Category: Retrospectives

That Time My Turkey Platter Made Me Cry

We hosted Thanksgiving for 22 last week.  It was lovely and joyous and, yes, a wee bit frantic.  I didn’t get out of my pajamas on Friday.  It is a gift to be able to host so many people you love in your home, serve them food, and celebrate family, but I am slow on... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
November 28, 2017 at 11:23 am • 

Ten Years at Home

Milestones are an opportunity to reflect.  Ten years ago this month, my little family of three moved into our current home.  It was an impossible move that kind of, sort of made no sense at the time, but it was a move rooted in hope. In March 2007 we were casually looking at new digs.... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
July 15, 2017 at 10:54 am • 

Mary Tyler Moore, My Patron Saint of Hope

“You’re gonna make it after all.”   I am writing these words through tears, a full 24 hours (now almost 48, as the words did not coming easily) after hearing the news of Mary Tyler Moore’s death.  The death of an 80 year old should never surprise, but the death of this particular 80 year... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
January 27, 2017 at 12:00 pm • 
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15 Wedding Gifts Still In Use After 15 Years of Marriage

Utensil bins, including many of the utensils held within. Full disclosure, we've pretty much cycled through to a second set of wood spoons and spatulas. Fifteen years of cooking will do that.
So the husband and I celebrated 15 years of marriage last week.  It was lovely, actually.  We spent a weekend in the small town where we got married, showed the boys the opera hall where our ceremony was held,  had a spontaneous vow renewal, enjoyed a fancy dinner and show.  Really lovely.  And, then, you... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
May 24, 2016 at 10:25 am • 

Married with Kids

“Married with kids” is both a description of who I am, but also what I do.  I am married with kids, yes, but I also think of marriage and kids as verbs.  Marriage is work, a process, a state of being.  Having kids, raising kids properly, is certainly work.  Perhaps more of a vocation, really.... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
February 2, 2016 at 11:13 am • 

In Case of Emergency

I’m taking a break.  No one I love is allowed to need me in any extraordinary capacity for the undefinable future.  No sickness.  No breaks. No demanding needs.  No crisis allowed.  Like I said, I’m taking a break. For long (or short, depending on how you look at it) swaths of my life, I have... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
January 5, 2016 at 9:19 am • 
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Lessons Learned in 2015

Tomorrow marks the last day of 2015.  It’s been a year, but then again, aren’t they all?  I’m feeling reflective today, so jotted down some of the lessons this year has brought to me.  As you read through mine, consider what this year has gifted you, in terms of knowledge and experience.  Our challenge is... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
December 30, 2015 at 1:40 pm • 

How $10 and Amazon Allowed Me to Go Home Again

Ten years ago I lost my Mom and last spring my Dad died after ten years as a widower.  Less than a year after my Mom was gone, my Dad opted to sell their last shared home and sold or distributed most of their belongings accumulated after almost 50 years of marriage.  It was hard... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
December 11, 2015 at 1:55 pm • 

In-Between Weddings

We’re headed to Cincinnati for a wedding later this month and it made me realize that my husband and I are in that phase of life in-between weddings.  Most of our close friends and contemporaries sailed on the wedding ship long ago, very few have gotten divorced and re-married, and we’re too young to be... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
June 16, 2015 at 11:29 am • 
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My Lake Shore Drive

When you choose to live in the place where you grew up, history accrues. Kid history mixes with adult history and family history gets tossed in there, too.  Chicago is my home by birth and by choice and I don’t imagine ever leaving this place.  I am grateful for the immigrant grandparents that chose it... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
January 11, 2015 at 1:09 pm •