mothers on the verge

A friend recently asked me, "When you get invited to breakfast with other moms, does anyone eat??" You mean, besides me and my hefty bowl of oatmeal? It seems my friend had spent the past week eating at breakfasts with other moms from her child's school -- and when they placed orders, after she did for her omelette, or a bacon frittata the second time, the other mother would order coffee. Black. And that's it. Aha! I smelled some competitive mommy breakfasting. I explained to her that while I had only seen the behavior in the territory of the Upper East Side, I suspected it had started to migrate downtown. While most Moms I breakfast with (and let's get real, I work, I rarely "breakfast") are happy to chow down on a cheese omelette, oatmeal and a FULL FAT cappuccino, I am more than aware of those moms who consider food something they endure only when necessary, and only when trying to prove to everyone else, "Oh I can eat anything. I just ca...

Dear Kate, I apologize for the long delay. Some family health concerns right now with extended family, which will also make this short. I hope you can fill in with a longer post in my stead! I feel that everywhere I turn I hear of another friend who has been downsized, forced to take a pay cut, or is so worried about these things it's affecting their ability to focus. I know the President has said he feels he seeing signs of recovery. I think that would be wonderful. I don't know if he's just trying to make people feel better, or if I just know the unlucky ones. I remember after Sept. 11th the city went into an economic lock-down. It was practically impossible to find work if you were out of work. But somehow I don't remember the mood as this negative. I have to wonder though if part of what's going on is everyone buying into the bleak reports. In other words — if they say it's bad, it's bad. Well, that could be true. But I also think some people are using t...