Author Archives: Ilene

The Walk

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We were half way around the block before I broached the subject, down by the lake behind my mother’s house, where we were visiting that Sunday afternoon. I grew up by that lake, walking my family dog, riding my skateboard, and flirting with first crushes on warm summer evenings.   After days of making excuses, it was time to let her in.  “Honey, I wanted to talk to you about something,” I say, fumbling into the conversation. “What Mommy?”  Miss F. asks, half listening while picking the wildflowers that grow along the sidewalk.  “Daddy…” I hesitate, “Went to live with Grandpa.” … Continue reading →

Cheer Mom – Guest Post at Things I Can’t Say

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The premise: A willful daughter and her control freak mother lock horns over the demands of the daughter’s competition cheer team. The cast of characters:  The Fierce Diva and the Divine Miss F.   The major dramatic question: Will the Diva pull Miss F. from cheer mid-season? The setting:  Suburbia The outcome: Hop on over to Things I Can’t Say to find out!   Wow!  What a week! I am still basking in the afterglow of my SITS Day, which was Wednesday, and today, I am the guest blogger over at Shell’s place, Things I Can’t Say. I met Shell … Continue reading →

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Manpants {It’s My SITS Day!}

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  I need you.  Although I don’t want to admit it.     A friend of mine recently chastised me (and rightfully so!) for trying to get through difficult situations on my own.   I am someone who tends to push away love and support. I have a hard time asking for help. When others try to help me, it makes me squirmy.  It makes me feel like I’m putting them out. I practically apologize before asking anyone for a favor. However, if you need me, I’ll give you everything I have.  If you’re in a crisis, I’m your man.   Just … Continue reading →

Boot Camp

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I walk into the class room, feeling a little more arrogant than warranted. I’ve got this, I think to myself.  I’m a distance runner. I’m a yogi. I’m a total badass. How challenging can this actually be, I wonder, feeling more smug than curious.   The Boot Camp classes at the studio where I teach yoga are the most popular classes, by far.  They are so popular, that registration is required in advance so that you are guaranteed a spot. One class is offered immediately after my Tuesday night Fight Club, and every week, I head to my car, as … Continue reading →

Life of the Party

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Imagine drones of drunken co-ed girls in wet T-shirt contests, all night partying, beer, clubbing, more beer, dancing until dawn, impulsive, booze fueled hook ups, and more beer.  All the stuff that happens in Cancun. When I was in my early 20’s, I went on an “all-expenses paid” trip to Cancun, thanks to the travel agent grandmother of a friend of mine. Where I walked into one club for a total of two hours. Where I was in bed most night by 10:00. Where I drank not one beer. Where I went back to my own room every night – … Continue reading →

Boys

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The Dude would go off for hours, to the field, the butterfly bush, the playground, or underneath a chaise lounge in a fortress built with towels. Most of the time he was with Jack, the Dude’s best friend, a surrogate brother, with whom he spends his summers at the town pool. Jack is a good boy, a really good boy, with an even keeled disposition that tempers my son’s occasional moods. They have the same imagination, which allows them to play with Legos or boats or collect leaves or rocks or catch butterflies for entire afternoons. I call the Dude … Continue reading →

I Got Your Back

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  “It’s not going to work,” I say.  “There’s just no way.” “Why not?”  She asks, setting a glass of water down on the table for me to drink. I have been torn the last few weeks, really torn, over what to do about work.  I need to generate more income, yet the thought of going back to the corporate world that I came from makes me anxious. I recall the days of trying to “juggle it all,” being the only adult left in the house after 7:00 in the morning, not yet showered, and up against three rogue kids … Continue reading →

How Not to Hold a Grudge

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The bitch and I share the driver’s seat as I drive to the studio.  She’s taking up most of the space. “Can you please find your own seat?”  I ask.     “Shut up, bitch,” she snaps back.   “Who do you think you’re talking to?  You’re the bitch!” “Like you’re completely innocent.” I turn up the music and block her out.  The seat feels pretty cramped, but I manage.  You may not see my inner bitch, even if we’re in the same room, but every now and then, she takes over.    Like today. I’ve been holding some grudges, and … Continue reading →

To The Mom on Craig’s List

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URGENT!  Babysitter needed! For children ages 4, 6, and 7 September 4th and 5th in my home 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.  Offering $13.00 per hour   Stated the ad on Craig’s List. I felt like I knew this woman, or for that matter, this woman could have been me.  My guess was that her childcare plans for the two work days leading up to the first day of school and their corresponding aftercare programs had fallen through. And she had to get to work. I lived that reality for years, with young children.  Did my children come first?  Of … Continue reading →

Friends

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At first, it was a novelty, reconnecting with people you lost touch with in fifth grade.  They moved away or changed schools, decades before the digital age, and it seemed as if they had disappeared from your life forever. Then, it became a convenient way to stay abreast of the daily ins and outs of your current friends. You don’t talk to them as much as you used to, because you see what’s going on in their lives through Facebook. Then, you get angry with them, because they posted pictures of the awesome girl’s night out you weren’t invited to.  … Continue reading →