It’s week 2 of our collective summer vacation, and already I’m feeling like a rabid squirrel with Alzheimer’s. The last week has been filled with no uncertain degree of unintended chaos as we welcomed two more teenagers to the house and I watched the refrigerator go from full to empty in less than 36 hours.  … Continue reading Sometimes It’s Louder When the Door’s Closed

It’s been a while since I wrote a “Things Learned” post.  Most of these are no surprise, and certainly not “news,” but they recently became glaringly obvious again.School teachers get happier and happier as the school year draws to a close.  Conversely, parents’ faces seem to get longer.  I’ve been at the school a lot … Continue reading What I Learned Last Week – June 8

January 4, 2010New year!  Why is it that I can spend an uninterrupted hour washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen, but the very minute my ass hits the couch, the kids are climbing all over me?  At least Ava does.  She is relentless when she wants my attention, cuddling up to me on the couch … Continue reading Excerpt from Book Writing – 1st Installment

Regrettably, I’ve been a bit MIA lately. Even Facebook has seen less of my sarcasm. We’ve been busy working, cleaning up gutting the recently vacated apartment (which I decided required a whole new blog of its own)  and planning the renovation, completing renovations of our basement rec room, and making changes and deciding how to spend our … Continue reading The Very Merry Month of May

I’m about to reenter the magical, mystical world of cheerleading again.  I’m just a tiny bit apprehensive.  I was a cheerleader in high school, but that was in the stone ages before there were competitions, and flyers, and those f*$%&g bows.  Ava had cheered in second grade, part of a youth athletic league in our … Continue reading Let’s Get R-O-W-D-I-E

In the spirit of posting cryptic and often troubling (not to mention annoying) Facebook statuses:Please pray for my dog.Really.  She started making that weird gagging noise and so I shuffled her outside before she yakked up a wad of grass in the kitchen.  This picture shows just how ill she is, and how traumatized by … Continue reading Please Pray For My Dog

THE CRIME:  Dog food scattered throughout the kitchen and living room.CLUES:  Whole and partially chewed food particles, droplets of water, and a small leaf from a backyard tree.  Not a pet in sight.  No witnesses.THE SUSPECTS1.  Oliver.  Domestic short hair orange cat.  Age: 4.  Height:  13.5 inches.  Weight: 16 lbs.Known for late-night and pre-dawn solo … Continue reading A Classic Case of Whodunnit

Meows for food, takes 2-3 bites, and leaves his food bowl for the dogs to finish.  Ten minutes later, he’s back for more.  As in – 2 bites more.  It’s the game that keeps going and going and going….Wants nothing to do with you all day, until 4 o’clock in the morning.  Then paws your … Continue reading How To Tell Your Cat’s An Asshole

The BackstoryMany years ago, when I was a stay-at-home mom who wasn’t allowed to work outside the home, whose then 2-year-old daughter would be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (thus presenting yet another argument for staying home), I began looking into ways to earn without having to leave home.  I had already taken on the … Continue reading The Employment Odyssey And Why I’ll Never Look At LOL the Same Way Again

The final weeks of winter have been a challenge. I sat anxiously at home, biting my nails and praying we’d get through this season unscathed. But, it happened.  I woke up around 2 a.m. to check Ava’s blood sugar and she woke up, thirsty. Blood sugar was in range. Her skin was hot. I checked … Continue reading Satan’s Got A Hall Pass