Category: piano lessons

Tone Deaf to Tone Deafness

Posted in chorus, grandma, Iowa, Iowa State University, memoir, music, piano lessons, singing, sororityLeave a comment

I’ve been singing my whole life. I went to school when music programs in elementary schools still existed. My grandma taught me to play the piano. I would sing along as I practiced. I sang in the 6th grade chorus and sang in an octette at the Iowa State Fair. It never occurred to me… Continue reading Tone Deaf to Tone Deafness

The Escape Artist

Posted in back ache, backache, boy, daycare, errands, grade school, guitar lessons, high school, humor, independence, memoir, piano lessons, preschool, soccer practice6 Comments

When my son was born, he came out angry, two weeks early and mad as hell. “He looks like a prosecutor,” the nurses said. Fast forward two years. He wouldn’t hold my hand while walking to and from the car. He wouldn’t hold my hand in parking lots. He was always running away inside of… Continue reading The Escape Artist

The Daycare Quandary

Posted in babysitters, babysitting co-op, California, children, daycare, mom shaming, piano lessons, summer campLeave a comment

When my kids were young, I had a hard time finding sitters for them in my affluent bedroom community near San Francisco. The local kids didn’t need the money, and my then-husband wouldn’t spring for a nanny. Not that I wanted one. I wanted to raise my own kids. Every now and then, it was… Continue reading The Daycare Quandary