Half On, Half Off

Here's one thing about having two kids in two schools that I hadn't bargained for: Different vacations. I should have known it would happen. I'd seen it happen to others, but somehow, I just figured it would all work out. This week, though, Helen has off and Elliot is in school, which means the built-in play dates that twins make is not happening.

Losing It

I've started losing things. I don't know if it's a seasonal shift or a call to clean out the apartment or what but in the last two weeks I lost a scarf that I really loved, then I lost my kids' mittens, which happens, but this is the worst time of year for it to happen because kids' gloves are hard to find, and now I've lost my keys. We went to Providence, we came back and presto blamo gonzo! So the ends are loose and clearly, it's time to lose a whole lot more stuff so the season of losing stuff can turn into the season of gaining space.

Where Did This Week Go?

I have no idea. With the work and the snow and the this and the that, I've hardly been home and apologize for dialing out. I'm trying to dial back in.....trying.....

Debunking the Vaccine Myth

This week, the English medical journal The Lancet retracted the study published by Andrew Wakefield in its pages claiming a link between autism and the MMR vaccine. Rahul Parikh, MD, has a short but good story about it in Salon that unpacks not just the Lancet's goals in publishing the study in the first place but the media's role in promoting the news of the study. Unfortunately, this genie is not going back into any bottle soon, but at least it's a start.

A Little, Slightly, Overwhelmed

I'm a little overwhelmed these days nearing the end of a big project. I'll be tied up for the next few days but hopefully I'll be coming back around by Monday. Have a great weekend everyone!

Oh Baby!

I can never thank Marjorie Ingall enough for this.

The Kindergarten Blitz

It seems like every two years or so, some New York media outlet does a story on standardized testing for 4-year-olds and how crazy New Yorkers get about the whole thing. The latest article is in New York magazine and it suggests that the unpredictability of the tests as well as the prevalence of testing prep could make these tests obsolete -- or nearly so -- in the school admissions process, particularly with private schools. But even if it makes sense to do away with the tests, and I think it does, I think they won't be going anywhere anytime soon. In any case, here's the article.