glenrockschwartz

Hi Avery, I swear that sometimes you are sunny and lovely and loving, but that is just not as much fun to write about when at this age of four you are also often completely normal in being unbalanced and angry and crazy.  So I am sorry for these posts all in a string in this part of the blog, but my darling, each and every story I relate here is completely true. So yes, it's true, sometimes you do have bouts of intense anger that bubbles up and is kind of like the book "When Sophie Gets Angry".  We do our best to parent you through these moments, staying as calm and neutral and anger free as possible.   While I've already forgotten what this past weekend's tantrum was about, I do remember that you were  having trouble managing your emotions and this time the victim of your acrimony was your poor dad.  With teeth clenched you said, no actually you shrieked, "I'm going to say the C -word because I'm so angry!" at which point your dad and I lo...

Hi Alex, This past weekend you decided you wanted a buzz cut.  Because I am a full believer in letting you do just about anything that's not permanent (so color it blue for all I care, but no piercings and no tattoos!), I said okay even though I love, Love, LOVE you with slightly longer hair. So this is the result of that haircut.  Without the sunglasses, I am reminded of what you looked like when you were a hairless baby Alex.  Your daddy thinks that you look more athletic and a bit more tough.  Some friends of mine have seen this photo and say that you look bada$$.  I am going to be honest with you, I really hate it!  You told me that you really don't like how it looks too much either and that you don't plan on cutting it this short again. And since I am the keeper of our family history both through this blog and through the taking of photos, I am thinking that this one photo will be the only one to document that you decided to experiment w...

Hi kids, I want you to know that when I get to be creative I am at my happiest.  You make ask then why I often poo-poo arts & crafts or science projects at home.  The simple answer is I love the chance to be creative when I am not utterly responsible for cleaning up your giant messes.  I  LOVE your messes, I do!  And I am looking forward with great joy to the day that you will be responsible for your own messes. Anyway, as usual, a huge digression.  So tomorrow is Alex's last day of second grade.  He's had a great year and a great teacher and I want to thank her.  There will be a gift card, of course, but I wanted to do something more.  I decided to bake cookies, in 98 degree heat. :) Here's the label I made to adorn the plate of cookies: I hope she likes it.  And I hope that when you find something that you love to do that you get to do it all day, every day.  And now back to my regularly scheduled day filled w...

Hey kids, Just wanted to let you know that I think it's entirely normal to forget in just the blink of an eye, the things that really matter in life and to start to get super-cranky on a Monday morning about all the everyday annoyances.  I am posting below this internet-famous story about some mythical professor that I see pop up from time to time over the years.  Reading it always helps me to smile, even on a Monday morning. "A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When the class began, he picked up a very large and empty glass jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured...

"Dang it!  Sorry mom, I'm really just like dad.  You know that us men, we can't help our cursing." My darling Alex, in the words of Grandma and Auntie Dawn, that sentence could not feel more like a true Jodi-ism. I love that you make such outrageous and humorous statements. Love, Mom

Dear Avery, I have been thinking a bit about what makes a person different or special and do I really want that for you.  This past weekend my friend Vivian and I took you and her daughter Natalie to see a show in the city called Freckleface. Freckleface is a musical geared for kids that teaches the important lesson to celebrate all of our differences.  Of course, when we asked you girls what you had learned from the play you said 'how to tap dance' and 'how to dribble a basketball'.  Perhaps the show was meant for someone older than four years. But I digress. Anyway, the real story that I wanted to relate to you was that you did something that probably every other child has done in some form or another at some point or another.  And the formula goes like this: "Hey friend, I think you should see if this tiny object can fit inside your nose.  Do you want to try and see?" This type of situation almost always involves tweezers and if you are very luck...

Hi Alex, It's June only a few more weeks until you are done with second grade.  You turned eight this past March.  I want you to know these details while I recount this story to you.   This past weekend you lost another tooth while you were sleeping and either swallowed it in your sleep or it's hiding somewhere tangled in the sheets or under you bed.  In either case, you asked if you should write a note so that the tooth fairy would know to come and visit.  You even asked me where you think you should put it so the tooth fairy would be able to find it easily. The next morning, SURPRISE, the tooth fairy had left you five dollars and her calling card of a little flower sticker on the note you had written. You were in your room and I casually mentioned, "Oh look what the tooth fairy left you."  You looked and said, "How cute, mom.  You put a little sticker on the note for me!" I looked at you with bemused horror and shock. "I mean, the toot...