Everyone knows about Halloween, but did you know that the day after Halloween is a very special day as well? November 1st has been designated by, um, officials, as the Feast Day of St. Mom. On this widely-celebrated day, participating moms (who, as we all know, are total saints), feast on the candy their children […]

Sooner or later, there comes a time when your kids don’t need you quite as much as they once did. They have their own things to do and places to go that don’t require your constant presence, and you suddenly find yourself with time again to put more effort into your career, time to plan […]

Looking for TV shows and movies the entire family can enjoy? Here are my 20 top Hulu picks! This excellent opportunity for me to scour Hulu’s library for my top TV and movie picks is brought to you in partnership with Hulu and CafeMom. Over the last 15 years, my family has made lots of […]

My son knows what he wants … at least until he doesn’t want it anymore. The streets of downtown Gatlinburg are lined with storefront windows, all filled to overflowing with souvenirs. There are airbrushed t-shirts and leather handbags, knives and swords and cowboy hats, billowy caftans and homemade fudge, lace tablecloths and wood carvings — […]

Summer camp rocked… except for a few unwanted guests my son brought home with him from an overnight campout in the woods!  Despite all indications to the contrary, my ten-year-old son somehow survived his harrowing week at sleepaway camp. However, in keeping with this blog’s name, there was indeed some turmoil while he was away. When […]

I was prepared for my son to be homesick while he was at sleepaway camp. No one told me how hard it would be on me. Last Friday, we dropped off my 10-year-old son at an overnight camp for the very first time. Of all our kids, he’s the least likely candidate for a weeklong […]

The notices had been coming home in my son’s folder for weeks. His school was having its first-ever Spelling Bee and the entire fourth grade — the top dogs at his elementary school — would participate. In preparation, word lists were sent home. E-mails were sent out. Flyers were distributed. My son’s teacher even showed Akeelah and the Bee one […]

I happen to be married to a Manly Man, which I’m coming to appreciate more and more now that the Manly Man is slowly becoming extinct in our society. The Manly Man, once revered in westerns and pioneer sagas, now is more likely to be connected to inane TV sitcoms featuring beer-drinking rednecks. These days, […]

I’ve decided to call 2016 our Lemonade Year. From the loss of a job to the sickness and death of a beloved parent, it has been filled with some of the most difficult experiences we’ve ever had to face as a family. But the horrors of this year also have been precisely what re-centered us, […]

Each year right after Thanksgiving, Dennis brings down all the boxes of Christmas decorations from the attic so that I can decorate the house for the holiday season. I open them up and immediately get a good look at the state of my mind when I was putting everything away 11 months earlier. Sometimes, all […]