When you spazz out and completely flee the Blog World in 2007, because you have a full blown manic f-ing depressive episode...

    When you drop off the entire Bloggy planet and don't read any of' [...]
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    Posted: August 02, 2009, 10:26pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • Clash of the Titans

    Number of comments: 3
    The scene: Last night,My bedroom

    Me: ( On computer reading witty Internet friends…silence)
    Em: (On bed rolling around watching Disney Channel) Can I have some ice?
    Me: In a minute, honey – mommy’s looking at something.
    Em: Can you get me some ice?
    Me: I said I would get [...]
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    Posted: July 31, 2009, 10:53am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Nothing more than feelings

    Number of comments: 5
    Below is the post that I have had in draft since the 2007 BlogHer. I rarely leave my own blog cave anymore, and have only very,very recently started looking at other peoples blogs again.

    Not because I don't love my true Bloggy Friends, but because well, I didn't like [...]
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    Posted: July 29, 2009, 12:28pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • It's No "Tommy"

    Number of comments: 0
    I have been contemplating what my life would like as a Musical Opera, in the style of the great Rock Opera’s of past.

    I would like to propose some song titles that would encompass my experiences throughout the day:

    Side 1:

    In Praise of Prozac, or how [...]
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    Posted: July 29, 2009, 10:51am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Rude Awakening

    Number of comments: 1
    My day started earlier than I would have liked.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHHHHAHAAAAHHH
    Sorry, the futility of the first sentence struck me as funny. Since giving birth to my bundle o'fun seven years ago, ALL my days have started earlier than I would have liked.

    As you know, Emily sleeps with' [...]
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    Posted: July 27, 2009, 10:50am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Tit for Tat

    Number of comments: 2
    Good Morrow, gentle friends.

    The deed is done.

    I had some fun at my now sleeping husbands expense - for instance, I suggested that perhaps he ask for a "ball lift" while he was in there having work done. Mainly to say the words "ball" and "lift" together.
    [...]
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    Posted: July 25, 2009, 10:47am EDT
    by Dawn

  • I dedicate this entry to Dr. Pap Smear

    Number of comments: 0
    While I try to locate my sense of humor, please enjoy these older, but still hysterical pieces:

    Yesterday I went with my spouse to the Penis doctor and we talked about his vasectomy. I do not have familiarity with doctors such as this, as my needs are quite different. [...]
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    Posted: July 23, 2009, 10:02am EDT
    by Dawn

  • wavering

    Number of comments: 13
    There is a sadness in me at times. I don't know what to do with it.

    "Its Hormones", I tell myself. But I don't believe me. My breasts are achey and sore and I am all kinds of bitchy, but I know it isn't just the whore-moans.

    My' [...]
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    Posted: July 09, 2009, 12:14am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Satin is not my Master

    Number of comments: 12
    So in the last two weeks, Emily and I went to Boston to see my brother and his family for his 5 month old sons christening.

    My brother and I have often joked that in order for two of the three siblings to be in the same place at [...]
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    Posted: June 25, 2009, 12:40pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • Crimeless Punishment

    Number of comments: 14
    I am going to get in trouble for writing this. I know this already.

    There is going to be fall out and anger around this, and the dual voices that modulate much of my behavior argue furiously about the words that I am typing.

    This pattern of pre-emptive [...]
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    Posted: June 15, 2009, 7:06pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • Consequences

    Number of comments: 2
    My past week has pushed the tenuous push and pull of choices and consequences in the forefront of my brain.

    Beyond my three person family, some heavy shit has been happening in my family of origin. So heavy, in fact, that I have had to wade into that quagmire [...]
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    Posted: June 09, 2009, 4:19am EDT

  • Oil and Water

    Number of comments: 12
    The tide rolls in, the tide rolls out - as we figure out what to do and how to proceed.

    The odd euphoric calm that has come over each of us was unexpected. We're working better as a team than we have since the days of Emily's birth.

    [...]
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    Posted: June 05, 2009, 10:53am EDT

  • Can you go back once you know?

    Number of comments: 4
    The humor comes in short bursts, in funny places. Emily's laughter triggers my own laughter, this little not quite carbon copy of me finding the absurd funny.

    Last week, it came when she expected my arm to curl around her in the morning...and it was my foot, stretch out' [...]
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    Posted: May 31, 2009, 9:00pm EDT

  • Embers

    Number of comments: 17
    At the risk of sounding like a complete and utter bummer, its been a hard week.

    Things that have been laying like embers in the charcoal of my marriage have flared up, and words were said.

    Not untrue words, but ones that indicate a change must take place [...]
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    Posted: May 26, 2009, 12:55pm EDT

  • Second Hour

    Number of comments: 2
    So I came back for another round. Almost a month after our first time together.

    “It’s been awhile” you said as I sat down. You knew that I had weighed and balanced you in my mind. My need to be in therapy with my expectation that I will never [...]
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    Posted: May 21, 2009, 12:43pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • The first hour

    Number of comments: 7
    We've only spent an hour together, so I know it may be too soon to be hopeful.

    But I liked you. I liked having that hour with you.

    But more than that, I felt like maybe you could help me find a way out of this forest of' [...]
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    Posted: May 13, 2009, 8:35am EDT

  • Slow Burn

    Number of comments: 2
    I wrote this reflection after reading the book , "The Burn Journals" by Brent Runyon. It is part of my thinking about this line between childhood and adulthood , what drives adults to "forget" the experiences of being a teen. As Emily walks - no, runs - into this [...]
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    Posted: May 11, 2009, 10:00pm EDT

  • Rethinking Yoko

    Number of comments: 8
    I was a huge Beatles fan as a child and teen. Partially it was because I was born in 1970, to a young mom who came of age during the British invasion. I grew up handling the real vinyl albums that she had bought when they came out, pouring over [...]
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    Posted: May 04, 2009, 12:03pm EDT

  • Red Triangle

    Number of comments: 5
    Because there is never great sadness in life without absurd silliness, I give this little vignette from my week.

    After dropping La Chatte off at the vet's on that morning, I was scheduled for my "wax". Ahem. and eyebrow maintenance. That is actually how it is printed on the' [...]
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    Posted: April 23, 2009, 11:18pm EDT

  • Au revoir, La Chatte

    Number of comments: 21

    When she spotted us, in July of 2006, she knew an easy mark. Since her last owner had abandoned her, she'd been savvy enough to hang out in the same middle class neighborhood. Someone would feed her, she was sure.

    Watching us move in, she' [...]
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    Posted: April 22, 2009, 7:01pm EDT

  • Mommy's Dirty Little Secret

    Number of comments: 5
    Its a more than a little embarrassing to admit this. I've never been too much of a fan girl in many respects. Sure - funky Asian Horror films, or translated Swedish Vampire stories - Who Doesn't like these?

    No - This is somehow much worse.

    Much ....dirtier.

    [...]
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    Posted: April 16, 2009, 10:37am EDT

  • Tweens, Teens and Social Cognition

    Number of comments: 3
    (Firstly - thanks to Jennifer who made a comment on the Vygotsky post which made me think about this - and flesh out some of the whys and hows, at least the way I think - which, lets face it, is always some sort of magic carpet ride)

    So. [...]
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    Posted: April 15, 2009, 9:53am EDT

  • Teacher Thoughts

    Number of comments: 3
    My brain is full of teacher things.

    This is what happens when I am immersed in this reading and research. I revert back to teacher brain, which is not a bad thing - but it means that I am thinking, thinking, thinking - all the time, trying to integrate [...]
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    Posted: April 13, 2009, 8:07pm EDT

  • Make your own captions ( and a written answer!)

    Number of comments: 5
    As part of the Envisage 365 project, I take LOTS of pictures. I try to take pictures of everything - mundane, funny, interesting, or simply there when I need to take a picture.




    [...]
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    Posted: April 05, 2009, 7:06pm EDT

  • Stealing is not cool

    Number of comments: 22
    A long time ago, when the blog world was young, a girl had an idea for a blog.

    The girl decided to sit down one Sunday afternoon and create this blog. She then sent out emails to her blog friends to say "Hey, get a load of this idea...". [...]
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    Posted: April 03, 2009, 10:26pm EDT

  • VygotskY!

    Number of comments: 7
    Vygotsky. If you have been around education for any length of time, it is one of the names that gets kicked around in conversations about the philosophy and pedagogy of education. Usually filed under "names I can say that show I know something about the foundational origins of education" along [...]
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    Posted: March 29, 2009, 4:04pm EDT

  • Meander

    Number of comments: 1
    I need to laugh more.

    This revelation follows no particular epiphany. But rather as I was just sitting here, flossing my teeth at 2 p.m. on a Monday afternoon.

    If it is not a practice you enjoy, the flossing of ones teeth can become a deeply contemplative experience. [...]
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    Posted: March 23, 2009, 2:05pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • Reviews of things You didn't ask for

    Number of comments: 5
    I don't generally talk about the stuff I'm reading. This is for several reasons. I don't think that you would be super interested in Such titles as "Apprenticeship in Thinking" and "Perspectives on Socially Shared Cognition". Nor do I suspect that you are all aching for conversations on "Situating Constructivism"' [...]
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    Posted: March 17, 2009, 10:35am EDT

  • Not Yet a Woman

    Number of comments: 6
    Yes, I think you all saw where this was going, right?

    The discovery of armpit hair in the dressing room of the clothing store...which led to the discussion of her breasts..and lack thereof, and the beginnings of, too. Which led to Emily's knowledge sharing of the stages of breast' [...]
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    Posted: March 15, 2009, 1:29pm EDT

  • Still a Girl

    Number of comments: 10
    Emily smells a bit like peaches when she sleeps.

    I'm not sure why, but I woke at 3 a.m. with this thought at the forefront of my consciousness. And Emily in bed with me.

    I could tell you it is because it was an especially windy night tonight' [...]
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    Posted: March 12, 2009, 5:10am EDT

  • Layers

    Number of comments: 5
    It goes without saying that I am still sorting through my mind after the death of my grandmother two weeks ago.

    My utter fear in going back to the place of my birth was all consuming. I stopped sleeping from the moment I knew I was going to have [...]
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    Posted: February 28, 2009, 7:14pm EST

  • Unnamed Parent? May I have a word?

    Number of comments: 9
    Two weeks ago my ten year old daughter walked into my room and said this:

    "Is it true that Obama wants to kill babies living in pregnant womens bodies?"

    Oh my head.

    Deploying my oldest teacher technique, I responded with a question:

    "What do you mean?" [...]
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    Posted: February 23, 2009, 7:24am EST

  • Homeward Bound

    Number of comments: 10
    As I have written before, my family is complicated.

    No different, I suppose, than anyone else - old hurts and memories, resentments and things said and unsaid layered like shale.

    I'd not spoken to my mother since August of last year. When she called me a pretentious snob.' [...]
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    Posted: February 16, 2009, 10:09pm EST

  • Killing me softly

    Number of comments: 5
    This morning was business as usual.

    Running around - telling Em to put on her socks...did she brush her teeth? PLEASE put on her socks - stop looking at the television and PUT ON HER SOCKS!!!

    In the midst of my stream of exhortations regarding her socks, she [...]
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    Posted: February 05, 2009, 9:51am EST

  • To be or not to be Biracial

    Number of comments: 17

    I am white. I've never been confused by this - never doubted my ultimate whiteness. [In fact, my husband frequently points out how very white I am - in a whole host of ways] A heritage of nearly all Eastern European people, sprinkled with a' [...]
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    Posted: January 28, 2009, 5:18pm EST

  • How to make a toddler angry

    Number of comments: 2
    This is the second part of that paper. I didn't connect these two articles until I was writing the part about playing the "Thats MY Mama!" game with my babies. Amazing, I know, when the connections seem ridiculously clear upon my re-thinking the two. What is here is truly my' [...]
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    Posted: January 28, 2009, 9:32am EST

  • A story begins

    Number of comments: 0
    Occasionally, I publish on this blog pieces of writing I may be doing in my "professional" life. As I inch my way towards my dissertation, I do these pieces to help myself clarify the story I am telling - for this is what it is, this dissertation. My narrative. The [...]
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    Posted: January 26, 2009, 9:22pm EST

  • Half Moon on Sunday

    Number of comments: 8
    Emily and I were in Maine a few weeks ago for a dear friends birthday party.

    We had a LOVELY time and did silly things - Like my serenade to her of the Billy Idol Classic "Eyes without a Face" - which makes even less sense NOW as I [...]
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    Posted: January 21, 2009, 11:53am EST
    by Dawn

  • Sleepless

    Number of comments: 7
    I had a bit of a panic attack yesterday. It was the first authentic one in a long time, and I am still in recovery mode ( as evidenced by the 3 a.m. blog posting).

    If it is not yet obvious to the four of you who still hang [...]
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    Posted: January 15, 2009, 3:23am EST

  • Moody Beach

    Number of comments: 3

    And this is what happens when you drink a very nice wine with a bunch of old friends:





    [...]
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    Posted: January 13, 2009, 10:26pm EST

  • You can't stop the music

    Number of comments: 3
    One would think after hearing the soundtrack of all High School Musical - 1,2 and 3 - over and over again that I might know the words.

    Alas, this is not true.

    It is also not really true for my daughter who, nonetheless, belts them out at the [...]
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    Posted: January 07, 2009, 1:58pm EST

  • Its the Most wonderful day of the year!

    Number of comments: 12
    And all you parents out there know what I am talking about -

    Say it with me!

    School is back in session!

    Lord Baby Jeebus - that was one long ass vacation.
    I was worried by this morning that Terrance and Emily might actually fall to the [...]
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    Posted: January 05, 2009, 1:07pm EST

  • Fallout

    Number of comments: 10
    So far these are the discussions I have had to have with my daughter post visiting MY mother.

    1. Suicide.

    Apparently my mother shared that a "good friend" of hers committed suicide recently because she was depressed. Apparently this "good friend" was 16...and a neighbors child.

    2. [...]
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    Posted: December 30, 2008, 11:11am EST

  • Temporary Lock

    Number of comments: 2
    I have turned my child over to my mother.

    Well - I haven't - but Terrance arranged it. I am still not on speaking terms with Crazy D from the August outburst..but Terrance is a good person, and kind hearted towards my mother in a way that my brother' [...]
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    Posted: December 27, 2008, 3:37pm EST

  • Just get through the day

    Number of comments: 6
    By 11 this morning, I had already yelled, "EMILY! SHUT THE F**K UP!" at my beloved only offspring.

    Yes, the sounds of profanity before noon must mean One thing!

    It's Christmas Eve!

    Combined with the imminent arrival of my period makes for a priceless personality combination in' [...]
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    Posted: December 24, 2008, 12:25pm EST

  • That's how the pee drops get on the toilet seat!

    Number of comments: 3
    This morning I was in the Shower getting ready for work.

    I hear Emily walk in to use the toilet.

    I peek out to remind her to NOT FLUSH because I will be boiled if she does.

    She nods in agreement.

    I peek my head back [...]
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    Posted: December 23, 2008, 1:00pm EST

  • Small Pieces

    Number of comments: 2
    Writing for me is a habit I need to get back into - and the one I put off most easily.

    I get tired. I need to do other things. Animals and children need attention, husband has lost (glasses, belts, car keys, insert item here)....and the days slip away.
    [...]
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    Posted: December 22, 2008, 10:25pm EST

  • The Bitch is Back

    Number of comments: 5
    This bitch still has fabulous ankles. See? I wore these to work today. Because I may be 38 - but I still kinda rock.

    Semester is almost done. Papers to grade. Shopping to finish. I am Addicted to True Blood and have read all the [...]
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    Posted: December 04, 2008, 10:36pm EST

  • Athena

    Number of comments: 4
    There are lots of stories running through my brain. Like a woman in the 39th week of pregnancy, I can feel them kicking and rolling inside me. I wake up and they are there, waiting for my attention - some more patiently than others.

    And yet, like the dreamy [...]
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    Posted: November 12, 2008, 8:51am EST

  • I already believe

    Number of comments: 18
    Being in Canada, I watch the cable news networks.

    We have them too, Americans. I get CNN, MSNBC, the regular networks et al. I read Daily Kos, and my old local New Hampshire newspapers online. I check in with my hometown newspaper once a month of so, just to [...]
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    Posted: October 29, 2008, 8:41pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • Special Ed, Lite - pt 1

    Number of comments: 4
    As many of you know, Emily has had her share of educational struggles.

    We certainly noticed that she wasn't a "typical" baby - the hyper-alert state, the lack of sleep, the constant nursing without weight gain, the chronic constipation of the exclusively breast fed baby....

    And then she' [...]
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    Posted: October 16, 2008, 11:52pm EDT

  • What I do when I disappear

    Number of comments: 5
    "Oh that crazy Dawn", I hear you all say in my imaginary place in my head....

    "She puts something good up and then disappears for weeks! What in the name Canadian Thanksgiving is she doing!"

    I am sitting in a chair. Reading. And Typing. And Reading some more. [...]
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    Posted: October 14, 2008, 10:26pm EDT

  • Produce Porn: Season End

    Number of comments: 3
    I love Jean Talon Market - Still. After three years, I get as excited now as the first time I walked through the stalls.





    [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2008, 10:12am EDT
    by Dawn

  • Magical Reality - The Final Chapter

    Number of comments: 18
    Her eyes narrowed. Her lips pursed She stared at me.

    "What?", Emily said.

    "I am the Tooth Fairy...and Daddy too, just like My mom was MY tooth fairy and Grandma Emily was Daddy's tooth fairy and someday you'll be your own child's tooth fairy...."

    The silence in' [...]
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    Posted: October 01, 2008, 8:42am EDT

  • Magical Reality Part Deux

    Number of comments: 7
    Thursday Morning was no Better.

    Em cried and huffed and puffed - asked if she could stay home from school.

    As I stretched to my breaking point ( and let's be honest - my morning breaking point is a very low threshold), Terrance bundled her up and out [...]
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    Posted: September 29, 2008, 8:04am EDT

  • Magical Reality - Part 1

    Number of comments: 8
    I knew at the first parent and teacher conference of the year.

    Emily has been having issues with one girl in her class. Emily wants this girl to like her...and this girl simply wants to hurt Emily's feelings.

    The week before I had been in to speak with [...]
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    Posted: September 26, 2008, 8:38pm EDT
    by Dawn

  • Hubris

    Number of comments: 9
    I've been thinking about some the questions I posed in the last post.

    When I wrote that post, it was pure Dawn mental jumbley stream of consciousness thinking. I had ( and have) been trying to puzzle out just what it IS about this particular woman that seems to [...]
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    Posted: September 17, 2008, 1:16pm EDT

  • This chick scares me

    Number of comments: 28
    and not just because of the politics she is spewing. Not just because she feels all right about using her children in a way I find distasteful or the religious stuff, or the plane she didn't sell on ebay.

    No.

    Sarah Palin scares me because she is perpetrating [...]
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    Posted: September 08, 2008, 10:05pm EDT

  • Ah, August. When the giant spiders come out...

    Number of comments: 3
    It's one of the ways I know that summer is coming to an end.

    The inevitable appearance of a massively huge spider, sauntering across my bedroom floor. You can practically hear it's spider thoughts - "I AM HUGE! I HAVE FEASTED ON THE FLESH OF A MILLION FLIES! [...]
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    Posted: September 03, 2008, 9:06pm EDT

  • Failure to Communicate

    Number of comments: 4
    After two years, my spoken French is merely pathetic. I try, on occasion, and usually am met with the stunned looks of the Quebcois wondering why I am chewing on gravel and attempting to gesticulate At them.

    I then retreat to pointing and using the vocabulary of a two [...]
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    Posted: August 31, 2008, 9:28pm EDT

  • Blurred Lines

    Number of comments: 6
    Last week, we went to Toronto to pick up Emily from her time with her grandparents.

    Emily celebrated by laying across me and attempting to cover every inch of my body with hers.

    Her namesake and grandmother sat watching us, Emily's legs alongside mine, then noted:

    "Girl! [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2008, 9:36am EDT

  • Yeah, I smell it

    Number of comments: 4
    Terrance: "Dawn! Dawn! Come out here!."

    Dawn: "Hang on, I'll be there in a minute..."

    Terrance: "DAWN! Come here!"

    (Dawn walking into living room)

    Dawn: "What??"

    Terrance: "Do you smell cat shit?"

    Dawn: "Not really - or maybe a little..."

    Terrance stands up [...]
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    Posted: August 25, 2008, 11:19pm EDT

  • Keats, I am not

    Number of comments: 7
    Ode to my Arm Fat

    I brush my hair, You wave at me
    From my bathroom mirror morning ritual
    Mousse eyeliner, arm fat

    Doesn’t my cleavage look great
    In this strapless dress?
    Arm fat smiles, dimpled in the sun

    I expected my ass to fall
    My [...]
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    Posted: August 20, 2008, 9:04am EDT

  • Through my Glass Darkly

    Number of comments: 9
    I am still thinking about the events of Saturday.

    I don't like when my world view gets shaken or disturbed. I don't like when I am sure the things I know are maybe not so sure. That maybe what I know isn't entirely true.

    We all have our [...]
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    Posted: August 13, 2008, 9:51am EDT

  • ReUnion

    Number of comments: 6
    I hadn't even committed to going until Thursday.

    And THEN I only said yes because Terrance had booked a room at the Inn at the Long Trail.

    The dance between us started months ago. Terrance read - aloud - that my 20th high school reunion was announced [...]
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    Posted: August 10, 2008, 4:15pm EDT

  • Zen in a Double Wide Trailer

    Number of comments: 4
    Today I took my daughter to a birthday party - the first of her public school experience.

    I had called several days ago to chat with the mom and flesh out what may be appropriate gifts, as well as what constitutes acceptable parental birthday decorum. My daughter is in [...]
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    Posted: August 08, 2008, 8:28am EDT

  • Don't make it so easy

    Number of comments: 2
    Dear Man in his late 50's with a white puffy head of hair in the silver open top Porsche that just HAD to pass our car as we drove the speed limit on the mountain in Montreal:

    Having the song "Love is in the Air" cranked from your sound [...]
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    Posted: July 30, 2008, 9:57pm EDT

  • Pretentious Snob

    Number of comments: 22
    My relationship with my mother is....complicated.

    I rarely write about it because honestly I don't want the grief that will come from her recriminations and accusations. And there will be grief. And recriminations.

    I have been in YEARS of therapy trying to come to terms with my [...]
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    Posted: July 28, 2008, 1:20pm EDT

  • Mix with Sangria and watch the fun begin....

    Number of comments: 5
    This summer my husband and I had some friends over for 4th of July. Normally, our child is safely ensconced in Detroit and we have a blissful month, where we act like we are child-free sophisticates once again. But this summer, she was home with us.

    When she is [...]
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    Posted: July 17, 2008, 10:08pm EDT

  • A letter to Paul from Sarah

    Number of comments: 14



    My dear Paul.

    Yes, I see you a few rows over there with a fancy grave marker. People dressed in the attire of our "day" wander in and out of this graveyard all day, pointing you out. Some people leave you flowers. Nearly [...]
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    Posted: July 04, 2008, 9:49pm EDT

  • La Chatte meets Coco

    Number of comments: 7
    Because the pet that every tough black man with from Detroit desires is this:



    Meet Coco, our newly adopted family member.



    What's That? You think Dwarf bunnies are all fun and furry and lovable?

    [...]
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    Posted: June 27, 2008, 8:54pm EDT

  • Can this man stand any more humiliation?

    Number of comments: 7
    Hello my lovelies....

    I have not abandoned you - simply knew you could wait for me for a bit. My friend Jess today texted me with a hearty "ARE YOU ALIVE????"

    Working less than full time at any one job has led me to work far more than [...]
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    Posted: June 26, 2008, 10:38pm EDT

  • I'll bail you out once I stop laughing

    Number of comments: 21
    Poor Terrance.

    My husband has notoriously bad luck when it comes to crossing borders, or boarding planes. He gets pulled out or over almost every time he travels alone. I am not sure if he gives off a certain shady vibe to the airport security, or border guards, [...]
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    Posted: June 06, 2008, 9:33am EDT

  • When I become a superhero, you will know why

    Number of comments: 6


    I walk by this almost everyday and I absolutely LOVE this sign. I like to think that if I were to go through that door and enter the RADIATION LABORATORY, take a left and wander into the CYCLOTRON that my dreams of a super power [...]
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    Posted: June 01, 2008, 10:46pm EDT

  • One of the lesser known effects of gender bias

    Number of comments: 10
    Sunday Morning - I am in the shower.

    Emily enters the bathroom and begins to brush her teeth.

    Emily: "Mama. I think I have gender bias."

    Me: "What? What did you say?"

    Emily: "Gender Bias. I think I have it."

    Me: "Why do you think [...]
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    Posted: May 26, 2008, 8:03am EDT
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