Degrees of Freedom

I’ve been writing my column for a couple of years now, and this one is my last. I’ve had a blast writing for Literary Mama, and my favorite thing about…

On a recent Wednesday, Kennard and I departed for our first child-free vacation in five years. We left our three kids — two of whom were in questionable health —…

I can deal with helping Riley do her homework. I yell answers to her questions as I pull baby Kirby out of the dishwasher, as I wrestle the hammer out…

I’ve been the mother of three for eight months now and I still don’t have the hang of it. Mostly I feel like a six-year-old kid trying to walk a…

Night One It’s two a.m. I’m standing in my bedroom and holding seven-month-old Kirby on my shoulder, swaying slightly. This is the fourth time he’s been up since I put…

I checked my e-mail yesterday morning and found a message from a friend who is an at-home mom, like me. She has a three-year-old daughter and an eight-month-old son. She…

Once upon a time, I took a lot of long, hot, relaxing baths. I could spend an hour in there, adding hot water as needed, simmering until tender. There may…

Where I live, just north of Berkeley, hardly anyone has more than two kids. I suspect it’s because so many families have two career-oriented parents, and kids are really bad…

“So what do you want for Mother’s Day?” Kennard asked me in early May. We were on the verge of having a newborn, so my options were limited. But he…

Ah, spring. This is the season when I normally plan out all of our family summer activities, which for the last two years have included car camping. This year, however,…