Exhibit A: Came home to find the cat's dish and cereal bowls neatly stacked in the living room. Exhibit B: Where they were when I left the house, this morning. Exhibit C: Doofus-Dawg avoiding eye contact which, clearly, is an indication that he's got something to hide....not to mention, he can reach the sink AND the stove...PINHEAD!!! Truth be told, the fact that he neatly stacked the bowls, when he was done...you know...cleaning them...is sort of freaking me out...okay, more than just a little...or, maybe we have ghosts. Either way, I wonder what it will take to get them to... Read more →

My mom and I were talking and both happened to glance outside her kitchen window and watched, as my 9 year-old tried to get her 15 year-old sister, who was reading a book at the time, to play with her. Judging by her stomping off and kicking her brother's scooter, it was pretty clear to the both of us that her attempts were, you know, unsuccessful. "I think she caught us looking." Because, the kid quickly turned and thought better about leaving the scooter in the middle of the cul-de-sac. "She's going to kill me, that one is." Okay, I... Read more →

You know when stuff you read, or something someone says, makes you think so hard, that your eyes begin to cross with concentration and then you clench your jaw in absolute frustration, until you finally give up and go all: "Look, you trying to tell me something, or what?" Me, either. Quite frankly, I try not to read into stuff...too much...because, well, with 2 teens and 2 tweens in the house (yeah, I know, right?) my head hurts enough, already. Like most of my mom friends -- especially, those of us raising a bunch of raging hormones, that walk and... Read more →

Some experts would say our house is eclectic -- you know, where stuff doesn't match, on purpose -- but, I like to call it, "Early American Yard Sale." Or, what's another word for not so gently used? Aaaaanyway, I was SO EXCITED about winning the 2011 HGTV Dream Home -- YES, I KNOW!!! -- the one in beautiful Stowe, VT, SO EXCITING, right??? Until, some other guy won it (JERK!) okay, not really. The winner is a stay-at-home dad, lives somewhere near Chicago, with a growing family and a small house, too. Aaaaand they used to live in Jersey, so... Read more →

I love this time of year, here in on the Jersey coast, when my kids and I feel very lucky to have quick access to some of the prettiest beaches, like our favorite at the Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, NJ. The parking lot fills up pretty quick in the summer. Friday, however, was the perfect day to celebrate all the good things that living in a shore town has to offer. Like, exploring the jetty. Or, playing chicken with the breakwater. Getting lost, for hours, hunting for sea glass and mermaid toe nails. Having the beach, all... Read more →

It was a gift from Garth's (not his real name) mother. She grew it from a cutting off of her Christmas Cactus, which came from her father's garden and it's about a bazillion years old. It's been chewed on, pee'd on (stupid cats) and knocked over at least a dozen times (dumb dog) or so. It never bloomed. I don't blame it, really. Still. Last year, my mother-in-law insisted that I take it outside and that it would be fine. So, I did. Kept it out all summer, in hopes that it would bloom, in time for Christmas, or before... Read more →

My youngest daughter is a habitual list maker. This weekend, I found this one taped to the kitchen wall. Funny, these lists are almost NEVER for her. I'm beginning to think that the kid has figured me out. I mean, seriously, after 17 years of raising kids (and killer dust bunnies) not to mention, having yet another anniversary of my 29th birthday creeping around the corner (conspiring with the dust bunnies, not doubt) I sure could use the help. Besides, she almost always ends my day with a snuggle and, well, how awesome is that? Then, I read Dad's to... Read more →