I hope you have a car crash. I hope your roof leaks and that you have to spend thousands of dollars on a plumber. I hope that you lose your job. I hope that your husband has an affair and you get divorced, that your dad has a heart attack and dies, that your mom gets dementia and kills someone driving the family Buick, that you get robbed, and that your house burns to the ground with your most treasured family heirlooms inside. Finally, I hope that one of your children dies of cancer and that the other suffers a traumatic brain injury leading to a lifetime of diaper wearing and drool wiping.
I’m sorry. I am really really sorry to be wishing all of these awful, terrible things on you. My stomach hurts and my throat is tight as I write these things. I don’t even know most of you and yet here I am wishing that bad things will befall you. It’s not that I’m a masochist, I promise, I just suffer from something called the gambler’s fallacy.
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I recently purchased a book, 
Once upon a time,
In our playgroup of six families, there are 3 birthdays in April (all within 1 week), 1 in May, 2 in November, 1 in December, and 5 in January. We’ve been meeting once a week since our first babies were less than a year old; they’re all now turning 5! Today, we attended the first 3 year-old birthday party for the second string of babies.
Last week’s earthquake in Haiti really puts life into perspective for me. Those poor people, most of whom were living in immense poverty to begin with, have to now deal with death, destruction of property, homelessness, starvation, health crises, and safety breaches to boot. I am blessed and lucky to have my own health, my family’s safety, and the love that we share. Those intangibles are much more important than any small bit of material wealth that we may have.
Annabel’s power of deducing truth from fiction is astounding for a five year-old. 
One of the best things about our two-week trip to visit family is that Annabel and Luke had no children to play with except each other, and now, they’re playing together at home more and more. I’m trying not to interfere and let them work out their squabbles. And since Luke is now much more understandable in his speech (Annabel’s understood EVERYTHING he’s said all along, mind you), it’s a lot of fun to eavesdrop on their conversations.
Yesterday afternoon, Annabel had a dental check-up. I take her to my regular dentist, not a pediatric one, because on my crappy dental plan, that’s considered a “specialist.” And when I weigh a $10 copay with a $150-200 bill, the decision to forego the movie on the ceiling and the kid-themed walls was a simple one.
If you’re thinking about an overseas trip that could be enjoyable for both you and your kids, then London could be the place for you. And, if you’re like us and go during the cold, dreary months, then travel, both airfare and lodging, can be a lot cheaper! Our family trip was made even more economical because we stayed with family, but we still enjoyed many of the touristy things that London has to offer.
We returned on Thursday evening from our 2 1/2 week trip to England. It was a worthwhile adventure, as we visited my husband’s family, and true to form, I think my kids were troopers! Amidst the sightseeing (the 
