Tales Of An Educated Debutante
on life, loss and the joy that rules the day.






























The future is far away and scary, but today is lovely.
Adrian H. Wood, PhD
Laughter
An unlikely place. My mind says shhh, but my heart says joy. Laughter, shoving, wrestling with a tacky pink blanket, a cool morning, three excited children, three sleepy adults. Easter isn't much of what I remember as a child, at least not all of it. I remember hunting Easter baskets as our children do and some years they were the tacky ones packaged in crinkly plastic, the ones I drooled over at Kmart and some years they were more pristine, eggs and candy and even a cabbage patch doll. ..
Read moreAmos & Sunkist
My newsfeed is inundated with spectacular family photos and I've got nothing. Who are these clean people that smile and share physical proximity so willingly? Well, nobody else has Amos and a Sunkist. ..
Read moreApril the Giraffe
Scene: Russell & Blair watching April the giraffe give birth. Blair: I think I see her China. Russell: Its vagina, NOT China. Blair: Russell, you're just mad because you don't have one. Russell: Wait, it's a her? Me: Help. ..
Read moreFirst World Problems
Clearly, I am about to project myself as an ungrateful sloth, but just allow me to this one time? 1. Spring Break I love the concept of a school break. Getting out of town, even staying home and relaxing, but I mean, oh my gosh, all day with these children is torture. 2. Sports Camp Due to annoyance factor, my mother volunteered for said children to do sports camp. My middle son detests sweating FYI and followed me around crying and complaining for an hour. My threats a ..
Read moreAmos & Bad Airplane Trip
My name is Amos. This is me on the airplane. This is me before the internet vanished. My mother said my terrible behavior rendered her speechless. Not me, I was full of words, I told her OUT and NO, maybe one million times? She did point out that we were thousands of feet up in the air. That was her problem. I am airplaned out. Anyways, she said that we all survived and that's what matters. Thomas said being on the plane with me was like death. T ..
Read morePlane Truths
1. That was the flight from Hell. This is coming from someone who got off the plane last year with THREE full vomit bags (courtesy of the stomach bug.) If I thought being with a fluish Amos was tough, being with a pissed Amos in a confined space took it to a new level. 2. If you are traveling with someone who needs assistance, put on your oxygen mask first. Before today, I was filled with scorn for the mother who would not save her own child before herself. Ummm, I get it. ..
Read moreLive Like Someone Double Dog Dared You
What a thought. It's not my own though, it was a friend that reminded me of that phrase from childhood. It meant one was brave and strong, a bit reckless, quite fearless and confident not self conscious. Is there anything more to strive for in this life? Living life like someone has double dog dared you sounds outstanding and I want to be that person. I'm not yet, though I'm getting closer. I wore my fancy shoes walking in New York because they looked better than my old Tretorns an ..
Read moreDear Alicia
I quite like it when someone reaches out to share a compliment regarding my children and so, I'm extending the same courtesy to you. We mothers, no matter our background, try to instill kindness in our children. Like me, do you wonder if the endless instruction is sticking? Yours is sticking. I was waiting on a delayed flight and trying to keep my four rambunctious children entertained in the confined space. It was impossible to miss the boy playing with an amazing fun mother that ..
Read moreTen Reasons I Must Start Exercising Again
1. I am sick and tired of my daughter asking me if I'm having another baby. Particularly in front of people at church. 2. Warm weather is coming. I can't hide in my maternityesque shirts much longer. 3. Living in a lovely town on the water means that, before too long, we shall be living in a giant terrarium. One may very well collapse if still wearing forgiving spandex jeans. 4. I am unhealthy. Seriously, I quit smoking well over a year ago and the least I ca ..
Read moreAdventure
It may not sound like an adventure for most, but for me, it is as much of one as my summer in Swaziland over twenty years ago. This time, I'm just going to Raleigh, a hop, skip and a jump from here, as my mom says. Staying at a fancy hotel with her and a friend and speaking at St. Michael's (https://www.facebook.com/St-Michaels-Episcopal-Church-112778177579/) on Saturday morning. It is a dream come true, though not a dream I even knew I had. I have always tried to not talk too much ..
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