From the monthly archives:

April 2011

San Mateo County Special Election: Tyranny of the Majority?

April 28, 2011

The phone is ringing with robo-calls and we’ve gotten a slew of election-related junk mail almost every day, but it’s not really election season. San Mateo County is holding a special election to fill a vacancy in a district that is not my own, yet because of our at-large voting rule, my neighbors and I [...]

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Filoli With Kids, in Living Color

April 25, 2011

It’s embarrassing to admit that this amazing estate with eye popping gardens is five minutes from our house door-to-door, but we only visited for the first time this past weekend. In the past, the time wasn’t right or I thought the kids were too young, but the excuses ran out when we became members this [...]

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Spreading His Wings Without His Sister

April 20, 2011

Being the second born, my son is rarely alone. He hasn’t had to blaze his own trail quite yet, and he’s content to follow the path laid out by his sister. This week he stepped out on his own for the first time, going away for two nights to his grandparents’ house without his sister. [...]

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When Pediatricians Break Up

April 18, 2011

A friend gave me some surprising news a few weeks ago that was followed up by an official letter last week: our pediatrician’s office was breaking up. It was shocking because from the outside, the large, long-standing practice seemed to be thriving. A majority of Redwood City area moms I know use this pediatric practice, [...]

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Confession: Second Guessing My R-Word Silence

April 13, 2011

There is a grass roots movement to stop the use of the “r-word.” It is an offensive term, hurtful when used to describe someone as stupid or silly. The organization R-Word notes on their website that: when “retard” and “retarded” are used as synonyms for “dumb” or “stupid” by people without disabilities, it only reinforces [...]

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Parent Participation at the Science Fair

April 11, 2011

One of the many things I love about my son’s school is the Science Fair.  Everyone – from kindergarten to fifth grade – is required to participate.  While K-3 graders do an in-class project, the fourth and fifth graders have to complete their own project.  On their own.  Supposedly without parental assistance.  As we walked [...]

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Stepping Out of the Ashes

April 8, 2011

Divorce sucks.  Don’t let anyone tell you any differently.  Even if you are the one who initiated the divorce, it sucks.  It hurts you to the core of your being and it makes you really evaluate what is important in life and your relationships.  The good news is at some point you must step out [...]

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My Son’s Half Inning as a Dodgers Fan

April 4, 2011

After watching the Giants struggle for a few innings of Sunday Night Baseball, my son announced, “I want the blue team to win.” I like to think that I’m an open minded parent – I’ve painted my son’s toe nails before, my daughter loves toys typically marketed toward boys, I don’t bring out the soap [...]

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