Swing Wide the Door
You search my face for an answer, a reason, some meaning to what has happened, but I have no words to make things better, no way to make it right. I can only try to hide my sadness from both…
How Not to Act
“But I only eat yellow cheese,” the little friend at the kitchen table told my 6-year-old daughter. Moments earlier, I had placed a slice of marbled cheddarella (that yummy combo of cheddar and mozzarella) along with four round crackers on…
In the Market?
About a decade ago, I bought my first home. It was a “sweat equity” fixer-upper, and I was a poor law student. The price was right, and I wasn’t deterred by the fact that the place came with no water…
Expert Advice
Q. When my dad was in hospice, my husband insisted that our kids (six and nine) not be part of that experience. I thought then, and still think, this was a mistake and that the kids should have been able…
Divorce Happens
I love my ex, and not in a pining, unrequited love kind of way. I really do. My friends think I’m nuts. In a way, I love him more now than I did when we were married, because now we don’t have…
A Shy Kid At Home?
Q. My Child is very shy around new people and people he doesn’t see very often. I’m worried about holiday parties, visiting Santa, and out-of-town guests. How can I help him overcome his shyness? A. Shyness is a normal experience…
Six Tips For The Family Pic
Ferris Bueller was right: “Life moves fast. If you don’t stop every once in a while, you could miss it.” It’s true. I’m the proud mother of two wonderful teenagers – but it seems like it was only yesterday that…
Christmas In Cahoots
Too much work and not enough downtime had left me feeling all used up. It had been unseasonably warm – one of those it-doesn’t-even-feel- like-Christmas years. Factor in an ongoing battle with strep that December, and you’ll understand how…
Your Best Behavior
Most of us have been to staff holiday parties, and we have some pretty good stories to tell as a result. And it’s safe to say that the vast majority of those stories don’t involve heroism, or, say, acts of…
The Night Before Christmas
Christmas is perhaps the most global and yet the most personal of holidays. People of varying faiths participate in a grand tradition of 2,000 years (or more, shout out to you, ancient Druids!) But each family’s celebration is unique. We…
