family

Dumpster Diving in Deltona

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

I know. Another post about garbage. I need to get my mind out of the trash heap. Still, if you share my interest in garbage, I must recommend reading about our garbage debacle in Italy, not to mention what we did about the horrifying garbage problem in Tunisia.

The only time I’ve ever been bona fide dumpster diving was at married student housing in Provo, Utah during graduation week, when most of our neighbors were moving on to real jobs, and we were newlyweds gearing up for another year of starving studenthood. Among other things, I scored a functional microwave, some hair-cutting supplies, and a pair of shiny jet-black vinyl pants (pictured below, modeled by me on our first Valentine’s Day).… Read more

When I Have Grown a Foot or Two

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

When I was ten years old, I became the second mommy to the cutest little baby in the world.

During the next several years, I mentored him through all sorts of worthwhile activities. For example, here I’ve dressed him up as a mad scientist for the homeschool science fair.

Despite the influence of his older sister, Jesse turned out pretty awesome. Part of me still thinks of him as the curly haired seven-year-old I kissed goodbye when I went to college. In the meantime, he’s grown up to be a handsome, witty, articulate college student who plays the guitar and leaves the ladies swooning on all sides.… Read more

Welcome Home, Part 5: The Harem

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

First, because I must, a word about the word. Among the things that fascinate/repel Westerners when they think about the Middle East is the idea of an exotic, opulent harem full of beautiful women, secreted away from the world for the sole purpose of unbridled male pleasure.

The word itself is a Turkish derivative of the Arabic root “haram,” meaning sacred, and therefore forbidden. The idea is that a woman and her household domain are sacred, and not to be intruded upon by outsiders. The concept predates Islam, and secluding the royal wives and concubines has been common practice in the Near East from time immemorial.… Read more

Worse than a Bad Hair Day

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

Is it just me, or does my family have more than a normal share of hair woes? First of all, there’s Axa.  I have a really hard time keeping up with her glorious copper tangle. Here’s a representative day:

As a matter of fact, my own hair doesn’t look all that great either, does it?

Recently, we’ve finally settled into a routine where Tony brushes Axa’s hair every morning and I braid it immediately, which keeps most of the tangles more or less under control. If we miss a day, though, we’re pretty much back to square one.

Fortunately, (since I’m sure we’d never stay on top of two unruly heads) Raj’s hair is straight and smooth, so it usually doesn’t give us much trouble.… Read more

Having “The Sex Talk” With Our Daughter

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

You know you’re getting old when . . . your daughter asks you about sex. Fortunately, Tony and I have discussed at length how to talk about it with our children (even though I wasn’t really expecting these questions yet from my seven-year-old). In fact, in a way, we’ve been having “the talk” with them in various ways ever since they were tiny. How? Well, let’s see.

We chose to have 2 1/2 year-old Axa present in the room when Raj was born. To help prepare her for the birth, we read this sweet picture book together:

It tells the story of a homebirth from the perspective of the new big brother.… Read more

Our Ninth Honeymoon

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

During these past eight years that we have been married, Tony and I have occasionally reflected on the difficulties of having an anniversary two days after Christmas. In fact, getting married on December 27th was inconvenient from the start. On the Christmas day before our wedding, we had to drive to the regional FedEx office to pick up several dozen black roses, which had been misdirected in the Christmas rush.

Since then, we’ve encountered various obstacles to celebrating our anniversary. First of all, after planning and executing Christmas, we’re always a little burnt out. It’s extra work (of which Tony always does the lion’s share) to plan a special event for the two of us.… Read more

Tooth Fairy, Meet Santa Claus

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

My little girl is growing up. She lost her first tooth yesterday!

After this picture, she promptly lost the tooth again, this time literally. Even Grammy’s thorough sweep of the kitchen floor failed to unearth it. So I gave her a pearl to substitute for the tooth under her pillow. And I suggested lamely (how could I not?) that she write a letter to the Tooth Fairy explaining the reason for the substitution. She laughed.

“Mommy, that would just be writing a letter to you!”

True. I confess that I try no harder to perpetuate belief in the Tooth Fairy than in Santa Claus.… Read more

He Asked Me Out!

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

I love going on dates. There is nothing better than leaving it all behind to spend a few hours of exclusive, romantic quality time with my favorite person.

When Tony and I met, he was under the impression that a successful date mandatorily had to be ingenious, elaborate, and expensive. Just to give you an idea, our second date was a 12-hour extravaganza involving a trip to San Francisco, a picnic, ultimate frisbee, a walk on the beach, a tour of the Japanese tea garden, and dinner at a Thai restaurant. He had originally planned to take me to a movie as well, but ultimately ran out of time.… Read more

Knock, knock

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

The other day Axa and Raj had a bit of a scuffle, and we ended up having an impromptu family council. During the course of the discussion, Tony asked them how they thought they could prevent similar problems in the future. They came up with what I thought was quite a clever and mature solution. Since the altercation had involved Axa forgetting (yet again) Raj’s rule that people ask for permission before entering his bedroom, he said he would like a sign for his door to remind her (and everyone).

Axa decided she could benefit from a sign as well, and they had a great time choosing colors, fonts, and wording for their signs.… Read more

Live Poets Society

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

I can’t really say that I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love to write. Because I do remember that time, quite vividly in fact. I must have been seven or eight, and my mom tried everything to get me to write. Finally, she gave me an assignment to write a letter to the Tooth Fairy. I was supposed to explain how I had accidentally swallowed my loose tooth, and request the customary remuneration despite the absence of the actual article. I can still visualize the kiddie-lined paper with my cop-out missive written in large awkward letters and callously denying the very existence of that benevolent fairy:

Dear Mommy, Please bring me lots of money.

… Read more