My son stands before the oversized screen of our television, cheeks flushed, eyes glassy, tongue barely protruding from a corner of his mouth. After one incredibly long, motionless moment, he suddenly begins jumping up and down in time with the tecka tecka tecka tecka of his thumbs on the game remote. “Mom, you won’t believe […]

I still remember my oldest stepdaughter’s final year of elementary school. Everything she did that year was treated in our family as a Major Milestone, requiring all of us to drop what we were doing and Be There for every single event, cameras at the ready. There was her last music performance. Her last Fun […]

This is a story about love. Not the kind of love you typically think of around Valentine’s Day — the frilly, frothy, butterflies-in-your-stomach love of pop songs and Hallmark cards. This story is about a love that’s messy and raw and, sometimes, unbearably painful.  It’s a story about a love that endures. When I met […]

Les Misérables is the longest-running play in Broadway history and a favorite musical for many (including me!). But should you bring the kids when it comes to your town or leave them home with the sitter? Here’s what you need to know before you go. I saw Les Misérables for the first time on a French […]

Hell hath no fury like a mommy blogger scorned, and Reese Witherspoon is learning this the hard way. The mom blogging world erupted over the weekend when news emerged that Reese Witherspoon threw some serious shade at the ‘mommy blogger’ community. After accepting WSJ Magazine’s Entertainment Innovator of the Year award, she had this to […]

I’m guessing it’s not good form to start off the review of a Broadway musical with a severe case of neck strain. But in my mind, the two are inexorably linked, and if you find that strange and annoying, well, welcome to my blog, people. You get what you get. So. I woke Wednesday morning […]

  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 — […]