should we flee the city?

due to my fear of the bridges around here in earthquake country miles and i took an epic journey to his soccer game in tiburon on bus, ferr...

i read this fantastic book over the weekend.  it is a short and inspiring read, go here for reviews.  

the other day my kids were playing school and one of the kids was playing "the naughty kid".  and this naughty kid was doing and ...

sometimes, when kids are ornery and i am well, just not having fun being with them i wonder why i don't just work more and keep th...

here is my poor urban child trying to play soccer with his friend during a visit.  note his poor urban sister screaming in terror as the ba...

the association, pta video my very exhausted pta president friend sent me this awesome video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p09tvwvHn...

out for a drink tonight at the homestead with two mama friends. we got carded which is starting to seem so ridiculous.  the guy checking id...

maya spotted a man "sleeping in the dirt" today as we drove from bayshore to potrero.  seconds later she saw someone lying on the...

i think of urban kids as being more affected by helicopter parenting because of the physical environment--we are with the kids more as we d...

on my days off work and kids  i know there are many productive things i could be engaged in.  working and making money, for one.  working...

walking through the mission, an unscripted homage to sidewalk scaping. my ambitious son told me yesterday he wanted to live in the country...

tacolicious on valencia street at 18th is supporting my kids' school, starr king elementary. they are giving a nice chunk of their pr...

my current caseload is only at 65% of the maximum number of students it is recommended i work with, and i have been able to DO MY JOB for t...

well, after a blogging break like i never took before i need to ease back into things.  so yes, a rambling post. summer has already bl...

my teacher friend and i took our three kids on an overnight road trip to pinnacles national monument . there was a very cold swimming pool ...

pineapple weed growing in a sidewalk crack, 23rd street by the hospital maya's kindergarten graduation, note the emotion in the backs ...

a friend started telling me about how great it was for her kids when they visited a friend in napa. a big backyard, a tree house, a homemade...

a brief conversation with a fellow parent this morning had my flee the city alarms ringing.  this parent recently went through a credentiali...

tonight i went out with some co-workers to celebrate and say goodbye to two fellow speech and language pathologists who are getting married ...

here is maya with a butterfly on her head at the california academy of sciences.  with all of the million dollar exhibits there, her favorit...

something very small but good.  the wonderful room parents at my kids' school have arranged an end of the year celebration to which were...

it has been a little extra sketchy around here lately, or maybe i have just been tuning in more to reports of robberies and assaults. ok, i...

if you have a minute and are in the mood for some somewhat raunchy punk rock, take a moment and listen to some songs by yusakuta. dear ted...

these are not the greatest photos, but they show a little of what is happening out back as we try to reduce the rat enticements (vegetables)...

here are some plugs for my kids' school: next weekend will be the big school fundraiser. it is not dog fest or gran pachanga, but still...

sometimes it bums me out that all of our holiday rituals seem to revolve around candy and/or gifts. i tried to get the kids interested in le...

wow, feels like a lot of furlough days. we stopped by the new dolores park playground. the best part about this park is, of course, the sur...

maya told me that a boy in her kindergarten class has a crush on her. she told me that he said liked her clothes, said she was smart, and t...

the special education department in the school district i work for is going through a transition. i have hope that things are moving in the...

I am trying to write my first blog post from my new iPad. I will keep it short as I don't quite have the hang of this yet and don't...

i have been watching a lot of documentaries lately. loving lampposts , about how families deal when their child is given an autism spectrum...

i am listening to the president of a national children's advocacy group, voices for america's children , on npr. check out the webs...

all right, since i just whined in that last post i will do it again. rats are ruining my little urban garden! neighbors are saying that whe...

I need an administrative assistant. I really do. Because I am paid for 18 hours per week of work. And I spend exactly 18 hours per week p...

maya's plan after reading crictor: if a burglar comes in our house i will just grab my pitchfork and run down the hall right at him and ...

home again. it is a day of sudden weather changes, gusts of wind, hard rain, bright sun in a cloudy sky. miles seemed really sick this mor...

my kids are in a dual immersion program, mandarin and english. when my son started most of the families spoke only english, and the kids we...

it's a gray monday morning and i am off work doing laundry, dishes, sorting out mounds of kid artwork (maya has been drawing lots of lov...