A new year

It is time to update the blog and keep up with all the things that are happening.  The professor and I (and twins) are visiting family for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.  This is the first time we have managed a high holidays family visit in over 10 years!  It is the beginning of the school year, when professors start teaching (but the professor is not teaching this fall) and, well, the stars aligned and we flew east.  So far, the twins have seen lots of family, gone to a few playgrounds, ridden the DC Metro for the first time, and had several other big adventures.

I am taking a break with family and from trying to juggle everything in Winnipeg: toddlers, running our household and working whenever I can manage but had some things to share.

Learning to ask where our food is from just appeared in the Forward...this is a revision of what I originally wrote, but it is probably a kinder and gentler piece now!  Here's one of the photos I sent; a canning photo with more frills appeared with the piece, but this is what my apricot jam and saskatoon jams looked like this fall. (yes, I have managed some canning this summer, and I am so excited to have a full pantry again, I have not managed to can since 2010 so this is huge!)

A little while ago, this article about "helping hands" appeared in the Forward as well. I am so glad to get a chance to continue talking about the issues of helping new moms and new families--there has been a lot of quiet feedback from women of all ages about my two articles on this topic. More women struggle with these issues than you might imagine; our society needs to step up and help more! Finally, I am so pleased with recent interest in my new pattern, Slippy the cowl. It has been slowly beginning to sell, and I cannot wait to see knitters' versions as they appear on Ravelry and the blogosphere. All this seems like it is worth sharing as we begin 5774, the new year, and a brand new school year.

Helping new moms

Recently, there was a very sad news story here in Winnipeg.  A mom and her two children, an infant and a 2 year old, died tragically.  The story caused compassionate ripples of sadness-it is a heartwrenching one-throughout our community.  May they rest in peace.

However, the news gave me a chance for reflection.  The thing is, I am still so close to this experience of having infants that I know I wasn't alone when I thought--no, that is too neutral a word, felt torn up with thinking, that could have been me.  Or another new mom down the block...or really anyone who just felt for a dangerous moment, completely unable to cope.  I didn't know this mom, but that didn't matter in the slightest.

Sleep deprivation alone can cause this, never mind postpartum depression or psychosis.  Last week, we had a run of 5 consecutive nights when one of our 2 year old twins (FINALLY) slept through the night.  (The other twin sleeps consistently through the night but takes very short daytime naps)  So, last week, I got more hours of sleep than I have gotten, in a row, in 2.5 years.

It's over now.  Last night, our smaller twin was up from 3:30-4 with me, which is not at all unusual.  No sense getting used to sleep.

(Please don't rush to describe Dr. Ferber or any other fail-safe techniques that you used.  I am so glad it all worked for you.  In the words of our pediatrician--some kids just don't sleep well.  We are doing the best we can, according to what fits our values and specific situation.)

Anyhow, late last week, I submitted an op-ed to our newspaper.  It came out almost immediately.  You can read it here:

New Mothers Need Supports

I hope it helps make a difference somehow.  A small part of me is thrilled I am slowly getting this part of my life back, the writing part.  I so wish it wasn't in memory of this terrible loss in our city.

You got to make your own...

I've just had a blog post come out in The Daily Forward:
Jewish Experience? You got to make your own

I'm excited about this!  It's an honor to published there... My mother learned to read with her grandfather by looking at the Daily Forward car ads.  It's nice to continue the family connection.

PS: Thanks so much to our friend John for taking the great family photo on his visit a few weeks ago!