Hi Erin, Thank you for your great writing! Yes, it's amazing and all true - right down to the three ring-necked doves loudly cooing! 3 cheers for read aloud.
The last book I read to darling daughter: Belles on their Toes (Ernestine Gilbreth Carey & Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. - this after the first book: Cheaper by the Dozen)
Here's A.A. Milne:
Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where I sit.
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite like it.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where I always
Stop.
Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up
And isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in the town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run 'round my head:
"It isn't really anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!"
Source: When We Were Very Young (1924). ...
re night teeth protection I wear now: my former dentist had a custom-molded teeth guard made from an impression, fitting over my bottom teeth to prevent damage while I sleep - if you don't have one yet, you might want one, it works.
Thanks again for your great writing - it's amazing!
Wow, what a perfect mix of the love and the anxiety of hands-on momming. Love all those details about each child and the very real “break” perched on the stairs. That last paragraph is haunting, taking “bone tired” to new places.
I’ve read two books that Sidra loved because she asked me to read them, but otherwise I have stayed away from their YA obsessions. This year, however, I’m starting a family book club that began with my reading of Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories. I’m wondering if I’ll actually get anyone else to read it next 😂
My mom read Halfway Down when I saw her at Christmas. She used to read A.A. Milne to me all of the time and had many of the poems memorized. Now her dementia has made every poem new to her again.
Sending news years wishes of comfort. You finding a place to rest on the stairs reminds me of the poem "Halfway Down" by AA Milne. Your writing feels very present in your space and reminds me to do that as well in mine.
About books, I don't really have anything new. I've been reading all of the Percy Jackson books and off-shoots of Greek gods etc with the kids. We did the same for Harry Potter, Wild Robot, and so many other series. We still read aloud together at night even though they're 13 and 10. We all enjoy the time together before bed and helps with the evening worries about what tomorrow brings. Plus some of the Greek and Roman stories are very sexist and violent, so it's cool for me to ground it a bit. Xo!
I love that you still read aloud. Sister will read aloud her own writing to all of us, which is amazing. I did read along the first of the Percy Jackson, and now I’ve been given permission by the 12yo to resume reading along with him. :) Thank you for reading. Happy 2026.
Hi Erin, Thank you for your great writing! Yes, it's amazing and all true - right down to the three ring-necked doves loudly cooing! 3 cheers for read aloud.
The last book I read to darling daughter: Belles on their Toes (Ernestine Gilbreth Carey & Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. - this after the first book: Cheaper by the Dozen)
Here's A.A. Milne:
Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where I sit.
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite like it.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where I always
Stop.
Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up
And isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in the town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run 'round my head:
"It isn't really anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!"
Source: When We Were Very Young (1924). ...
re night teeth protection I wear now: my former dentist had a custom-molded teeth guard made from an impression, fitting over my bottom teeth to prevent damage while I sleep - if you don't have one yet, you might want one, it works.
Thanks again for your great writing - it's amazing!
Thank you for the poem and for reading. :)
Wow, what a perfect mix of the love and the anxiety of hands-on momming. Love all those details about each child and the very real “break” perched on the stairs. That last paragraph is haunting, taking “bone tired” to new places.
I’ve read two books that Sidra loved because she asked me to read them, but otherwise I have stayed away from their YA obsessions. This year, however, I’m starting a family book club that began with my reading of Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories. I’m wondering if I’ll actually get anyone else to read it next 😂
I love the idea of a family book club! Ha! Good starter pick. I'd read it. :)
My mom read Halfway Down when I saw her at Christmas. She used to read A.A. Milne to me all of the time and had many of the poems memorized. Now her dementia has made every poem new to her again.
The way you phrased that sounds bittersweet, if that applies at all. I can imagine it's heartbreaking.
Sending news years wishes of comfort. You finding a place to rest on the stairs reminds me of the poem "Halfway Down" by AA Milne. Your writing feels very present in your space and reminds me to do that as well in mine.
About books, I don't really have anything new. I've been reading all of the Percy Jackson books and off-shoots of Greek gods etc with the kids. We did the same for Harry Potter, Wild Robot, and so many other series. We still read aloud together at night even though they're 13 and 10. We all enjoy the time together before bed and helps with the evening worries about what tomorrow brings. Plus some of the Greek and Roman stories are very sexist and violent, so it's cool for me to ground it a bit. Xo!
I love that you still read aloud. Sister will read aloud her own writing to all of us, which is amazing. I did read along the first of the Percy Jackson, and now I’ve been given permission by the 12yo to resume reading along with him. :) Thank you for reading. Happy 2026.