We are in the midst of a post-sleepover haze at our house. It’s oddly reminiscent of our college days, when we would wake up feeling groggy, stumble over people sleeping on the floor in the living room, survey the empty food wrappers strewn about and ask questions like “Has anybody seen the lizard?” and “Why are there socks in the fridge?” Perhaps I exaggerate. But only slightly. Despite the chaos, mess and fractured sleep, I love hosting sleepovers. Sleepovers give (...Read More)

There are a lot of things I believe “in theory” about parenting.  I believe, in theory, some day my children will pick up their rooms without being asked.  I believe, in theory, some day my hair will go back to normal.  And I believe, in theory, some day my children will understand enough about the laws of science and nature not to put themselves in mortal danger. When does that happen, exactly? I pondered this question twice this week as (...Read More)

We’ve been experiencing wild weather here in the Northeast for the past several days. The old adage about March coming “In like a lion and out like a lamb” isn’t quite ringing true.  For us this year March came in “like a lion, then was a little lamb-ish, then was downright puppyish and is now like an alligator biting us in the butt.” But I digress. Last night we had the inevitable power outage.  Fortunately it was in the middle (...Read More)

I have often remarked about the speed at which my children are growing up. It seems like only yesterday they were running to and fro, flinging toys, fluctuating between idyllic angels and screaming devils. Only, it wasn’t yesterday. It has been at least five years since we’ve had a toddler in the house, and I am grossly out of practice. In the category of “The things Lisa does to entertain herself and others while paying for her many trips to (...Read More)

Last week we ventured to our local roller-skating rink for a birthday party and some good old-fashioned family fun. In truth, I had no intention of skating, or even staying for that matter. It was a party “drop and run” — be-good-and-remember-to-say-thank-you-and-I’ll-pick-you-up-in-two-hours-k-thanks-bye. However, I lingered a few extra minutes to chat with friends and in that time got a good glimpse at the profound lack of athletic ability that plagues my family. It’s not for want of trying, both the (...Read More)