A new school year: it’s not just for kids.

September 6, 2012, 5:14 am

≫ Next: ONE FOR THE MURPHYS by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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This is the week that many parents are wiping away tears, amazed that their babies are starting this grade or that grade or heading off to college or finally accepting a full time job and signing an apartment lease. I am not one of those parents. Back-to-school does not break my heart.  Okay, at the [...]

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ONE FOR THE MURPHYS by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

September 7, 2012, 7:49 am

≫ Next: An Open Letter to My Children

≪ Previous: A new school year: it’s not just for kids.

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Mitzi and I recently read “One for the Murphys” by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Last week, on our way down to Cape Cod for the holiday weekend, we discussed it, but as it was very late (close to midnight) and dark and I was tired. We talked for an hour but I didn’t take notes, so, [...]

An Open Letter to My Children

September 19, 2012, 6:45 am

≫ Next: Let the revisions begin…

≪ Previous: ONE FOR THE MURPHYS by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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At least a few times a day, my kids accuse me of being the worst, meanest mother on Earth. Though I know they don’t read my blog, once and for all, here is my response:   I am mean.  Embarrassingly so.  I know I am, I really do, and I am not sorry. I am [...]

Let the revisions begin…

September 25, 2012, 6:38 am

≫ Next: Ode to Wednesday

≪ Previous: An Open Letter to My Children

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Today I am trying an amazing experiment. It’s possible that by doing so, my house might crumble and frogs might fall from the sky and a darkness might blanket the world for two eternities. Today I am doing *my* stuff first. Which is to say, today, I am focusing on revising my novel. (Remember that [...]

Ode to Wednesday

October 11, 2012, 6:33 am

≫ Next: VAMPIRINA BALLERINA by Anne Marie Pace

≪ Previous: Let the revisions begin…

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I think everyone has a favorite day of the week. Some people like Fridays, the end of the work week, a chance to have a few beers and some pizza in front of the TV, maybe, or just because on Friday, you know you don’t have to wake up the next morning before the sun. [...]

VAMPIRINA BALLERINA by Anne Marie Pace

October 19, 2012, 6:49 am

≫ Next: Laundry tip for kids, #28

≪ Previous: Ode to Wednesday

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Hey, just because you’re a vampire it doesn’t mean you can’t dream about dancing! We were so excited to get our copy of Anne Marie Pace‘s newest book — at one time or another, each of my girls have had the ballerina bug, and anything pretty, sparkly and twirly is right up our alley. At [...]

Laundry tip for kids, #28

October 21, 2012, 4:34 pm

≫ Next: PENGUIN AND PINECONE by Salina Yoon

≪ Previous: VAMPIRINA BALLERINA by Anne Marie Pace

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My darlings, I wash your clothes. I dry your clothes. I fold your clothes. I separate your clothes into neat little piles. I put those piles in your room for you to put away. All you have to do is pick up each pile and put it into the proper drawer. For example, the underwear [...]

PENGUIN AND PINECONE by Salina Yoon

November 2, 2012, 6:04 am

≫ Next: Lessons from One-Armed Baby

≪ Previous: Laundry tip for kids, #28

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A penguin? A pinecone? How can a writer possibly bring these random things together in a fully-developed and beautiful story about friendship and love? When you read this new picture book by prolific and uber-talented Salina Yoon, you’ll see exactly how. I asked Ellie to write a review of PENGUIN AND PINECONE for A Mom’s [...]

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Lessons from One-Armed Baby

November 7, 2012, 6:07 pm

≫ Next: Why I Should Clean More, Reason #72

≪ Previous: PENGUIN AND PINECONE by Salina Yoon

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A lot of Moms I know have nice houses. Fancy houses. The kind where you walk into a foyer and it smells like pot-pourri and there’s this glass-fronted cabinet with all the wedding crystal and silver-framed photos of honeymoons and children, and even though you know for a fact that they have all these kids [...]

Why I Should Clean More, Reason #72

November 10, 2012, 11:43 am

≫ Next: Since the world didn’t end today…..

≪ Previous: Lessons from One-Armed Baby

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Found this bad boy in a box, in a wicker trunk that was covered in piles of other crap. SCORE! Also, I found two shoeboxes of cassette tapes. No joke. And, yes, it still works! I wonder what other treasures I might find if I do some more cleaning? Scrunchies? Parachute pants? Acid-washed denim jacket? [...]

Since the world didn’t end today…..

December 21, 2012, 8:10 am

≫ Next: Christmas traditions, yesterday and today

≪ Previous: Why I Should Clean More, Reason #72

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Well, the truth is I’ve neither gone fishing nor have I been to the beach, but I have been far away from this blog. Um, obviously. I don’t know what happened — kids, illness, holidays, more germs, writing, work, writing, work, more kid stuff, more drama, more, more, more…..I loved meeting so many new people [...]

Christmas traditions, yesterday and today

December 24, 2012, 12:38 pm

≫ Next: The pressure of January 1st

≪ Previous: Since the world didn’t end today…..

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It’s around 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and for the first time in my entire life I am not celebrating with my family. I’m not at my parents’ house, where right now my brothers and their families, my sister and her boyfriend, my parents and their dachshund, Max, are hanging out. I don’t know what [...]

The pressure of January 1st

January 1, 2013, 12:09 pm

≫ Next: Non-swear swearing, or, how I farkle and shazam myself into laughter

≪ Previous: Christmas traditions, yesterday and today

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I’m very glad January 1st is almost over. It’s a lot of pressure, this one little day out of so many, pressure to make resolutions and plan life changes and carpe diem and all that stuff. Gah. I don’t like to make resolutions any more. I used to — I’m a huge fan of lists, [...]

Non-swear swearing, or, how I farkle and shazam myself into laughter

January 2, 2013, 6:18 am

≫ Next: Happy Birthday to my oldest baby!

≪ Previous: The pressure of January 1st

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Not so long ago, I decided to stop swearing. Not that I was the type to curse like a sailor on shore leave — in fact, a friend once told me that I sounded like a librarian when I was upset (which, knowing a few librarians, is actually a great compliment). So I wasn’t whirling [...]

Happy Birthday to my oldest baby!

January 3, 2013, 9:04 am

≫ Next: On experiencing moments instead of just recording them…

≪ Previous: Non-swear swearing, or, how I farkle and shazam myself into laughter

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It’s about 10 degrees outside, the perfect day to hunker down under a blanket with a cup of tea and a good book. But I am not doing that. Because it’s a big day around here. (drum roll, please…) Happy 11th Birthday, Mitzi!!!! So, today, in between the work I’m doing, I’ve been baking a [...]

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On experiencing moments instead of just recording them…

January 4, 2013, 7:55 am

≫ Next: When life gets twisty…

≪ Previous: Happy Birthday to my oldest baby!

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Yesterday’s birthday celebration went swimmingly — Mitzi enjoyed the presents we gave her, was thrilled to get so many cards and phone calls from loved ones, and seemed to really love the cake I made for her. I took this picture just after I finished, in case someone spilled it on the floor or something: [...]

When life gets twisty…

January 5, 2013, 6:19 pm

≫ Next: To Kegel, or not to Kegel?

≪ Previous: On experiencing moments instead of just recording them…

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I am almost failing my post-a-day goal! But today was a crazy one. It went something like this: Child mentions physical concern. Parent schedules doctor’s appointment for later in the day. Doctor confirms concern, sends parent and child to hospital for further testing. Parent and child go to hospital and wait. And wait. And wait. [...]

To Kegel, or not to Kegel?

February 28, 2013, 8:16 am

≫ Next: March Madness, family style

≪ Previous: When life gets twisty…

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I was totally going to start this post with some kind of reflection or explanation for my lack of blogging these past two months — something funny and clever about my failure to keep a non-resolution resolution just a few days after the new year. Then I was like, *yawn.* People reading this are mostly [...]

March Madness, family style

March 4, 2013, 6:54 am

≫ Next: Spring cleaning and a March Madness update

≪ Previous: To Kegel, or not to Kegel?

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One night not too long ago, as I kissed her good night, Joanna whispered in my ear: “I really miss being in kindergarten because I used to get to spend so much time with you.” My heart sort of broke a little. It’s true that with our town’s half-day kindergarten program, we did spend a [...]

Spring cleaning and a March Madness update

March 15, 2013, 9:06 am

≫ Next: What will YOU dare to do? A guide, from A to Z….

≪ Previous: March Madness, family style

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Obviously, A Mom’s World has a new look. I do this from time to time and hope it’s not unnerving to my readers. But I haven’t yet wanted to take the plunge into paying for a designer or a premium theme here, so until I do, I keep switching the look, hoping to find one [...]