Three Foods to Combine with Cannabis by Laura Lagano

As a nutritionist and the co-founder of the Holistic Cannabis Academy, I get asked a lot of unsolicited questions about food and cannabis. After all, we imbue all of our social interactions with food. As a society, we have become intrigued with food and everything that pertains to it including cooking and, of course, my favorite topic—nutrition. Cannabis is a … Read More

Visiting Day

Isabella would be at camp for nearly four weeks when visiting day finally arrived. I had prepared for this day practically from the day that she had left for camp. I marked it in my calendar (paper for me). I started a pile of items to bring to her at camp. I pleaded with Victoria’s conservatory to allow her to … Read More

Sisters

Recently, we dropped off Victoria — Isabella’s big sister — at the Broadway Conservatory for a 2-week program. That means that she will not be able to accompany us to the one and only visiting day at Isabella’s 7-week camp. We haven’t mentioned this to Isabella. She will be expecting Victoria. Whenever Victoria was away for a school trip — … Read More

Separate Birthday for Twins

For the first time in 16 years (if you count their birth), Isabella and Zachary were not together to celebrate their mutual birthday. Isabella celebrated her 15th birthday at camp, while Zachary celebrated (just barely) at home. I offered to bring him and a few friends to Rockaway Beach or Coney Island. He said thanks, but no thanks. At the … Read More

Sleep-away camp

It was a very big deal for us (as parents) to make the decision to send Isabella to sleep-away camp. Last summer, she went for two weeks with a girlfriend from school (read: built-in safety net — that’s good for the child, but mostly the parents).When we went to pick her up to come home to attend a family function, … Read More

Graduation — a milestone

Isabella’s first request for her graduation from the Banyan School was Aunt Joan and Uncle Donald’s attendance. Since her grandparents are no longer with us, Isabella (and the rest of the family) has looked to my father’s brother and his wife as our wise elders. It’s a reminder of the importance of the generational connection. I was lucky enough to … Read More

Learning through fear (the parents)

Today marks the fourth time that Isabella has gone off on her own unexpectedly. The first was probably the most serious. She was just four years old and had just learned to use the bathroom. She was with my sister at a street fair. Yes, a street fair — every parent’s nightmare locus for a missing child, perhaps only second to a mall. … Read More

Normalcy

In December we had a PICC line put into Isabella’s left arm. Such lines are meant to be convenient to deliver medication or nutrients. People who have cancer may have PICC lines or ports. Children and women who have veins that are difficult to access have these delivery systems put in. The surgery is minor, but the upkeep can be … Read More

Hospital stays

Hospital stays are not fun, mostly because of the look on the parents’ faces. Of course, the children don’t look their best, but we expect that. The parents are so spent, eating pastries from the cart and sandwiches that foodservice brings around. Sleeping on those fold-out chairs is not restful…neither is the beeping that is happening as your child’s beside. … Read More

It is what it is

I read something very interesting in Psychology Today (it’s like being in Psych 101 again). It was an article about genetic testing — a topic that interests me for several reasons. I learned something unexpected from the article (always a good thing for a jaded person such as myself). Here’s the sentence that got me: “An uncertain future leaves us stranded … Read More