I grew up downhill skiing on a glorified landfill at the old Playboy Club. The small town Wisconsin “ski resort” boasted just three chairlifts, a tow rope and a whisper of an incline. But to me, it was a little slice […]
Every working mother’s dream is to cart her young child along to an appointment. I recently found myself living this dream when my childcare blew up right before a pivotal meeting that had been hard-won and even harder to schedule. Unwilling to risk […]
We sat on the couch at 4AM, sipping coffee. My body was numb from exhaustion and the caffeine wasn’t helping. As rain pelted the windows and the wind whistled against the house, my husband and I tried to talk him […]
The mess in my children’s bedroom stopped me in my tracks. Beds unmade. A tub of legos spilled onto the floor. Stuffed animals strewn in every nook and cranny. Clean, folded clothes parked on heaps dirty laundry. Wrappers and McDonald’s toys littered […]
The sun was setting in the north woods as I picked my way along the path, mindful not to trip on the exposed roots. The waterfall I was hiking towards roared in the distance and I raced the daylight to reach […]
My children compete in speed gaming events on their horses. One of their favorite games is called pole pole bending. In this event, six poles are set up 21 feet apart in a straight line. The object is to run […]
My son’s yearbook spins a tale of happy kids making their way through the adventures of kindergarten. But behind the pictures of toothless grins in front of lockers, giggles with classmates and explorations on field trips, a completely different story was playing […]
I just glanced in the mirror and it’s not looking pretty. This ill-fitting shirt accentuates my love of sugar, my makeup-free skin is blotchy and my lackluster hair is hanging limp around my tired face. It would be tempting to pull […]
Let me introduce you to my daughter. She is kind. She is sincere. She is witty. She takes care of her siblings with nary a complaint. She is everything a teenager should be … bright, fresh-faced and stepping onto the […]
Once upon a time, I was a home party jewelry lady. I was patently wrong for the role given my abysmal fashion sense and lack of appreciable sales skills. Plus, I didn’t wear jewelry. But for ten years I schlepped […]