Robin (noteverstill)

Summer and sunscreen: what’s your plan?

by Robin (noteverstill) May 1, 2012 Beauty

My second daughter enjoying Bethany Beach in last summer’s sun. With the strange spring we’ve been having, we’ve already had quite a few hot days, and today is supposed to be another one. Our conversations about sunscreen have become more commonplace, as have my concerns. Let’s start with this: none of my kids has ever [...]

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My magic bean buyer

by Robin (noteverstill) March 6, 2012 Child

Shel Silverstein quote in the window of The Annapolis Bookstore. (Photo credit: me.) Whenever we go downtown together, or to anywhere new at all, my husband prefers to drive. That’s because I will be craning to see the ornamentation at tops of buildings and marveling at the sunsets and filling my eyes with period signage. [...]

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2012: the (Montgomery County) year of the bag

by Robin (noteverstill) January 3, 2012 Around Town

image via wokka On Sunday, after the wine glasses from the last toasts of 2011 were washed and your black-eyed peas enjoyed, you started planning for re-entry back into everyday life. Work and school beckon, you’ll have a fresh resolution to try weekly menu planning in your mind, and you’ll find yourself making a list [...]

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Adhering to the dress code (or, when rules do and don’t matter)

by Robin (noteverstill) November 8, 2011 Child

My daughter’s school has a dress code. She’s only been there for a bit over two months, as she’s just in kindergarten, but the dress code is something that we’ve heard about for years. We’ve shopped end-of-season clearance in anticipation of the dress code. We’ve saved hand-me-downs that were passed on specifically for purposes of [...]

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Can Michael Pollan Help Me Stay Away from Halloween Candy?

by Robin (noteverstill) November 3, 2011 Food

Last week I heard Michael Pollan speak at Strathmore. Known for his books The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food and Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual among others, Pollan is a leading expert on America’s eating habits and food industry. And I’ll be the first to tell you, I hope without sounding too school-girl crush [...]

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Be a Rebel: Read a Book

by Robin (noteverstill) September 30, 2011 Politics

Does the end of September have you thinking of wearing sweaters, carving pumpkins, or fixing up some hot chocolate for your kids? Does it have you thinking back to your own school days, reading those homework assignments that became the loves of your life? I want you to think about your favorite books, the ones [...]

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School lunch and the sensory kid

by Robin (noteverstill) September 20, 2011 Child

Oh wise ones, veteran parents who have trod this path ahead of me, I beg your wisdom. My oldest kid just started kindergarten, which means I have a kazallion school lunches to pack in coming years. And she’s making it impossible. Or rather, her sensory sensitivities interfere with all normal methods. Let’s discuss. Buy hot [...]

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Mind the Gap

by Robin (noteverstill) August 22, 2011 Child

We had a problem in our house, and you may have it, too. Tell me if this sounds familiar: Girl gets big, graduates from crib to bed. Girl brings seventy-kazallion small essential toys and dolls with her from crib to bed. Bed, unlike crib, has no bumper. Toys fall into abyss. Girl wails. Sound familiar? [...]

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Now touch me, baby (can’t you see that I am not afraid?)

by Robin (noteverstill) August 4, 2011 Health

I recently had a massage, as I do a few times a year, and every time I have a massage and later mention it, there is invariably someone who will scrunch up her nose and say, “a massage? I couldn’t do that.” Let me say: yes, you can. And you should. You’re worried about your [...]

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