Denise Schipani / 4 Comments / family life, humor, summer, vacation / Catskill Mountains, resort, Riedlbauer's, summer, vacation /
For many Americans, and famously for much of Western Europe, August is vacation season. Everyone who’s anyone decamps for mountains, lakes, beaches, theme parks, the family cabin, the campground… you get the idea. We’re not going anywhere; in fact, we haven’t gone on vacation in any real sense (that is, for more than a few […]
Denise Schipani / 16 Comments / family life, humor, shopping /
I don’t like to whine (though I am genetically attracted to complaining. There’s a difference: Complaining suggests that there’s a problem that can and should be fixed. Whining is unproductive, but sometimes feels good.) So. Here’s my current complaint. I can’t find toothpaste for my boys that meets their need for something simple, yet without […]
Denise Schipani / 20 Comments / discipline / candy, mother-in-law, prom, vodka, water bottle /
Couple things happened recently that got linked up in my head in one of those classic lightbulb moments. The first thing was a conversation overheard in James’ preschool classroom on the last day of school. A mom of a girl in Jamie’s class was chatting with the teacher about how she was taking her daughter […]
Denise Schipani / 9 Comments / family life, vacation / American Museum of Natural History, bicycles, Journey to the Stars, pajamas, planetarium, South Huntington Public Library, summer /
I’m having a “first” this summer, as a parent. First time that I am — on the face of it, anyway — just being, here at home, with my sons. It’s been … interesting, a word my high school English teacher (rest in peace, Ms. Richman) instructed us to avoid at all costs because it’s […]
Denise Schipani / 29 Comments / family life, school /
Last fall, a new family moved into our neighborhood, and on the first day of school, there was a new girl at our little bus stop. They’d arrived at their house literally the day before school started. From Israel. That first day, the father took his little girl, Hadar, 6, to the stop. She wanted […]
Denise Schipani / 12 Comments / family life, school, summer / Brigid Schulte, first grade, summer vacation; YMCA camp, The Washington Post /
The sign at the entrance to my son’s primary school reads, under the school’s name, “A First-Class Experience.” And it is, truly. So much so, that I wish he could stay there all year. And why not? I love school, and my son does, too — he just finished first grade, and this year we […]
Denise Schipani / 3 Comments / Uncategorized /
Let me just say this upfront: My husband is, hands down, the best father I know. (Sorry, Dad.) Here he is, the day we took our first son, Daniel, home from the hospital. (Note the beard growth and dazed expression; that’s what you get after sleeping on one of those hospital recliner chairs for three […]
Denise Schipani / 8 Comments / family life, toys / CityMommy.com, Toys R Us /
I was recently asked to write a guest-blog post for City Mommy, a local community website for moms in cities and towns around the country (you sign up, and access forums for local groups, and so on — a virtual coffee shop for moms). Anyway, I thought for a bit about what I might want […]
Denise Schipani / 22 Comments / kids and food /
It should probably come as no surprise that I’m not a fast-food fan. I used to love it, as a child, and even into my twenties, but no more. The few times I’ve had it, post age 30 or so, it didn’t sit right, in more ways than one. So, me and McDonald’s (or BK […]
Denise Schipani / 13 Comments / birthday parties / bounce houses; The Brady Bunch; volcanos, party favors /
Last weekend, my sons and I went to an awesome birthday party. It was Daniel’s friend Luke’s seventh birthday. Luke’s a great kid — the boys have been in class together since kindergarten — and he has a pretty cool mom. By which I mean, she throws cool birthday parties. Last year, she hosted a […]
