Email
Print
FeedAbout This Blog
Eve is further proof, if any is needed, that New Orleans girls can never escape the city. After living here since the age of 3 and graduating from Ben Franklin High School, Eve moved to Columbia, Mo., where she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Missouri School of Journalism and became truly, unhealthily obsessed with grammar.
She had originally intended to strike out to New York City and work in the cutthroat magazine industry there, but after Katrina, Eve felt a strong pull to return home, to her roots, her family, her waterlogged and struggling city – and a much more forgiving work atmosphere that would allow her to skip a routine of everyday makeup and size 0 designer label business suits and enjoy the occasional cocktail or three with an absurdly fattening lunch. She moved back home in January 2008 and lives in Mid-City with her daughter, Ruby, 5; her 10-year-old stepson; and her husband, Robert Peyton. She and Robert are expecting their first child together, a daughter, in May 2012.
In addition to serving as the editor of New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles and the managing editor of Louisiana Life and Acadiana Profile, Eve blogs about the joys and struggles of living in post-Katrina New Orleans, the unique problems and delights of raising a child in such a diverse and challenging city – including her experiences with the public education system – and her always entertaining and extremely colorful family.
Eve has won numerous writing awards, including the Pirates Alley Faulkner Society Gold Medal, the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence award for column-writing and Press Club of New Orleans awards for her Editor’s Note in New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles and for this blog.
She welcomes comments, advice, empty flattery, recipes, drink invitations and – most especially – grammatical or linguistic debates.
Recent Posts
- Come to the Fair! | Comments: 0
- Gestational Sloth | Comments: 2
- A Brand-New Chapter | Comments: 1
- Prego-lution | Comments: 2
- Lonely Easter | Comments: 0
- Popcorn Socialism | Comments: 6
- Lessons Learned | Comments: 1
- No Offense? | Comments: 4
- Back to Square One | Comments: 3
- Jazz It Up | Comments: 3
Archives
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
Reader Comments:
My son, Justin was born on December 26th....(could it get any worse)......We celebrated his birthday in July his 1/2 birthday!! It worked until he was around 10 and said I want my birthday on my real birthday...So we went back to December 26th...July made for much better summertime parties and spread his gifts out for the year! It worked for us! He is turning 28 and I still make sure his gifts are wrapped in birthday paper and are seperate from his Christmas gifts!! Good Luck
Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Ruby!!!
I truly don't believe you can love your child too much! If buying her presents makes you happy she will immediately pick up on that alone and she will be happy with you. Don't pick on yourself for giving. Teaching her that giving is more fun than getting is a wonderful lesson. My only suggestion to you which you can toss out the window if you like is to give of yourself along with the wrapped presents. Special time like go to a play or make a gingerbread house (or cookies) or the promise of an outing somewhere different (let her pick) just the two of you all day. She will have that promise to look forward to after the holiday/birthday is over and will remember that long after the ribbons have been tossed.
Merry Christmas!
Let Ruby pick out one or more things she has had from previous birthdays, take her to a local charity, school or other location that collects toys for children who might not otherwise have or receive any. Even better, find a child who isn't so lucky and hasn't the room crowded with Disney Princesses.
Watching Ruby hold out her hand with a Strawberry Shortcake or even a Squinkie to another child will be as good or better than your memory of her expression on receiving the gift herself.
And if you're really lucky you'll catch an expression on Ruby's face of a guiding life lesson learned, an indelible shared rememberance for both of you for a lifetime - a gift of giving.
And it helps with clutter at a hoarder's house...
Our daughter [now 40] was born December 13. We too followed the three "rules" you set out [with the exception of her 18th. That year we bought her a car, she did NOT feel cheated]. When she was young we offered up the half birthday in June idea but she elected to stick with her actual birthday. Then when she got to college we began the tradition of giving her one really nice Christmas ornament for her B-day as a kind of segue. It also served as a beginning for her ornament collection. She still gets one each year and still hangs them on the tree along with all the handmade ones from her kids.
Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!
My Mom always celebrated my half birthday. Nothing huge. A small gift and a something like a special dinner. But I always thought it was nice that she at least respected that my birthday was so close to Christmas. I grew up very proud of that tradition.