Just Your Average American Family

Weekly Update for Jan 22

2012-01-22T11:09:00.000-08:00

EASY EDHighlight of the week: getting invited to coffee with the managing editor (aka big WaPost boss)Lowlight of the week: the next day, receiving a memo that the managing editor resignedLatest song favorite: anything from Adele for the late night drive home Quote of the week: "Is our son trying to come out to us?" After seeing Asher's eccentric choice of snow attireJENHighlight of the

Weekly Update

2012-01-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

I am trying a weekly update format for the next little while as I have not been so good at keeping up with the blog. Although I will do a 'Christmas in California' post for posterity. Guaranteed to be a classic.EASY EDHighlight of the week: his role in the WaPost Joe Paterno interview exclusiveLowlight of the week: his role the senseless murder of Asher's pet fish(es)Current obsession(s):

Happy Birthday, Noe!

2012-01-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

Love and Vomit

2011-02-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

It was inevitable. The boys had been sick earlier in the week. I spent a day with stomach pains and a buzzing headache. A stomach bug had crept into our Northern Virginia townhouse and that meant two things: Easy Ed was next and it would be bad.Sure enough, late late the other night I awoke to the sound of retching vomit. Oh, it is a dreadful noise. When Ed throws up, it sounds like animals

Guzman-style fails

2011-01-14T15:17:00.001-08:00

Here we are at the US Capitol, in front of the Christmas tree. Just a minute or so after this photo was taken, a small plane entered the Capitol no-fly zone without radio contact. Fighter pilots swooped in to intercept the plane and droves of Capitol police officers suddenly appeared at the top of this hill. With loudspeakers in hand, they forced us all to run towards the Washington

Coming out of the closet

2011-01-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

this article in the Salt Lake Tribune has been on my mind.....I love so many things about my church. The people in the church are wonderful. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is beautiful. There is much to love and admire about the structures and organizations that exist within the church. I love church service and the ways my callings have strengthened and fortified my spirit. The people in my wards

Merry Christmas and Pass the Excedrin, Please!

2010-12-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010 will be known as Sick Christmas. We all got hit with the Khris Kringle Super Virus a few days prior to Christmas and we are still pretty sick. However, we did manage to drag our drugged selves out of bed to attend the Washington Ballet Septime Webre produced version of the Nutcracker at the Warner Theater in the District. I'll just say that $250 worth of nonrefundable

Is This Six?

2010-12-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

Last night, you started asking me about college. Where will I eat? Where will I sleep? What will I do for my birthday in college? All important questions. A few minutes later I heard you belting out "Sweet Caroline" while perched on the toilet. While getting dressed for bed, you ran around your room with your underwear on your head. Then you gave me a big goodnight hug and kiss, looked me

This Week in Facebook Statuses

2010-12-12T19:23:00.001-08:00

This is my week in facebook statuses that I was too busy/frazzled to post in the moment:Sunday:Jen G....is great at recycling. She's been recycling the same cold since early November!Monday:Jen G....thinks its hilarious that Ed's aunt sent us a handwritten Christmas wish list in the mail. Does she think we live at the North Pole and have little elves working for us?TuesdayJen G....wishes

Jolly Me

2010-12-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

I am uncharacteristically merry about the upcoming holidays. Easy Ed thinks it's because the stock market has done well this year. But I think it probably has more to do with both kids being in school all day and finally having a job that is challenging and fun (at least for the moment). And just having so many reminders of all my blessings lately....Here are a few little things that are

A Noe First

2010-11-18T17:37:00.000-08:00

Getting a good picture of Noe usually involves a lot of clicks and a lot of luck. Yesterday, I was taking pictures of the boys out in our neighborhood before the landscaping crew took away our leaves (look at the background of this photo....literally minutes before the leaves were all gone) and I asked Noe to smile for me. He stopped playing, looked up and willingly gave me a big smile. I love

Where We Stand Right Now

2010-11-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

I am truly, truly enjoying my job right now. I have everything in my job that Mr. Gladwell told me I needed to be happy: autonomy, complexity, a clear reward for my effort.... I'm just like those rice farmers in China. I also have a really bad sinus infection and would like to drill a hole in my head to release some of the pressure I am feeling right now.Ed likes his job, but wishes he didn't

Alternative Career Paths

2010-11-05T21:41:00.001-07:00

It's no secret the newspaper industry is in deep, deep do-dah. With a little luck and a lot of talent, Ed has managed to stay gainfully employed through the upheaval, but it doesn't stop us from thinking what second career might be out there for him.Here are a few jobs outside the biz that I think Ed would be great in:1. Lunchtime Acoustic Guitar Performer at Potbelly's. He already has some

fall afternoon conversation with asher

2010-10-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Context: We were walking up to the school playground late this afternoon and I had just grabbed Noe as he stepped out into the street. Noe is usually pretty cautious and I usually don't have to worry about him, but he loves to stomp the leaves on the ground and loses all sense of danger in the fall when the leaves are down. Asher: Why did you grab Noe?Me: Because I didn't want him to get hit

Dog's Best Friend

2010-10-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

Last week, my next-door neighbor's dog bit a chunk out of my leg. I was supposed to take care of him for the weekend, and despite my neighbor's insistence that he would not mind me coming into his house, he seemed to have a problem with it after all. One week and a tetanus shot later, Finn the Dog survived the weekend with the help of another neighbor, my leg is healing nicely, and my next-door

October in Photos

2010-10-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

We've done a lot of hiking and Sunday afternoon walks on the trails. Most involve some sort of bribe for the boys to participate.....ice cream, bike riding.....I think I promised a trip to the playground this day. The foliage, while not as spectacular as some years, is still beautiful. We spent some time in the District over Columbus Day weekend, mostly so I could shoot photos for a little side

5K For Autism

2010-10-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I will be participating in a 5K race for the Virginia Walk for Autism. The Walk, and associated fundraisers, benefits autism families in the Northern Virginia area. Families apply for mini-grants that can be used towards autism-related expenses. One of the great travesties of our nation's health care system is that it does not require insurance companies to pay for autism-related

Five Reasons Why Halloween Is the Worst Thing About Fall

2010-10-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm a Halloween hater. I have many friends who love it and I admire their passion and creativity (check out this friend's Zombie Barbie collection....THAT I do love). But not me, not ever. And especially now that I have kids.Why do I hate Halloween? Let me count the ways....1. Costume shops. They smell like a mix of latex, armpit sweat and really, really cheap stuff.2. Trick-or-treating

What We Watch

2010-09-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

We are not TV snobs around here. OK, maybe except for the boys. They have never really gotten into TV.... much to my chagrin when I just need them to be silent and still for a few minutes.But Ed and I, we are TV people. I don't have the attention span to watch an entire movie and I like the anticipation of looking forward to a favorite show. And with Ed working through most evenings, our

Just for Kicks

2010-09-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

Yep, we're one of THOSE parents now.We held out for a little while, figuring Asher was too young but this fall we decided to take the plunge on youth soccer. And three weeks in, he's actually had a good time. We're definitely not pegging him for future World Cup glories (or even MLS ones), but we certainly appreciate the exercise he's getting and the low-key nature of the league.And he seems to

School Daze

2010-09-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

First Day GigglesThings are always interesting when Noe and Asher

Turf Wars

2010-09-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

enemy #1 - headed to soccer practiceMy vision for our living space was very clear when we purchased our current home. The boys would have ownership of the bottom level. They would share a large room that would be subdivided into a sleeping area and play area. They would also have their own bathroom. The middle level would be shared living

Best of Summer 2010 in Photos, Part 1

2010-09-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

There is Easy Ed holding a "press conference" for the digital journalism students at Fairfax Collegiate. He was very nice to do it after a long night's work and no sleep in sight.Virginia Beach, August 2010. I think Noe could have stayed out on that board in the middle of the ocean until Labor Day.Virginia Beach, August 2010. Photos taken of both boys together often reveal how protective Asher is

The Beach Boy

2010-09-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

I recently e-mailed an author whose work I admire to tell him I was eager to see his next book project, which I had heard him discuss in an interview. I didn't expect a response, but lo and behold the next day, there was an e-mail from him. He gave the usual thanks for writing before closing with the following words of encouragement with regards to being a father:"There is pain -- there always

Peer Pals

2010-06-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I was interviewed by a reporter for our local paper about a program I had launched last September at Noe's school. The program is called Peer Pals and it matches kids in the autism classrooms with general ed peers. The kids eat lunch together once a week, attend assemblies together and do other weekly classroom activities, some more academic than others. Starting the

Leaving the Nest

2010-06-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

The boys and I were enjoying the last bit of daylight on an usually pleasant June day at the neighborhood playground. Me with my book, the boys with their cars and balls. At some point, I looked up from my book to see a black blur falling from the tree above. And then another. Upon further investigation, we found two baby crows hopping around, trying to figure out the best way to escape a

It's Gonna Be an Active Summer

2010-06-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

Maybe he was inspired by his mother's triathlon training, but Asher is off to an active start this summer. We're very happy he got over the lack of training wheels as quickly as he did. Plus, I'm happy that he's doing all this willingly (he now asks for his "bike with no training wheels"). The less time playing computer games, the better!

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

2010-05-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

I'm just not into jewelry or flowers or most of the traditional Mother's Day gifts. A diamond maylast forever but it won't help you get your laptop to work while riding a bicycle. (And with some style, too).

Thanks, Mom

2010-05-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Mom....for the hundreds of hours you spent driving me and sitting through my activities and sporting events. All of the things I truly love to do now.....playing sports, biking, reading.....are passions you helped develop in me as a young child.Thanks, Mom...for making dinner every night and insisting we have a family prayer and eat together. I do believe that it is one reason we are

What's On Our Minds.....

2010-05-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

"I will not kick a hole in the wall of the newsroom if the Lakers lose tomorrow. I will not...." -Ed"When do your parents leave again?" -Jen"Do you think my caterpillars will turn into butterflies tomorrow?" -Asher(sidenote: they've been dead in their jam jar home sitting on his dresser for over a week)"These people are such fools.....all I have to do is use my signs and they will give me

April Autism Awareness: Running For (And Away From) Autism

2010-04-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

To celebrate autism awareness month this year I participated in my first sprint triathlon for Autism Speaks. It was the perfect way to celebrate.....raising money to support autism research while finding a healthy outlet for my autism-induced angst. I was truly running (and biking...and swimming...) for and away from autism.I was pretty strict about following my training schedule, but I still

I've Been Away....

2010-04-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

grieving and celebrating the life of my Grandma Razz. She died on April 5th at age 79. The funeral service was on April 10th in Portland.I wish I had brought my camera home with me. I just didn't see the point in bringing a camera to a funeral. But there was so much beauty that weekend, so much to celebrate. If I had my camera, I would have taken a picture of....*The guy on Hawthorne

A Night at the Ballet

2010-04-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

It goes without saying that raising a son with autism has many challenges. We've documented some of them here, sometimes more eloquently than other times. We don't pretend to know all the answers and we know there's still so many unknowns ahead of us as Noe, our oldest son, grows up.One of the things I always struggle with is whether or not I'm getting through to him. And I don't mean whether he

How was your Easter Eve?

2010-04-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

The boys and I dyed Easter eggs this afternoon.It started out lovely. I boiled the eggs this morning and sometime in the late afternoon we spread Ed's paperwork (aka the newspaper) down and went to work coloring them in all varieties of pastel-colored goodness.At some point, Asher insisted on a new band aid for his scraped-up elbow, so we headed upstairs to the bathroom. Returning back to the

Teddy Roosevelt Island

2010-04-02T17:26:00.001-07:00

On a sunny early Spring day, we took a hike around Teddy Roosevelt island. There was still a bit of a winter hangover in the air, and the blossoms had yet to bloom, but it felt great to be outside in the sunshine. Asher helped Noe around the island, fearful he would fall and hurt himself on the many downed trees along the trails. I had to laugh because Noe is the one with the crazy good

Stand and Deliver, Again and Again

2010-03-30T23:18:00.000-07:00

As Jen has pointed out on this blog a time or two, I have deep East L.A. roots. I was born there, grew up there, my parents still live in the same house. And though my life and career have taken me to faraway places, it's ingrained in me. And now that I have children, it's been great sharing this part of my identity with them, showing them where I came from.It wasn't always this easy to reconcile

Remembering Chile

2010-03-25T08:57:00.001-07:00

A few Saturdays ago (February 27th to be exact), I woke up to terrifying news of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile. I immediately thought of my host family, whom I had lived with for six months while studying abroad in 1996. Then I remembered the frequent small quakes I experienced during those six months, which I eventually learned to ignore, because that's what you do when you live

heard on the playground.....

2010-03-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Asher enters the playground. Spots a friend who is playing with another little boy.Asher: Hi B!Friend (looking up at Asher, speaking to the boy he is playing with): Hey....there's my best friend! You gotta come meet him!They both run over to Asher.Friend (to Asher): Hey (pause)....What's your name again?

Molly Moves Out

2010-03-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

Asher recently shoved this book into my lap. It was my favorite childhood book, and I was surprised to see it because I was sure it was back living at my mom's house, not with Skippy Jon Jones and Flat Stanley in the boys' bookshelf. So I read and reminisced.Molly is the big sister rabbit of many little rabbits. She tries to be a patient and loving big sister, but her younger bunny siblings

Our New Normal

2010-02-27T16:27:00.001-08:00

'New Normal' seems to be a phrase that has popped up a lot during this past recession. Our 'New Normal' is more about how life has changed for us since I started working. I'm only working about 25 hours a week, but apparently those are 25 hours I really did need, because life suddenly got very busy for us! It's strange because it seems even busier than the summertime, when I work full time.

autism days

2010-02-23T18:18:00.000-08:00

The amount of time I live autism is not very well reflected in my blog postings. Probably because when I sit down to write, I want to not think about autism.But if my thoughts were recorded on a pie chart, Noe's autism would make up the largest portion of the circle, and everything else would be small slivers. Let's just say you would be a very obese person if you ate my piece of autism pie

Kiva Credit

2010-02-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

I love Kiva's (relatively) new program that allows money from partially-paid loans to be put back into the lender's account immediately for use. It feels like a multiplying effect on the loans I make. I usually only have to add $10-25 each month to my account in order to make a new loan and I use whatever "credit" has been repaid the previous month to finance the rest. It feels like nothing

This Week in Snow

2010-02-10T08:25:00.001-08:00

I suddenly feel like I live at a Rocky Mountain ski resort. Thirty-three inches of snow in Reston this past weekend, with a second storm (this one officially a blizzard) likely to bring us another foot by day's end. Then we'll have a break this weekend with more snow expected on Monday.It has been quite an adventure. We lost power for a better part of the weekend. I have to literally climb a

So today is February 1st and.....

2010-02-01T16:46:00.001-08:00

Asher has already finished making Valentines for his entire class. Such a planner that kid.I am already signing kids up for summer camps and planning our Disneyextravaganza in June. It seems light years away.if I had made any New Years resolutions, I surely would have broken them by now. As it is, I am already behind on training for my first triathlon in April.Ed is officially 11 months away

Swimming lessons

2010-01-28T10:39:00.000-08:00

dear asherasher got a great job at the diving board today he float on his back and swim across the pool he on tuesday nolan jump in the pool asher will talk m r' rose that he got a great job at the diving board on thursday but nolan wanted to go fast as asher when he swimlove asher

Reliable Source Meets Hunters Woods Preschool

2010-01-24T19:23:00.001-08:00

Proudly, the Washington Post is our preschool's top pick for its art projects and gerbil cage liner. We had a good laugh seeing the Reliable Source page hanging from the art easel after taking Asher to school the other day (see middle headline regarding Captain Sulley's smooth landings in bed).

Forest Kindergarten

2010-01-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

This NY Times article has really been on my mind lately. I'm not ready to drop seven large so my kid can experience outdoor kindergarten when there is a really wonderful public school two blocks away, but I can appreciate the philosophy and think it would be a wonderful experience for any young child.Instead, I've been thinking about how to incorporate more outdoor time in our lives. In the

Noe turns 7

2010-01-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

Because Noe prefers doughnuts to cake, and because Ed works evenings, we held a breakfast celebration in his honor. This was the first year that Noe has blown out his own birthday candles. For his first couple years of life, he didn't have the oral-motor ability to blow on command. For the past few years, he just wasn't interested. This year, he loved hearing us sing to him and he loved

Christmas 2009: Central Park

2010-01-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

To me, Central Park is the crowning jewel of NYC. We didn't get to spend as much time in the Park as we had hoped (busy schedule, cold weather), but still managed to find some play time.

Christmas 2009: Playing the Holiday Tourist

2010-01-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

We spent our Christmas Day enjoying the window displays on 5th Avenue, hanging out at Bryant Park, looking at the city view from Top of the Rock, and of course, marveling at the beautiful Christmas tree and ice skaters at Rockefeller Center. We had hoped to avoid the crowds by heading into the city early Christmas morning.....but it was still pretty crazy!

Christmas 2009: NYC Accomodations

2010-01-12T19:25:00.001-08:00

We were very grateful to have use of a good friend's condo during our trip. The boys didn't even mind their pink bedroom. Their favorite part of the condo: ringing the bell on the girls' kitchen set. Over and over and over. My favorite part: how my friend makes urban living with children so doable....and attractive! I definitely want to give it another try someday soon. Only improvement

Christmas 2009: US Botanical Garden

2010-01-12T18:02:00.001-08:00

This has become a DC holiday tradition for us. Each year, the train tracks are surrounded in a different theme (this year was fairy tale land) and each year it is equally magnificent. This year, we came at the end of the holiday season (last week) and were so glad we made the time to go see it. Plus, it smells so good in a building full of live plants and Christmas trees and the tropical air

Christmas 2009: Times Square

2010-01-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

We tried to avoid Times Square, but it sucked us right in. You will notice that we aren't surrounded by throngs of tourists. This summer, they closed off sections of streets to traffic, making the whole scene more walkable and breathable.

Christmas 2009: New York Treats

2010-01-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

We spent a fair share of our trip scavenging around the city for our favorite New York eats: the best bagels and pizza, our favorite diner in our old Queens neighborhood and we even made some new discoveries....including the famous Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. My favorite meal of the trip? The free wrap sandwiches we had in Chelsea....it was their opening day and everything was on the

Christmas 2009: New York City

2010-01-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

We had such a great trip! Everything was perfect.....except for the traffic driving into the city. As Asher keeps reminding me since we left, "I love the New York City."

Year End Report Card

2009-12-31T16:44:00.000-08:00

Ed reminded me that I made a 2009 wish list. I was curious to see how the year turned out....1. To spend more time on things I love (working out, volunteering, reading...) and less on things I hate (housework, jumping through the never-ending hoops of our health insurance, dealing with whiny children).I think I succeeded in this to some degree. However, I think it was more a result of having

Christmas 2009: Noe's Christmas Wish

2009-12-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

"All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth." -Noe Of the six teeth Noe has lost, he has only handed over two of them. Perhaps he is hiding them away, waiting for the lost tooth market to recover before collecting his cash.

Christmas 2009: Snowpocalypse

2009-12-29T15:45:00.001-08:00

The week before Christmas, a huge snowstorm hit DC. We received close to two feet of snow, the biggest December snow storm on record for the area. It fell beautifully, but ultimately caused a lot of havoc. School was canceled for the entire week, along with holiday parties, church services and other fun activities we had planned. For me, it was a bit of a Christmas bummer.<

Joining the Family Business

2009-12-16T21:29:00.000-08:00

There has been an interesting development in Asher's life: a love of newspapers.It's rooted in what goes on at his preschool, where his wonderful teacher gets a big sheet of paper out every day, titles it "Daily News" and writes up what is on the kids' minds. He loves reading about what's going on in his classmates' lives, and he's been asking his teacher after every class lately if he can "take

Christmas Photoshoot

2009-12-14T12:20:00.000-08:00

Downtown Herndon. Lollipops from Target.

Christmas 2001

2009-12-11T11:59:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, we got our Christmas tree. We drove a few miles and found a nice tree lot, not too kitschy, but not exactly in the middle of the forest either. I had to keep telling myself, "At least we didn't go to Home Depot." Although, that would have saved us about $30.On the way back, with Asher shouting from the back seat, "Whatchu guys talking about?" Ed and I reminisced about our first

Happy 5th Birthday, Asher!

2009-12-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

This week begins Asher's 5th annual birthday festival. Party today, preschool celebration along with more cake and presents tomorrow.Four was good to you, kiddo. I actually hate to see the year go. This year you....*learned to read and swim and ride a bike (with training wheels)*improved your Spanish skills*took two cross-country trips*gave your first talk in primary all by yourself*built 365+