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About Laura

If you had told Laura that she would become a first time mom at 41, say back in her "spirited 20s", she would have said "That sounds about right.  I've got too much to do until then."  Well, she didn't really, and it wasn't exactly by choice. Seven years of fertility treatments later, it all seemed to make sense.  And with the words, "let's adopt," the adventure really began.  When her daughter ("Spicy Girl" b.2007) was placed in her arms at 11 months old, in a city half-way around the world, the idea of motherhood became the reality of "what the hell am I doing?"  All at once, life at home became a constant sociological experiment of nature vs. nurture.  "Honestly, honey, I didn't teach her how to do a forward roll at 20 months ... I couldn't do one when I was 20 years old.  It must be her hard-wiring." In her daytime away from mom-hood, she works as a higher education administrator where she does her best not to parent 18 to 22 year-olds.
Author Archive | Laura
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Fighting for the Hard “R”

We live in Massachusetts. Those born and bred in Massachusetts have an interesting accent. For those who have never heard it, then I would recommend watching an episode of “Cheers”, especially one where the mailman, Cliff Clavin is prominently featured. I love living in Massachusetts. But, I grew up in New York. So, I will never shake my love of the Yankees, and I will never have a Massachusetts accent—well, except when mocking people or in a feeble attempt to (...Read More)

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Three Little Words

Spicy Girl has started to express her feelings more freely. At first, the hubby and I thought the “I love you”s were exclusively for us and the grandparents. Then the aunts and cousins got the sentiment. But, when the third nephew, twice removed got one, we knew that we were in a situation where possibly the “selectivity” was not what we had originally believed it to be. My initial thought was “does she understand what that means?” Then, when she (...Read More)

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Thinking About Fate

As you may know from reading my bio, Spicy Girl came to us through international adoption from China. The most difficult aspect of the wait to be matched with a child is, well, the wait. The matching process is cloaked in secrecy and it is done in a single bureaucratic office for every eligible child in the entire country. After we submit our dossier, it is placed in a cue, and it stays in that spot in line until you (...Read More)

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Multi-Taskers Aren’t Just for Cooking

I, like many folks out there, love the Food Network.  I wish I could claim that watching makes me a better cook.  Rather, it seems to make me a better eater.  The real draw, of course, isn’t the food. It’s the personalities, and by far, my favorite is Alton Brown.  He’s like the food geek’s pin-up boy.  He’s funny, smart and quirky … ooh and those glasses.  Meoww…. OK, I’m back, sorry. If you are an Alton watcher, you know (...Read More)

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YouTube is Not a Replacement for Dr. Spock

Did you hear about the viral video infecting the Internet featuring five seven year-old girls in black and red bikinis and thigh-high hose dancing to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”?  I have.  You see, I’m enrolling Spicy Girl in dancing school, and my dad has an opinion on this type of dancing. “I hope you didn’t pick a dancing school that has them do a number like that.”  My father said to me.  Dad likes to use terms like “number”, “rock and (...Read More)

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