Spring is slowly making its way into our lives. Not that you would know this by my wardrobe. Most days you can still find me in fuzzy socks and drawstring sweats. I can recall many a May much warmer than this. So, no I won't complain. Regardless, our home is ready for Spring. And I will now list for you all the ways how, cleverly failing to indicate who was responsible for what. The pool is open and clean. The garden has been weeded, edged, weeded, mulched, and weeded. The vegetables have been planted and watered and marked. The strawberries... Continue reading

My husband and I have been married for 18 years. 18 long years. Funny that years are only described as long when we speak of marriages or jobs, (or writing a book). When describing years involved raising kids, they're fast. In our( long) 18 years of marriage, we've seen the rise and fall of many things. Appliances top the list. In this house, we have mourned the loss of washers, dryers, dishwashers, microwaves and countless coffee pots. We've come to know the warning signs. When the dishawasher runs louder and longer, it's on its last leg, or wash. When the... Continue reading

While I was waiting in line at Walgreen's, opportunity presented itself as it always does. The over- sized woman in front of me, loudly announced for everyone to hear, her reason for being there. I don't quite understand the need people feel to announce, to everyone in earshot, why they are in Walgreen's. Not one bit, as I clutch my extra large pack of maxi pads. Walgreen's, for me, is never a planned excursion. You will never find me in Walgreen's with my shopping heels and errand purse. (An errand purse is that cute little number that slings over the... Continue reading

We learn, at a young age, the importance of choosing good friends. Age 8: Choosing the friend whose yard boasts a swimming pool, during summer's hottest days: Good. Age 17: Choosing a friend whose parents don't believe in weekend curfews: Even better. Age 42: Choosing a friend who has a kid on the same team as your kid: Genius. Let's face it, carpooling is a necessity. Having a friend to share the load can make organized sports a little more bearable. If that friend also shares your taste in good wine, well that's a bonus. If that friend shares your... Continue reading

When a family loses a child, it is a private mourning. When that tragedy is the result of a horrific national event, that mourning is magnified. Instantly, we all feel ownership of the loss. Yesterday's Boston Marathon bombing, left us with that all- too common news reel. The pattern we've watched play out before, too often. Videos, photos, and raw reactions captured and replayed for the following 24-48 hours. How can we not report, react, repeat the events of the day? To accompany the tragic events, a smiling photo goes viral. This time, of 8-year Martin Richard, a boy whose... Continue reading

When my kids were younger, we ended every day with a warm bath and a good book. (for them. not me.), Especially during those 'every night is a bath night' months. You know, those months when your kids spend an entire day outside in the fresh air. Leaving them covered in sweat, juice, grass, and bugs. Coated in that great spring time smell. On those days baths are not optional. When they were very little, and on nights when I was very tired, they were all piled in the bath together. All three of them. As they grew older and... Continue reading

When you start a blog, of course you hope people will read it. I mean, you're not just writing to write. Well, sometimes you are. The purpose of this blog, from the start, was to get me to write. Write daily, was my only goal. Gradually I added others. Be funny. Be timely. But mostly, just write. And that is what I've done. There are days when I write and couldn't care if the words are ever read by anyone. There are other days when I write what I think is the best thing ever, and pray someone will read... Continue reading

Your child is more than welcome to come to my home for a play date, as long as you adhere to the following play date rules: Play dates have an end time. When the amount of time from drop-off to pick-up exceeds an 8-hour period, it is no longer a play date. It has now fallen into the realm of babysitting. If you must know, babysitting a school age child can be expensive, like if you have to ask you probably can't afford kind of expensive. When you fail to pick up your child after 8 hours, I may or... Continue reading

Oh my Gosh, yesterday, the cell phone celebrated its 40th birthday and I forgot to send a card. Well, I didn't really forget. I didn't know. I had no idea the cell phone was that old. Not that 40 is old. Cell phones have been around since 1973. Seriously? Aside from a James Bond film, where were they hiding? A '70's cell phone is not something I recall. When I think '70's, I think terry cloth shorts, tube socks, transistor radio, black and white TV. Cell phones? Nope. I'm pretty sure the only phone we owned was a wall mounted... Continue reading

On days when I am sleepy and unable to climb back into bed, I promise myself "I'll sleep when I'm dead". A morbid thought, but one that got me thinking. Death is supposed to offer a final resting place. A place where we can catch up on lost sleep, and be in peace for eternity. I mean, tombstones don't lie, R.I.P. (rest in peace) is what it's all about, right? But, I'm starting to worry that this is not the case. Starting to question if our dearly departed are really up there, sleeping on a cloud. I'm thinking....they're not. I've... Continue reading

This morning, as I gathered the Easter decorations and piled them(the universal sign that a holiday has ended) in the corner; their designated place await for their return trip to the attic, I periodically slid my hand into an Easter basket or two. I am celebrating a little, allowing myself some candy for breakfast, because it's not just the day after Easter, it's the end of the decorating holidays. For the next six months, I will not have to crawl into the attic for boxes, display a festive wreath on my front door, plan a family buffet, buy extra plates... Continue reading

I don't usually watch Castle on Monday nights, due to my prior commitment to the Real Housewives . Yet, last Monday found me channel surfing, landing on scene one of Castle featuring a character named Siobhan and watching the rest of the show. Simply to hear my name on TV. I made it through much of the 10pm broadcast, nodding off here and there. When I could no longer fight sleep, I decided to turn in for the night. Right after searching for a word in my smartphone's dictionary app. Narcisism. And just like a WebMD search, I believed the... Continue reading

Sitting in Starbucks silently judging, I smuggled out a few life stories. One couple, was a clear reminder that things are never as they appear. They were boith in their mMid 40's dressed in workout gear and in good shape. A perfect looking happy- with- each- other couple. They breezed into Starbucks with glee and didn't appear to even need the caffiene fix. She sweetly offered to order for him while he secured two seats (a commodity very hard to come by in this joint) Coincedentally, he chose the two seats next to me. Strike that, there are no coincedences.... Continue reading

The day I broke up with my Trainer, I gave him the old line, 'it's not you, it's me.' I also said, "I'm just taking a break. I'll be back." Why did I feel the need to offer those comforting words to him? Like he was the one being hurt? Whether I was there or not, he would continue force people to flip tires, climb Jacob's ladder, and run with weights strapped to their backs. He would not stop timing 1-minute planks, squat reps, or push-ups just because I no longer showed face. He would continue to weigh in clients,... Continue reading

A recent interview with incurable, inoperable, terminal, brain cancer patient, Valerie Harper, moved me. Not just her glowing appearance, despite her illness, but her inspiring words. What does one even ask someone who has been handed such grave news? Where do you even begin? What can you say? How should that conversation begin? Valerie Harper had no problem disarming us with this: " we are ALL terminal." Every one of us, you realize, will pass. It's in our future, that is for certain. We're just not normally privy to the when. The gift a terminally ill patient receives, is a... Continue reading

I am full of good advice. Solicited or not, I love to dole out helpful hints whenever I can. I'm always available to help others learn life lessons. Yesterday was no different, when a friend shared with me her encounter. She told me how she recently ran into an old classmate. a common occurrence when you live in the town where you were raised. Those awkward conversations that seem to lead nowhere, once you get past the obligatory jokes about wow you're still here too? Haha, yea. (it's a small town not a prison) The only time I ever have... Continue reading

I texted my sister- in- law last week to let her know I was available for afternoon school pick up, her reply; a question mark. You see, my-sister- in- law and my next door neighbor have the same name and apparently I texted too soon before confirming I had the right person. I didn't have the right person. Last month, I texted an old friend, and by 'old' I mean that I haven't spoken to her in over three years. I sent her a cheery'LOL- OMG I have something to tell you'. Curious, she replied 'what?'. When her name appeared... Continue reading

In my next house, there will be a washer and dryer in every bedroom. Each room, housing a closet big enough for these appliances. I have not yet calculated how much time will be saved, but am sure it's a lot. As a Mom, there are things that must be done daily, and I do them without ever questioning why (usually). But I've thought long and hard about the time I spend gathering dirty clothes, corralling them by color, sorting, washing, pairing, drying, folding, and then returning them to their owners. I know, much of this could be eliminated if... Continue reading

Judy Blume was one of my favorite authors, as a kid. Blubber, Are You There God, It's Me Margaret?, and Iggie's House topping my favorites list. But there was another side to Judy Blume. The books that were secretly shared and read, passed between friends, the corners of their 'best' pages folded over more than once. These books were written in the same Judy Blume tone, infused with a little...smut. I can remember the confusing feeling I had the first time I read one, the familiarity of a favorite childhood author suddenly taking me down a salacious path. Those books... Continue reading

Today's fictitious debate is brought to you by outraged mom bloggers around the world. Okay, maybe just two ( “Jen and Barb: Mom Life”)from the US. Jen and Barb, are the latest Mommy bloggers to latch onto an otherwise mediocre story to shamelessly plug themselves, their opinion, their website, and pretty hair by shouting 'I am outraged!' Today's outrage? TV Host, Giuliana Rancic's admission to US Weekly magazine that she puts her marriage (read: husband) first, before her baby. I know, you were expecting a story about kids working 12 hour days in a sweat shop or something, right? Nope,... Continue reading

'It's not about you anymore. You are just going to have to get over yourself', are the harsh words I whispered in the mirror, yesterday. The oldest child in this house turned 15, yesterday. A fact I'm forced to face. And although it was many, many years ago, I still remember being 15. A feeling that confuses me, now that my kids seem to be catching up to me in age. When this child turned one, I started a ritual of watching (alone) the videotaped birth. Yes, in its entirety, followed by tears and tissues. As my children grew older,... Continue reading

As I creep through my forties, I feel compelled to reflect. A little reflection is good now and again. A reflection in the mirror often startles me into the realization that I'm not 20 anymore. (The same way a late night of reckless dancing and drinking can do when my body forgets to bounce right back the next day) But it's not just me who is changing. It's not just the wrinkles in the corners of my eyes or the new lines forming under them (reminder: pick up thicker concealer on next trip to Ulta) Not even just the wiry... Continue reading

Today, in Starbucks, there was only one seat available, a lonely 'barstool' facing the window. I gazed out the window, alarmed by an energetic red head doing cartwheels. No more than four years old, this child, sans coat was cart wheeling and performing other gymnastics tricks next to a busy road. No one else in the place was alarmed by this behavior (but, me). In an over-sized leather chair, a red-headed woman sat sipping her coffee, it was safe to asssume this laid back lady was the mom. Wow. Behind me, I couldn't help but overhear a Moms Group meeting,... Continue reading

What's that word for doing everything except the thing you're supposed to be doing? Writer's block? Avoidance? Procrastination? It happens to the best of us. I find myself often scheduling a day, a full day, to do nothing but write. Pour a cup of coffee, stare at the rising steam, and suddenly spot a pile of clothes that were never put away. While putting away the clothes, I decide to make the bed, real quick. Leave the room and pass by another room , make that bed real quick, gather the dirty laundry , head to the laundry room and... Continue reading

There's just something about sipping a heavily caffeinated, frothy drink that helps me write. Truth be told, people -watching also helps the process. So, it's not surprising that I am inspired and motivated to write great things, just by sitting in Starbucks. It's one of my favorite places . My desk at home is nice, but quite frankly I hear voices when I'm there. I hear things like 'unload the dishwasher', 'throw in another load of whites', 'vacuum the cobwebs'. When I'm at Starbucks all I hear is faint chatter, brewing coffee, and a lot of frothing. On weekends, I... Continue reading