List/Grid Tag Archives: Family

Breakfast With Santa?

Breakfast With Santa?

Last week I wrote about my son’s first experience with Santa.  Saturday, we were going to have breakfast with Santa in South Pasadena and I wondered if The Littlest E would sit on Santa’s lap for a picture.  Would he have a positive encounter? Since we put up our Christmas tree a couple of weeks ago and brought out our holiday books, talk of the Man in Red has been non-stop.  Everyday, at least once… Read more »

A Thanksgiving Tribute To My Husband

A Thanksgiving Tribute To My Husband

Around Thanksgiving I think about the things for which I am grateful.  We are fortunate enough to have a roof over our head, food on our plates, and heat for when it’s cold.  We have loving family and friends; we have our son and enjoy a nice life.  I am especially thankful for my wonderful husband who is the love of my life and an amazing father to our son, The Littlest E.  I sometimes… Read more »

The Gift Of Adoption

The Gift Of Adoption

November is National Adoption Month and, since my life was touched by adoption when we brought our son home with us from Ethiopia fifteen months ago, I felt it important to write about the precious gift that is adoption.  I was calculating how long The Littlest E has been with us and can’t believe it’s only been fifteen months.  It seems like he’s been with us forever, and I mean that in the best of… Read more »

Parenthood: Early Days

Parenthood: Early Days

Leaving the house for the first time after giving birth was like slipping into another dimension. I went out of the house for the first time five days after my daughter was born to buy a few button-down tops in hopes of making nursing a little bit easier. My lower back ached and my legs felt cartoonishly heavy. I trudged the streets slowly, bleary eyed and disoriented. I have walked these streets to do my… Read more »

Living La Dolce Vita When In Italy With Kids

Living La Dolce Vita When In Italy With Kids

My six year old, the self-admitted chocoholic, is coming off a serious bender. Our recent trip to Italy had us all indulging as never before (as one is surely prone to do while visiting that beautiful and bountiful country). The adults packed on serious pasta paunches, sipped chianti and nibbled proscuitto e melone. My sons sampled every flavor of gelato known to humankind and ate their way through countless jars of Nutella®. We have Nutella… Read more »

A Joyous Life After Infertility

A Joyous Life After Infertility

I recently went to my OB for an exam and it was the first time in many years that I felt good about being there.  In an earlier blog, I mentioned that my husband and I tried assisted reproductive technology (ART) to build our family.  While going through the major ups and downs associated with infertility, the last place I felt comfortable was my OB’s waiting room looking at all of the pregnant women, wishing… Read more »

Seen And Not Heard

Seen And Not Heard

My sons, ages 6 and 3, are often described by the euphemistically inclined as “high-energy”.  Adjectives that are never, ever used to describe them include “quiet”, “calm”, “cautious”, and “shy”. As Canadians, we are a culture that celebrates childhood with gusto. We seek our children’s opinions (in the presence of adults!), let them run barefoot in the park, leave chocolate moustache’s intact. We set boundaries, of course, build etiquette (or at least we are trying)…. Read more »

Reflections On Family

Reflections On Family

Today, August 2, 2011, marks the year anniversary of the day we took custody of our son, The Littlest E, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  In the adoptive world people often refer to this day as “Gotcha Day.”  We like to call it our Family Day because it was the day we became a family.  I’ve been reflecting a lot on what family means to me, and thought it only fitting to share those reflections on… Read more »

Copyright © 2011 Reiss Omnimedia Group LLC and content respective owners. LIFECLECTIC MAGAZINE is a trademark of Reiss Omnimedia Group LLC. All rights reserved.