Life Preparedness Kit

June 19, 2011 by 10 Comments

My kids started math camp this week.  I know what you’re thinking, “what kind of person sends their kids to math camp?”  But hear me out.  Aside from the fact that my kids love it so far, it’s a great learning and growth opportunity for their mother and me, as well.  You see, they normally attend a small, private school, the kind where everybody knows everybody and you always feel like your kids are safe.  Well, this Math Enrichment Program (sounds a lot better than ‘math camp’, huh?) is not at their normal school.  And to our surprise–and as it turns out fear– there are 800 students in this darn program.  So, dropping our kids off at such a large school, with so many kids is a little nerve-racking.  To say the least!

But let’s put aside my issues– I mean emotions– for a minute.  The purpose of this post is to point out something that struck me as I was driving away after the first day of the program.  I’d just left my kids and felt a bit uneasy.  For them.  Never had they been thrust into such a situation.  What I might call a social overdose–meeting and having to fit in with a whole new group of kids–they seemed a bit overwhelmed.  As I was driving, I could still see my daughter’s face when I hugged and kissed her goodbye.  My hand was also still hurting, a result of my son not wanting to let go of the security blanket he sometimes calls “daddy”. Read more of this post

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Ode to Dino: Happy Father’s Day to All You Nerdy Dads!

June 17, 2011 by 27 Comments

My dad is 79-years-old and currently traveling through his ancestral home town—Castelvetere— in Northern Italy. My mom, who struggles with arthritis pain and heart issues, decided to take a pass on Dad’s latest inspiration to find his parents’ childhood homes. He found the ancient housing structures still standing on Google Maps and the wheels started spinning. Mom decided to take advantage of a week free from her groovy retired life with Dad and travel with her sister to world-renown Rancho La Puerta Spa in Tecate, Mexico to work on her mind/body/spirit connection and give vegetarian living a whirl. Having my two (dare I say it?) “elderly” parents on different continents is…unsettling. Because of iPhones and time zones my sisters and I have been in touch with Auntie and Mom, but until today, day five, Dad has been incommunicado.

Armed with his brand new iPad, I anticipated at least a quick message on Dad’s first day or two. Turns out the iPad is rendered useless in the mountainous province of Benevento (which translated means “good wind,” significance to come later in this piece) and he’s had to resort to archaic methods to communicate, including dial-up. That’s what my dad gets for jetting off to remote Italian towns in search of Antonellis, Morettis, DiPieros and LaMarcas (yes, I am 100% Italian!). Thinking of my dad farther away than a tap on my Favorites list got me thinking about…me and Dad, back in the day, back at MY ancestral home in Saratoga,CA. Read more of this post

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This Mother Q$#$%

May 8, 2011 by 3 Comments

You know what annoys me? Well, a lot actually, but I’m sure I’m not unique in that respect. You know what has been annoying me more than usual lately? People who walk around beating their chest and patting themselves on the back for all they’ve done. These are the same people who look down their nose at people who have fallen on hard times or just can’t seem to get things right. And I can’t stand it! This “If I can do it, why can’t they” mentality is annoyingly arrogant and egotistical. And I’ll go to my grave arguing that it is completely delusional. No man who has achieved any level of success has done it by himself. Every woman who has “made it” in this world has done it with the help of many, many others.

Don’t get me wrong; I certainly believe that we make our own luck and that the world doesn’t reward whiners and complainers. I also believe there are several roads to success for all of us and that it is our job to continue walking (or running) down the roads that present themselves until we reach our always chosen, sometimes desired location. But I’d be more than a little naïve, ignorant even, if I didn’t recognize that those paths were paved in large part by other people, other circumstances, and what a lot of people might call fate. Read more of this post

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One day they won’t

May 5, 2011 by 6 Comments

My kids are very, very educated in the art of persuasion.  You should see these two sales geniuses at night, at work in their laboratory trying to figure out how to stay up five or ten more minutes.  First, my daughter with “Dad, can you give us our vitamins?”  That’s usually my first trip down the hallway to each of their rooms.  Then my son chimes in.  “Mommy and Daddy!  Hug and a Kiss,”  our cue to lovingly tuck them both into bed.   But it’s not that simple.  They each want us to tuck the other child in first so they can get the last hug and kiss for the night.  And finally, my daughter asks me to lie with her for a little bit.  No sooner had I accepted her invitation than my son screamed from his bedroom, “Daddy, can you lay with me after?” Read more of this post

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Uncommon Courtesy

April 19, 2011 by Leave a comment

I received a comment on my 100th post from a colleague of mine, someone I respect immensely.  After seeing that her email was one I wasn’t used to, I visited her blog and found one of many posts I really liked, Uncommon Courtesy.  It’s amazing how much you can learn about life and the world at large by stopping to learn about people in the outer circle of your life.  Ask the person in the cube next to you what they enjoy doing.  Ask the mailman why he is smiling this morning.  Ask your daughter’s teacher or son’s coach or the Bible School teacher why they do what they do.  At the end of the day, it is my belief, we are all doing the best we can with what we have.

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