One Mom, Three Kids, Many Adventures
I’m not entirely sure how my son ended up with over a dozen nerf guns. When he was born, I swore that we would be a weapon-free household. We would buck the stereotypes of masculine play. Surely it was a social construct and nothing more that caused boys to be wild and reckless and inexorably… Continue reading A Grudging Acceptance of Nerf Guns
Just because school is out for the summer, it doesn’t mean we’re loafing off, academically. There is plenty of Summer Math to be had. You just have to look for it. For example, take this story problem. If two children and one mom all clamber aboard a single-seater kayak, how far away from the dock… Continue reading Summer Math Lessons
My daughter turned to me just before bedtime the other night and said – “This summer is actually pretty great.” And you know what? She’s right. I had a lot of anxiety going into the summer. We were so tired from the long weeks of crisis schooling. Everyone was burned out, stressed out, and grieving… Continue reading Life in the Bubble
My fingernails are currently painted with a jaunty silver, white, and blue striped pattern. It’s quite flashy. My eleven-year-old live-in nail technician was very proud of her work. The nails were a perfect accompaniment to the dangly star earrings, fireworks t-shirt, and red and white striped skirt I was wearing on the fourth of July.… Continue reading What Are We Celebrating?
I am feeling existentially conflicted. The last time I experienced this much emotional angst was when I was forced to grapple with my feelings for Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger in the Black Panther movie. The man made some good philosophical points and he’s just too beautiful to be the bad guy. Whose side am… Continue reading Rain: Godsend or Curse?
In reading the collective advice of health care professionals worldwide regarding staying safe during COVID-19, one thing seems pretty clear: outdoors is better than indoors. Thus, with many indoor spaces closed – or open but terrifying – 2020 is the summer of the great outdoors. This is the year for hiking, camping, and enjoying nature.… Continue reading Call of the (Somewhat) Wild
It finally happened. The moment I have been waiting for since my children were born. The four Snyders successfully played an honest-to-goodness board game together last weekend. I’m talking about a real boardgame, too. This wasn’t Go Fish or Candyland or (god help me) Chutes and Ladders or any of the myriad preschool board games… Continue reading Bonding Over Board Games
Sometimes it only takes a small ray of sunshine to completely change your outlook on the day. Or on the entire summer. For me, that ray of sunshine was an email that arrived several days after I wrote about the daunting prospect of facing a COVID-19 summer with the kids. I checked my inbox after… Continue reading All It Takes Is Kindness – And a Pool
If you’re wondering just how bored our family has gotten, the other night my son entertained himself for thirty minutes by batting a handful of bouncy balls around the floor of our bathroom shower stall. He narrated it like a sports commentator. “Pink zigzags hard to the right, but Red knocks her off course before… Continue reading Connecting During Quarantine
Allow me to set the scene for you. It’s one o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon – the first afternoon of summer break, as it happens. You might think that you would be peeking in on a moment of relaxation and celebration. After all, it’s the summer holidays. Time to kick back, read a book, take… Continue reading Staggering into Summer
