The 2024 presidential election motivated me to have a birthday do-over

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At the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater Pointe in Time Emerald Gala Today marks a week since my birthday.  Its occurrence is a tremendous blessing. Because all around us are reminders about the fragility of life. To that end, my brother, who always makes a point to celebrate me, took me to the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater's Pointe in Time Emerald Gala on November 2d. That was the beginning of my birthday celebrations. And then, on my birthday itself, I got a bit of a surprise... My actual birthday was tough. It was Election Day. And, I spent the day working polls as a part of an election protection effort. My efforts were designed to protect all voters. However, deep in my heart I love my AKA sister, Kamala Harris and I hoped for her historic victory. Then, much to my chagrin and despite my efforts—and those of thousands more—she lost. In my estimation, that loss was one of the greatest setbacks in human dignity in my lifetime.  The country elected a felon and self-proclaimed, racist, ableis
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A Peek in the Life of a Working Mom: The End of the School Year

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I know that parents have been raising children for centuries. Knowing that makes me no less amazed about our daughter's transformation throughout the past school year.

The First Year of Preschool Has Been An Incredible Journey


I was anxious last September about sending my daughter to preschool. She had been the apple of our eye, a coddled infant who had the benefit of one-on-one care. Sending her to a place where there were 16 other children and only two staff, having to get her ready every morning, and not receiving multiple reports about her day gave me pause. 
Day before preschool started

As with most milestones in my life, I chronicled my thoughts and journey about my daughter starting preschool on this blog, My Daughter is Starting Preschool Tomorrow. I was even able to learn enough about my experienced that I wrote a piece to help other parents survive the transition to preschool at Seven Steps to Surviving the Transition to Preschool.  

The Journey Was Not Without Struggles



Since writing the "surviving piece" I have been spending the remainder of my time living frantically instead of writing about our journey (I was also "cooking a baby". I still need to write about my birth experience. It's coming...) I haven't written about the times we have struggled to get our daughter out of the bed because we allowed her to stay up to late at a family party. I haven't written about the mornings we spent scrambling to do her homework--finding a photo in a magazine that reflected the letter of the month--because we neglected to do it the night before. 

I did share with you the conflicts we had about what clothes she would wear, The Clothes Standoff. We learned that, at three, our daughter's resolve is much stronger than ours. For a good chunk of the year she went to school every day in a skirt, generally a tutu and sometimes a crown. She's a princess in her own mind and who are we to disabuse her of that notion?!
A regular school outfit (not joking)

We are proud of the person she is becoming


 Things changed this year and not just my daughter's height. She has however, entered into that endearing period where it is nearly impossible to find pants that fit her. They are either too loose or too short. Generally, she walks around looking like she's waiting for a flood. I am certain she'll hate me for it later.

 Her pants tell the tale though. She began the year as a baby and she has matured into a young lady who can pick out her own clothes, recite the alphabet, write her name, identify her colors, amuse herself in her room with her toys and do countless other tasks.  She also has friends who matter to her.  


She has accomplished the transformation we wished for her at the beginning of the year. We couldn't be prouder. We also look forward to experiencing the journey with her and watching her as she becomes who she is destined to be. 
Receiving her certificate

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Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

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