Mamas & daughters sharing milestones, moments, and mishaps...
as we go along.
as we go along.
Tara:
Before 2008, Tara’s life was quite simple. As an introspective, academic type, she relished her alone time to read, write, and reflect. Tara liked routine, avoided risks, and seemed to have a plan for everything. All that changed (for the better) when her gregarious daughter, Lila Grace, made her way into her life—early and quickly! Feeling unprepared then and still trying to catch her breath today, Tara spends much of her time wide-eyed in wonder as Lila climbs to the highest point on the monkey bars, rides the fastest kiddie coasters, dives, flips and swims like a future Olympic swimmer, and simply refuses to sit and play with dolls. Lila has inspired a new sense of fun and spontaneity in Tara’s life. Tara and Lila enjoy Mexican food, picnics in the park, singing loudly in the car, laughing hysterically, baking yummy treats, and sleeping in on the weekends. During the week, the two commute together (with coffee cup and sippy cup in hand) to campus where Lila attends preschool and Tara works as a college career counselor.
Before 2008, Tara’s life was quite simple. As an introspective, academic type, she relished her alone time to read, write, and reflect. Tara liked routine, avoided risks, and seemed to have a plan for everything. All that changed (for the better) when her gregarious daughter, Lila Grace, made her way into her life—early and quickly! Feeling unprepared then and still trying to catch her breath today, Tara spends much of her time wide-eyed in wonder as Lila climbs to the highest point on the monkey bars, rides the fastest kiddie coasters, dives, flips and swims like a future Olympic swimmer, and simply refuses to sit and play with dolls. Lila has inspired a new sense of fun and spontaneity in Tara’s life. Tara and Lila enjoy Mexican food, picnics in the park, singing loudly in the car, laughing hysterically, baking yummy treats, and sleeping in on the weekends. During the week, the two commute together (with coffee cup and sippy cup in hand) to campus where Lila attends preschool and Tara works as a college career counselor.
Ellyn is mother to Clara. She loves turtles, frogs, the sounds of waterfalls, kayaking, documentaries, scallop ceviche, naps, tai chi, giggles, unabandoned expression, looking at the world from upside down, and excavating stories from the people she meets and the places she encounters. As a child, her
favorite movie was “Annie,” and her favorite book was “Anne of Green Gables.” She was thrilled to find out that she was having a baby girl so that she could share these tales of spunky red-headed orphans with her daughter. Ellyn tries to instill a sense of wonder and magic in Clara's life while juggling a full-time job as a teacher. She worked previously as a documentary producer, and she is always on the lookout for the next great story to tell. Ellyn enjoys various adventures with Clara from having dance parties in the morning to making art projects involving inordinate amounts of tape and glue to snuggling up under a big blanket to watch videos together at the end of a busy day.
Annabelle:
Prior to March 2008, Annabelle was a normal Asian-American woman living in Westchester County and working as a pre-K teacher at an independent school in Fairfield County. A mild mannered person on the outside, people were often surprised to hear that she had anger issues…especially seen when driving or when someone bought the last of a pair of shoes in her size. No surprise is it that Annabelle’s favorite composer to play on the piano is Beethoven or when she has had a particularly frustrating day, Annabelle would come home with a new coat. When she and her husband became pregnant and gave birth to their beautiful daughter Elisa, things went a different direction. Now Annabelle’s daily challenges are fighting off pangs of mommy guilt while working as a pre-K teacher, keeping her Tiger Mother tendencies in check (no, Elisa doesn’t need to be doing derivatives when she’s 4), and trying to remember to control her road rage when Elisa chimes in, “Mommy, you’re driving really fast!” These days, Annabelle and Elisa like to eat, explore playgrounds and parks, eat, sing their hearts out to Fresh Beat Band, eat, play restaurant and have picnics in the living room… and, of course, Annabelle still loves to shop but now it’s a love of shopping WITH Elisa…or maybe it’s through Elisa although using her as an excuse doesn’t always seem to fly.
Lisa:
Seeing herself as a fun and energetic bohemian kind of parent, Lisa never imagined she would see the day that her daughter would yell from the back seat of the car, “Mom, stop singing!” So, Sarah doesn’t exactly see the world the same way that her mom does. Still, Lisa plugs along and relies on her sense of adventure to pull her through even the most stubborn of stalemates that she and her spirited 4-year-old end up in regularly. This year’s most pressing lesson has definitely been to pick the battles. Thus, Sarah, dressed in polka dots, stripes and rainbows, leads the way as she and Lisa embark on their daily adventures. Ironically, Lisa led a rather quiet life before Sarah. She recalls how her life changed, “I went from reading Pride and Prejudice to reading Discipline without Distress.” Lisa and her preschooler, Sarah, are also self-proclaimed drama queens. Their fiery personalities and wide variety of interests - from playing rock star and fashion show to keeping their own vegetable garden - keep them both busy and keep husband and dad, Eric, on his toes. Originally from Miami, Lisa also never truly got the ‘sand out of her shoes,’ and still enjoys spending most of her time outside. Additionally, she and Sarah spend a lot of time continuing to train and maintain their equally-crazed yellow Labrador Jay, a retired Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy (although he hasn’t been a puppy for about 6 years!). Lisa observes the similarities between raising service dogs and raising children, “The key is consistency . . . and that’s exactly why my dog thinks all this commands are optional, and my daughter believes every decision is up for negotiation.” Luckily, quick wit and a generous dose of daily humor keeps the family functioning as a cohesive group of creative and busy people. Lisa is excited to contribute to As We Go Along, not only as a parent but especially as an educator, whose vast range of experiences bring interesting insight to the challenges parents face today.
Seeing herself as a fun and energetic bohemian kind of parent, Lisa never imagined she would see the day that her daughter would yell from the back seat of the car, “Mom, stop singing!” So, Sarah doesn’t exactly see the world the same way that her mom does. Still, Lisa plugs along and relies on her sense of adventure to pull her through even the most stubborn of stalemates that she and her spirited 4-year-old end up in regularly. This year’s most pressing lesson has definitely been to pick the battles. Thus, Sarah, dressed in polka dots, stripes and rainbows, leads the way as she and Lisa embark on their daily adventures. Ironically, Lisa led a rather quiet life before Sarah. She recalls how her life changed, “I went from reading Pride and Prejudice to reading Discipline without Distress.” Lisa and her preschooler, Sarah, are also self-proclaimed drama queens. Their fiery personalities and wide variety of interests - from playing rock star and fashion show to keeping their own vegetable garden - keep them both busy and keep husband and dad, Eric, on his toes. Originally from Miami, Lisa also never truly got the ‘sand out of her shoes,’ and still enjoys spending most of her time outside. Additionally, she and Sarah spend a lot of time continuing to train and maintain their equally-crazed yellow Labrador Jay, a retired Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy (although he hasn’t been a puppy for about 6 years!). Lisa observes the similarities between raising service dogs and raising children, “The key is consistency . . . and that’s exactly why my dog thinks all this commands are optional, and my daughter believes every decision is up for negotiation.” Luckily, quick wit and a generous dose of daily humor keeps the family functioning as a cohesive group of creative and busy people. Lisa is excited to contribute to As We Go Along, not only as a parent but especially as an educator, whose vast range of experiences bring interesting insight to the challenges parents face today. |
| Our inspiration! Elisa, Clara, Sarah, and Lila |
What a cool idea for all 3 of you to partner up and offer this informative and entertaining blog!
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