by Monica Wiant | Dec 24, 2011 | Uncategorized
10 years ago this week, my dad, Peter Czernek, lost his life to cancer. He was 59 years old, and I was 23.Circa 1971. My parents were awesome.The advice that parents dispense to teenagers and young adults often seems like wasted breath. After all, young people already...
by Monica Wiant | Aug 29, 2011 | Uncategorized
We recently returned from our first road trip as a family of four.Really, it was two trips in one. Part one was a weekend with friends in the Black Hills. 6 families, 24 people, 13 kids aged 4 and under, all in one house. It was happy, beautiful chaos.We went to Mount...
by Monica Wiant | Aug 18, 2011 | Uncategorized
This is Super Goonie.He belongs to a group of my friends who call ourselves The Goonies. We met on the Internet, most of us through a birth board for mothers with due dates in March 2007. Back then, we were a diverse and hormonal group of expectant and new mothers...
by Monica Wiant | May 23, 2011 | Uncategorized
I haven’t blogged much recently. I can blame the demands of working, caring for two kids, trying to get into shape, playing Facebook games, and whatever other endeavors swallow my time and attention – but the truth is, there’s something else, too....
by Monica Wiant | Mar 22, 2011 | Uncategorized
Today is Evie’s fourth birthday. Based on my limited knowledge of human brain development, this is the first birthday she has any real chance of remembering. Even if she does take something away from this, for the rest of her life, it will probably be a glimmer...
by Monica Wiant | Mar 21, 2011 | Uncategorized
Like every well-intentioned mother, I made grand declarations in the early days of pregnancy and motherhood, back when books and magazines seemed like acceptable substitutes for wisdom and experience. I’ll make my own baby food! I’ll be calm and consistent...
by Monica Wiant | Dec 31, 2010 | Uncategorized
This was a 10-year “time capsule” letter that I was supposed to open a year ago. Due to packing, moving, and general chaos, it finally turned up today.Date: December 31, 1999The best things in my life are: My sweetie, Sam. My 6-month-old kitten, Oedipa. My...
by Monica Wiant | Nov 25, 2010 | Uncategorized
My mother is an amazing hostess. For as long as I can remember, having company over meant a picture perfect table setting, an abundance of made-from-scratch dishes served on crystal plates and bowls, and layered cakes that could grace magazine covers. In the summer,...
by Monica Wiant | Nov 19, 2010 | Uncategorized
As a resident of an outer suburb who works downtown, I should probably complain about my commute. I can’t. I spend my commute surfing the Web on my phone, listening to my iPod, and drifting in and out of sleep. It’s all good, because I ride the bus. All in...
by Monica Wiant | Nov 14, 2010 | Uncategorized
I grew up on a cul-de-sac where the kids were plentiful, the parents were friendly, and everyone knew one another.There was no need to make plans. On a summer afternoon, I could step outside and find a cadre of playmates riding bikes. In the evening, we’d go...
