By: Tanya Ward Goodman Last year, on the way home from our second July 4th party, I spontaneously drove to toward the Rose Bowl. As the kids chanted, “fireworks, fireworks,” from the back seat, I maneuvered our car past the folks camped out on the grassy medians near Colorado and Orange Grove. As my husband’s […]
The Posse
By: Tanya Ward Goodman “I’ve decided not to hate parts of myself,” my friend said. She was staring down adoringly at her wide feet in groovy, cork-heeled sandals. “It’s a waste of time.” Wise words. Recently, I was lucky enough to join this woman, and six others, for dinner. They are my “baby friends.” We met when […]
Summer School
By: Tanya Ward Goodman A week has passed since my mini-vacation and I’m still relatively serene. (Of course I may be so tired that I can’t muster the energy to be much of anything else.) The kids are officially out of school and our schedule has changed again. True to form, they greeted this change […]
Small Town Cure
By: Tanya Ward Goodman In the last few weeks, I have felt like my nerves were pushing to the surface of my skin, shooting up quick as bean plants breaking the soil. When I closed my eyes, I could imagine these tender sprouts grazed by the world around me. Sounds have been louder, sensations more […]
You Are Not Alone
Paper Airplanes
By: Tanya Ward Goodman My son has been making paper airplanes. Not one or two paper airplanes, but a whole fleet of paper airplanes. He sits at the little desk in our kitchen with the I-Pod cranked up and folds paper. Sometimes he listens to the soundtrack to “Mary Poppins,” sometimes, it’s Guns and Roses […]
Sick Day
By: Tanya Ward Goodman A thermometer stuck in one ear read 100.2, the same thermometer in the other ear: 99.8. “She’s okay,” I muttered. “What’s her temp?” my husband asked. “Not so high,” I said. “Barely 100. Probably less.” “Look at her,” he said. Our daughter was curled in his lap, limp as the proverbial […]
Good Parents. Bad Weekend
By: Tanya Ward Goodman I would like to write about my weekend. I would like to write about how I stood in the kitchen rolling out a perfect piecrust while my two adorable moppets (dusted delightfully with flour) stood on chic modern stools beside me. I would like to write about the raised beds in […]
Saving Grace
Dog Daze
By: Tanya Ward Goodman My daughter wants a dog. She wants an “interesting dog.” She doesn’t want a “plain old boring” dog. No ordinary white dogs or brown dogs need apply. She wants something splashy. My son wants a poodle. My husband isn’t wild about fluffy dogs. He doesn’t want a dog with short legs or too […]