Articles by Sarah Smiley
SARAH SMILEY
Answering Michelle Obama’s call to help
Last week I told you about my plan for 2012: to host 52 separate dinner guests, one for each week that my husband, Dustin, is deployed overseas. For us, this project is intended to be more of a distraction than it is a measurement of time. And we know that ...
SARAH SMILEY
Special deployment feature: Dinner with the Smileys
When Dustin is gone, I get creative with ways to count down the time. The standard way, of course, is with a paper chain. But a chain with 390 paper links could probably wrap around our small house three times and still have length left over for the dog to ...
SARAH SMILEY
Watching the sunrise isn’t for everyone
I have a history of not waking up on time. The problem started when I was a teenager, and everyone thought it was just a phase. “She’ll grow out of it,” they said. “What teenager gets up early anyway?” By my 20s, however, it was clear that I am, by ...
SARAH SMILEY
Training dogs and children
It has become abundantly clear to me in the last month that before having children I should have attended a dog obedience class. It has also become clear, thanks to our adolescent dog, Sparky, what I should expect from my soon-to-be adolescent son, Ford. Now, I’m not saying my children ...
SARAH SMILEY
‘All-volunteer’ service is not what it seems
I am committed to making sure this column does not become a yearlong rant about the ups and downs of having my husband deployed, but reactions to my Occupy column bring up common military-spouse conundrums: Do military families think they are owed something because of their sacrifices? And can you ...
SARAH SMILEY
Too occupied to Occupy
Until Thanksgiving Day, I had not paid much attention to the Occupy movement. I had followed the news stories and listened to debates for and against the protests. I had struggled to explain to my children the purpose of the campers outside the local library (“Are they having an art ...
SARAH SMILEY
Husband’s change of command brings change
As a military dependent for more than 35 years, I have been to many changes of command, most of them for my dad. Earlier this month, I attended one for my husband, Dustin. A change of command is the Navy’s answer to that awkward moment when one authority is leaving ...
Close call at restaurant with kids
When the kids asked, “What’s your favorite restaurant, Mom?” I had no idea they planned to take me there for my birthday. Otherwise, I would have fibbed and said “Wendy’s” or “UNO,” some place suitable for dinner with three children under the age of 11. Instead, and without hesitation, I ...
SARAH SMILEY
Meet Sparky, the newest family member
My youngest son, Lindell, 4, has had just one aspiration: to be a dog. I’m not joking. Neither is he. Before Lindell knew his ABCs, he was fetching a tennis ball … with his mouth. Oh, I had tried to stop this behavior, and I put my foot down when ...
SARAH SMILEY
Troop withdrawal: Results may vary
Words matter. The order in which a writer places words matters. Simple wording is best. And verbs can change everything. This is why, when I teach writing, I ask students to find examples of powerfully placed words. It’s not a difficult task. Examples abound, with the advertising world leading the ...
SARAH SMILEY
Traveling through the Milky Way to Big Donald’s
Recently, at a church dinner, I told my boys, “There will be a limit on the bread.” What I meant was that each of them could have two pieces with their lasagna. This was a result of the week before, when my almost-11-year-old son brought his plate to the table ...
SARAH SMILEY
Military wife relies on Mr. T
There is an old adage in military-wife culture: as soon as the men leave, the house and car fall apart. This never fails. My own Navy-wife mom bought most of our family’s new appliances while my dad was on deployment. I grew up believing that’s what moms do; they make ...
SARAH SMILEY
Mother of boys shares wisdom with new mom
A friend recently had her first baby, a boy. As you know, I have three boys. I also grew up with two older brothers. So my friend had some questions, and I did my best to answer. Turns out I know more about boys than I thought. (To be fair, ...
SARAH SMILEY
You can’t please all readers
The true meaning of “you can’t please everyone” can’t be fully understood until you write something. And then publish it. I gave up pleasing everyone when my first column was published 10 years ago. “You’ll always make 50 percent of your readers angry,” my first editor said. He appeared to ...
SARAH SMILEY
Size matters for wedding bands
This summer, Dustin lost his wedding band in the Penobscot River at the base of Mount Katahdin. I give him credit for keeping it as long (12 years) as he did. A person who regularly loses just one shoe cannot be expected to keep up with a 5 mm piece ...
SARAH SMILEY
SpongeBob: He’s not so bad
Monday morning, while my children sat in the living room watching one of the 198 episodes of “SpongeBob SquarePants” we have saved on our DVR, I opened the newspaper and saw a report: “SpongeBob Squarepants” is bad for children. In particular, it is (reportedly) bad for 4-year-olds. It makes them ...
SARAH SMILEY
Child’s tough question teaches parents
Children’s tough, often unanswerable, questions rarely come at convenient times. In the middle of the produce aisle at the grocery store, or through the stall of a public bathroom, they say, “Mommy, how did I get out of your stomach?” Or, “Did my pet fish go to heaven?” In an ...
Night without power brings appreciation
Hurricane Irene was, relatively, nothing more than a big storm when it came through Maine. But it did bring back memories of our family’s experiences with Ivan, Dennis and Katrina: the quiet, deserted streets; the sound of generators at night; the darkness; the worry. We lived without power for more ...
SARAH SMILEY
What he knows, he read in a book
My oldest son, Ford, almost 11, has been talking to me since the day he was born. It feels that way, at least. He said his first word (“God,” only he meant to say “dog”) at 11 months, and it’s been a steady verbal stream of consciousness ever since. The ...
SARAH SMILEY
We saw a moose. Or did we?
For three years, I have disappointed Mainers and non-Mainers alike. When you live in a place like Maine, especially northern Maine, people want to know: Have you seen a moose? Have you seen Stephen King? And not necessarily in that order. Until last week, I had not seen either. I ...
Glenburn art teacher killed in Friday morning collision in Bangor
Harvard student asked to leave bar for ‘bad behavior,’ not drunkenness
LePage blasts teachers union for endorsing same-sex marriage question
Reporting crime
A people’s revolt in Bar Harbor
Old Town football coach steps down
Perakslis helps UMaine beat Albany; Binghamton next in America East tournament
Orono baseball shuts out archrival Old Town for ninth straight victory
Stony Brook knocks out UMaine to win America East tournament
Aroostook businessman expands company out of home with hit mobile app 7 Little Words
Former CEO of MaineToday Media Richard Connor sued over $250,000 in loans
Small idea launches major project in Hampden
Diversity predicts export success, MIT professor tells Maine audience
New, old methods combine to deter scrap metal thefts in Aroostook
Gary Allan talks with the BDN leading up to Bangor concert
Out of the ashes, Central Street’s garden grows
Mid Coast Actor’s Studio provides new forum for classic plays
Signs lead artist to opportunity
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