Category Archives: writing

Hey, Veruca, find any lost notecards down there?

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

My students are busily engaged in writing research papers.  For 7th graders, this is a new process, one that requires a significant amount of time, effort and energy.  This year, I have been impressed by their dedication to searching for … Continue reading →

Posted in education, family, mistakes, motherhood, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why 7th graders are awesome

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

On the way to my classroom yesterday, my eager, energetic, and curious 7th grade student came rushing up to me, exclaiming, “Ms. D, I need to borrow a book from your class!  I was annotating my book so hard (her … Continue reading →

Posted in education, inspiration, lessons, teaching, unexpected gifts, writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

When inspiration fails

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Ironically, my good friend, fellow blogger, and novelist, Deb Hanrahan, bestowed upon me a Liebster Award. I hardly deserve such awards, especially since I have been so uninspired that I’ve written not a single word since early September. Perhaps this … Continue reading →

Posted in coaching, community, connection, experience, food, friends, friendship, lessons, unexpected gifts, writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Dear diary: confessions of an Eighties teenager

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

My high school best friend just discovered she kept a diary during two years of our high school time. My friend’s mom found the diary in her attic recently. We had dinner the other night and she pulled out the … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, experience, friends, growth, lessons, memory, nostalgia, stories, writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A room of her own — a mother-in-law’s pad

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

In a cosmic coincidence, on the 22nd anniversary of my mom’s death, I went apartment hunting for my mother-in-law in order to give her some options for her life.  My mother-in-law lives outside Boston and has been somewhat isolated there, … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, connection, family, memory, writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

What it’s like to be the mom of two four-year olds adopted from Vietnam (for those who aren’t)

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

On Friday, I attended the CASE (Council for American Studies Education) Conference at the Chicago History Museum. I signed up months ago, when I envisioned February to be a time when I would have time on my hands and need … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, connection, education, inspiration, memory, motherhood, Tet, tradition, unexpected gifts, writing | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

On aging: bifocals, or a kick in the teeth?

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

When I told my colleague that I had to get bifocals, he laughed, “Wow, that’s a kick in the teeth.” I wondered, was it really that bad to need bifocals at 44? Why is aging in our culture perceived with … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, expectations, growth, memory, motherhood, running, transformation, writing | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Shut up and write

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Shut up and write – that is what you have to tell yourself when excuses murmur insidiously to your weary writing fingers. My box of excuses for this week is filled to the brim, and their validity does not trump … Continue reading →

Posted in education, expectations, inspiration, motherhood, writing | 2 Comments

A healthy blog: 2010 in review

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Imagine my surprise — the WordPress people tell me I have a “healthy” blog! I guess in order to keep it healthy and to keep myself mentally stable, I should keep posting in the New Year, not that I had … Continue reading →

Posted in collecting, growth, holidays, inspiration, writing | 3 Comments

Pinball wizard

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

“There is never enough time for writing; it is a parallel universe where the days, inconveniently, are also 24 hours long. Every moment spent in one’s real life is a moment missed in one’s writing life, and vice versa.” –Gish … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, friends, growth, writing | 1 Comment