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There’s a dude on my blog! (guest post)
There’s a phenomenon that I’ve witnessed at co-ed social functions. The women tend to cluster together, and the men hang out in their own testosterone-filled group. If I can do it politely, I try to...
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NJ asks away!
Why do I have to look in the mirror in order to put my lipstick on? I know where my lips are; they haven’t moved since I got them. So why do I have to look in the mirror? If I don’t, I have to...
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Don’t let him down
Dear Torrey Smith, Last week, the surveillance video of your teammate Ray Rice was released on TMZ. This video captured him dragging his unconscious fiancée out of an elevator, allegedly after they...
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Old Yeller
I’m not writing about the ill-fated dog from the most depressing Disney movie ever. I’m referring to myself. I am a yeller (and I’m old-ish, at least in comparison to my kids). I own it, but I’m not...
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Breathe
Yesterday, my daughter was preparing me dinner in her pretend kitchen, asking me if I wanted any “lemon-lade” with my plastic banana and steak. Today she is more than halfway through her sophomore...
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To give and to receive
Moms give. Biological moms give their uterus up for nine months, and many give their breasts for months after that. All mothers give away their hearts the second their child enters their lives....
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What do you love about me?
My creative juices aren’t flowing lately; I’m getting more of a drip. So I’m relying on other people’s juices for inspiration. That sounded kinda gross and inappropriate, but you know what I mean....
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Out of the box
It probably comes as no surprise to those who know me well that I own a label maker. I like labels; they help me organize and make order out of disorder. Put a label on a box, and you know exactly...
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10 reasons why it’s great to have one child of each gender
Have you seen the powerful video #LikeAGirl that’s been popular on Facebook? That phrase is often used as an insult, implying that doing anything like a girl is to do it Less Than. Is this the message...
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Always, my baby
I sit in the empty sanctuary as you practice your Torah portion with the rabbi. You begin chanting in your new voice, that voice that has dropped octaves in the last six months. You can’t quite find...
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Beginnings and ends
6:15 came too soon this morning. I was having some odd dream involving packing my kids’ lunches with frozen ravens when the alarm went off, and my stomach rolled as soon as I remembered what day it...
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Happiness hangover
At the end of each summer, I always feel a little sad. Sad that another year has passed, and that my children are another year closer to leaving home. At the end of this summer, however, the joy...
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Dear Girl Who Likes My Son
I’m sure you are a nice girl. You better be. I will admit, however, that watching you actively pursue my baby has made me hate you a little. You’re both only thirteen; what’s the rush? But if you...
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Listen to Your Mother videos are live!
A few months ago, I was part of an amazing stage experience called Listen to Your Mother. It was a little scary and a lot fabulous, and I was so happy to have family and friends in the audience to...
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How to Text Like a Teenager
Wanna feel old fast? Read a teenager’s Facebook page or text messages, and realize that you don’t understand what the hell she is talking about. That is most likely due to all the abbreviations and...
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Teen drivers don’t know everything
As the mother of a teen driver, this post sponsored by Responsibility.org is one of the most important pieces I have ever written. All opinions, fears, worries, and teens quoted are my own. When I...
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Why Halloween with older kids is awesome
Halloween is one week away, and I haven’t done a single thing to prepare for it. Because all I have to do to prepare is buy candy. I’m down to one child still trick-or-treating, and this is his last...
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Should you give your kids an allowance?
When our oldest was in early elementary school, Matt and I began giving her an allowance equal to her grade level. Third grade, three dollars a week. We gave it when we remembered, which was about once...
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Of Dadvice and ugly shirts
A long, long time ago, back when men wore fedoras to work and women wore dresses and sensible pumps to go to the grocery store, Father knew best. He came home from work, called, “Honey, I’m home,” and...
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The stress of holiday gift giving
It starts in October. It’s in stereo; my mother in one ear and my mother-in-law in the other. Later, the aunts and uncles chime in too, but with less urgency. I need a list of gift ideas from the kids....
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