Forget filling your car with hand warmers and signal flares, true winter survival is about keeping your spirits up and your eyes on the prize (i.e. spring). Here’s a foolproof recipe to help you survive winter a.k.a. enjoy our fourth season. First, get comfortable. Head to your favorite pharmacy/co-op/Amazon and fill your cart with Vitamin D, a […]
Real truth, with real friends. And wine.
April 16, 2015 by
A college friend of mine had a brilliant idea recently. She invited our friend group over for wine from 8-10 p.m. on a weeknight — super informal, yoga pants preferred. No elaborate RSVPs, she’d just be there drinking wine and eating some light snacks with whoever wanted to stop by. It was a genius way […]
Saying Goodbye to the Buddy
December 5, 2014 by
Before we were actual parents, we were cat parents. When we found mice in our first apartment in Uptown, we brought my childhood cat, Rocky, to live with us. (And yes, he solved the mice problem). When he passed away two years later, we adopted Cadbury (Cat-buddy) and Stilton, two Siamese brothers. They were more […]
Summer’s great and all: 4 reasons I’m ready for back-to-school
August 26, 2014 by
The pencils have been sharpened and new shoes are at the door. We have bus schedules, new teachers, open houses, stiff jeans. We are ready, so ready, and no one more so than me. Here are the four reasons I (and my family) need to get back to school. Beer and takeout don’t look all that […]
Type S for Struggler. Or, why Jen can’t have nice things.
July 15, 2014 by
If you are even a casual reader of this blog I’m sure you’ve pegged me as a Type-A personality, and it’s true, I love a good checklist, I stockpile necessities so there’s never a mad dash to the store, and I’m half done Christmas shopping now, in July. I seem to have it together. I’m […]
Seven things I will not miss about my 30s
May 20, 2014 by
There are about two hours left of my 30s, and while my husband has been gleefully rubbing it in all day long, I wasn’t thinking much about it until I had some alone time in the car tonight (running errands and dropping off/picking up kids, natch). And mostly I was thinking about what I will […]
The gift of Hannah: carrying and birthing a baby with a fatal genetic disorder (guest post)
March 18, 2014 by
I asked my friend Christine if she’d share the story of Hannah, her second daughter, with us. When she was pregnant with Hannah I wasn’t even thinking of kids yet and didn’t have a clue. Over the years (and especially when I was carrying my own pregnancies) I’ve thought a lot about what she went […]
The grownups are coming
March 8, 2014 by
I don’t want to be a helicopter parent. But I’ve just spent all morning on the junior high parent portal and coaching my seventh grader through a tearful “corrective” and “proactive” action plan process. Because my smart, funny, adventurous, gifted-program, advanced-placement, first-born son is getting an F. And a D+. And a C. Excuse me […]