• depression,  family,  kids,  parenting,  seasonal affective disorder,  spring

    On Seasonal Affective Disorder… I Mean Spring

    I wrote a version of this blog post a few years ago at a low point of seasonal affective disorder or, as we call it here in the midwest, spring. I’m republishing it today, with GIFs, because it’s April 16 and has been snowing for two days. The tulip shoots are buried in white and I have to laugh about it or I’ll go mad. The Real March (and April) Madness My husband says that waking up on the first day of the NCAA tournament is like Christmas morning for him. But I’m familiar with the real March madness, and its evil cousin, April madness, and basketball has nothing to…

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  • books,  kids,  parenting,  seasonal affective disorder,  writing

    Perspective from a Picture Book

    One of the true delights of being a parent to a young child is reading picture books. It’s fun to read favorites from my own childhood like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Caps for Sale, and pretty much anything by Dr. Seuss. But it’s even more fun to discover new authors and illustrators. Yesterday I was reading a picture book to my small son. The book was the adorable and beautifully-illustrated RAIN! by Linda Ashman, which came out earlier this year. I love the book because it’s all about perspective. A grumpy old man sees that it’s raining one morning and complains that he has to put on his “blasted…

  • coffee,  family,  kids,  neuroses,  seasonal,  wisconsin

    The Real March Madness

    My husband says that waking up on the first day of the NCAA tournament is like Christmas morning for him. But I’m familiar with the real March madness, and basketball has nothing to do with it. The real March madness is the feeling you get when you watch the thermometer on your car dashboard drop from fourteen to eleven to five degrees Fahrenheit. It’s the first day of spring getting bitch-slapped by winter, year after year. It’s devouring gallons of coffee and carb-loading with baked goods because winter will never end and you’ll never need to wear a bathing suit again. It’s straitjacketing your toddler into his parka and boots…