21Dec

Snooping, Swelling, and the Flu

I have a history of almost ruining Christmas. I never mean to do it, and sometimes it’s not even my fault, but I have this history nonetheless. First, there was the time when I was about 11, when I’d asked my parents for a very fancy...
13Jul

No Longer Adrift

Thirty seconds into Chuck's “safety talk,” and I could barely hold it together. I gritted my teeth. My kids were watching. Chuck was our lead guide for the day, and he was telling us what to do if we fell out of the raft. Don’t try...
04Jun

Not Her Type

With summer vacation in full swing, and a vacation in my family’s near future, I decided to set my 9 year old up with her own blog. Blogs have a lot to offer that private diaries can’t provide, and the interactive potential can be healthy...
09Sep

Calgon, take me away…for at least three days

Welcome back, my friends. This is the season of go-go-go, of speed-breakfasting, bus-catching, and teleporting between home and school and dance and soccer. This is the resurgence of 20-minute stand-up dinners, bedtime warnings, homework checking, and nag-nag-nag. This is that place where your hands are...
17Jun

Road Trip Evolution

When I was a little girl, my family drove everywhere. My parents revered all things practical and efficient, and cars fit the bill perfectly. They got you where you were going, they were much less expensive than airline tickets, and—unlike buses or trains—they enabled you...
13May

To Facebook or not to Facebook

Someone recently forwarded my husband a link to an episode of “South Park” where the primary topic is Facebook. Now, I’m sure there are many who take offense at “South Park” humor, but I admit, I’m a fan. (For those not in the know, I’m...
06Feb

Apron Strings

Several weeks ago at the bookstore, while waiting on kids and poking lazily through the new releases table, I found a title that intrigued me: The iConnected Parent. I grabbed it because I thought it was one of those diatribes against technology and children, and...
17Sep

Let the Chaos Begin!

School is now in session. Let the chaos begin!   Mind you, I’m not just talking about school mayhem. Some of you, like me, have extended obligations beyond your children to include “paying” work, volunteer commitments, and community involvement—all of which seems to pick up in September....
22Jul

Melanoma sucks

There’s no easy way to digest bad news when you get it, and no easy way to write about it, so I’ll just spit it out: In early June, after what I thought would be a regular dermatologist checkup, I was diagnosed with a malignant...