The madeleine Blog

There is an expression in French, derived, it would seem, from a government and administration-centric culture, prone to strikes and work disruptions of all kinds.   “Le service minimum”, or “faire le service minimum”, whose meaning is quite transparent, obviously. Maintaining a bare-minimum level of service that doesn’t give an extra inch of time or commitment to the institution you report to, or its customers for that matter.And I’m afraid this is exactly where I am these d

Things have been on the blah side lately around here.When do I ever NOT say that these days?It’s true that between the punishing winter and the long hours spent at home, I have been struggling to muster much enthusiasm for anything.And then came the war -, or should I say the “excursion”, like an episode of Bombs on the Beach or something? Just when I thought my phone and screen habits were getting better. I spent the better part of last weekend refreshing various news websit

Another school break, another week without posting, writing, or note-taking of any kind.Some mothers out there manage to do it all, I know that for a fact. Sadly, I am not one of them, as may be evident from the somewhat random publishing schedule on this site. As soon as the children are home for a prolonged period, I am out of commission as a human, it would seem.     I have been thinking about that a lot lately, maybe because we haven’t had a proper, undisturbed family vac

There isn’t much to report around here, except that it has been cold. Very cold. Without, for the time being, any sign of the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. The forecast for this weekend looks worse than it was last weekend, if that’s even possible.     When I go out these days, I am one of those old ladies commenting on the slightest atmospheric mood swing. “It’s so cold! The afternoons have been better this week, but the mornings are still freezing! And look at

I don’t know about you but it’s already the end of January and I feel like I disappeared into a vortex sometime after New Year’s Eve. Yesterday I was folding my Christmas tablecloth and today I’m looking at an upending – and yet unplanned – February break.   In the meantime, there have been three Mondays without school – yes, three -, a snowstorm, an ongoing and worsening political storm, and, as usual, a lot of procrastination on some supposedly important projects.   That ur

I have found myself cooking more lately. Or, at least, cooking more new things.   Cooking itself will always be a daily need, I’m afraid, as long as I have children at home who might not be satisfied with the same bowl of soup every night. I, for one, would be fine with that. A bowl of soup and a good hunk of bread, perhaps with a piece of cheese, on good days.   That is what I usually serve my family on Fridays, when we’re not going out.   Alas, there are all the other days.

My last post was supposed to be about my Christmas vacation – or absence thereof. But I guess I got carried away with other things, as I often do.   I have been so upset about the news lately; it has made it hard to focus on anything else.   Like many among us, I have been upset since last November and went through several stages of grief and despair over the past year. But I have never felt quite this powerless and angry. The deluge of madness and violence coming at us since

Well, it looks like another MONTH went by since my last post. It should come as no surprise, given that it took me three hours this morning to sit down and open a new word document for this post.  Yes, three hours. During which I: Sat down for a cappuccino at the newly opened Eataly near the library (verdict: disappointing. Not half as good as the San Ambroeus cappuccino, which remains my platonic ideal of a cappuccino). Sat down in the Society Library’s member room, which me

@Vanity Fair Last week, on a day when I was supposed to go to the library but ended up staying home after taking a quick look out my window – snow? sleet? rain? The darkest of skies, whatever it was, - I found myself eating lunch shortly before 2 pm, just in time for Fresh Air .   I love Fresh Air and Terry Gross and used to be a regular listener, a good twenty years ago. I remember listening while making dinner, after a long day in the library. Those days when I would spend

As you may have figured, the title of this post does not refer to any kind of real-life situation. It is, I am sorry to say, purely aspirational. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be writing about it, three weeks – or is it four? - after my last post.     There was a time, a couple of years ago, when I committed to publishing a post every Thursday. I think I stuck to it for a while. I remember being quite consistent last year. Not including summers, family disruptions or any kind of scho

I have decided to be revolutionary today and to write a pumpkin post a few days before Halloween. It is so groundbreaking, I might suffocate. What can I do? Inspiration has been hard to come by lately, and whenever I feel compelled to sit at my computer and break free of my family to-do list for a minute or two (Thanksgiving break! Christmas break! Nutcracker tickets that will be rare and overpriced because I should have done it two months ago! Birthday gifts for the 17-year-

It has been so hard to concentrate lately. When I say lately, I mean the past three months. Or the past seventeen years, really. My oldest child will turn seventeen next week. And it has been about that long that I have owned a smartphone, I believe. Does it really matter who the culprit is? Children, modern technology, perimenopause, an undiagnosed ADHD? Who knows. All I can see is that it has become almost impossible for me to sit down at my laptop and STAY THERE for more t

It sure looks like the entire summer went by without a post. Again. And then I wonder why I am not more accomplished, a wonder CEO of...

It feels strange saying it, after complaining for so many weeks – or months? But I am feeling okay. With my house almost empty and a...

@MadeleineDiaries Relief has finally come, in the form of a lake. I might stop whining for a while. It took a few days, but I am now...

©TheMadeleineDiaries That’s it, the kids are gone. Three of them at least. Which, out of four, makes a big difference in the house as you...

As you might have gathered from my last post , I am not exactly going through a season of bliss, motherhood-wise. I have been feeling...

The dreaded mom’s to-do list has been growing so fast lately, I’m not even sure how to catch up. I keep reminding myself that this is...

I mentioned anxiety around my high-schooler’s tests last week, and I am sorry to report that symptoms have not improved. The fact that he...

I am afraid this post will be even less ambitious than the unambitious plan that half-formed in my brain over the weekend. I thought I...