Author: Peggy

For the past year or so, I’ve been an avid listener of the NPR program This American Life, available as a podcast through iTunes. A new episode is released each Sunday. If you’re not familiar with the program, it is hosted by Ira Glass and basically presents stories, both fiction and non-fiction, based around a theme. This week’s theme was “Tribes,” and when I plugged my iPhone in to make the 45-minute drive to meet Klara’s friends for story-hour, I expected to be entertained and fascinated as usual; what I didn’t expect that I would find my “tribe” represented.

The second story of this week’s program (#491) is titled “A Tribe Called Rest” and is told by a woman named Andrea Seigel. In recapping, I’m working from the transcript found here.

Andrea began by describing a phenomenon she’d first noticed as a child, a sensation she’d get she describes as “…this tingling throughout my skull…Starbursts that open on the crown and then sparkle down at the nape like this warm, glittering water rushing under your scalp.” I was pretty sure I knew what she was talking about, especially when she said she’d find this feeling listening to whispering friends, pages being turned in a quiet library, the soft voice of a librarian. This was definitely familiar territory. Continue reading “ASMR”

As of yesterday, I am officially a stay-at-home mom.

I made this decision several months ago, so there wasn’t much drama associated with it, but finally made the phone calls I’d been putting off and told my superintendant and department head that I would not be returning to teaching next year.

This was probably one of the most agonizing decisions of my life, which is funny because it’s what I’ve wanted all my life. For as long as I’ve wanted kids – which is as long as I can remember – I’ve wanted to do what my mom did and stay home to raise them. As I got older, I became more aware of what that entailed – essentially, asking a man to support me while I did this, and then, later, asking a man to support me and make the payments on the student loans I took out for a degree I’m no longer using. Continue reading “Wednesday February 27, 2013”

Today the skies parted and a miracle occurred.

Klara has been a terrible napper since the day she was born. Part of the problem is that her naps are so unpredictable, but in general, you can rely on them lasting precisely 45 minutes. Now and then I’ll get lucky and get an hour and a half out of her, especially if we’re in the car. But if by some stroke of luck she does have one great nap, the other is her usual 45 minutes. Today however, for what I’m pretty sure was the first time in her (admittedly short) life, Klara had not one but two substantial naps in her crib. Continue reading “Monday February 25, 2013”

Sometimes, there are no sweeter words than your husband saying, “Let’s go out for dinner tonight.”

Today, Klara and I finished watching, “The Bachelor: Sean Tells All.”  Then we watched a bit of 7 Plus 7 and a bit of “American Idol.” After a nap and lunch, we headed to the Plymouth Public Library. I pulled into the parking lot, after which Klara proceeded to nap for an hour and a half. Knowing her propensity to nap in the car, I was prepared with my iPad (currently reading: The Wheel of Time 1: The Eye of the World. After many years of hearing about them I’ve finally dived into the “Wheel of Time” series). Even that got old after awhile, so I was glad when she finally woke up and we could go inside. I checked out Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan and Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt…and then 1-2-3 Magic by Thomas W. Pehlan, Ph. D., mostly because Carolyn Hax recommends it. Then a trip to Wal-Mart – I usually avoid it but it was the closest store, and we needed milk – and a call to Eric with those magic words. We ended up going to Sushi Joy. I just love how many people bring their kids there. I feel like when you bring a kid there you are exposing them to a different culture and cuisine. Klara was her usual adorable self, and delighted me by enjoying some seaweed salad and gyoza. She delighted the people all around her by waving, and thoroughly enjoyed playing with the waitress as well. Mommy had two Mai Tais when one would have been plenty. All in all, it was a lovely day.