I'm a people watcher. I always have been, and I absolutely love it. You can learn so much about people by just sitting back and watching them, how they interact, their mannerisms, etc.



In a non-stalker way, thank you. I have no restraining orders... yet.



I took the kids to the pool last night, and while they enjoyed the pool fun, I sat on the sidelines with a book and relaxed. I quickly found that the book was a decoy for the people watching that was about to go down. There…

** Octomom doing porn is the same as an old man doing naked jumping jacks — NOBODYwants to see that shit!!!!!

** Hearing your kids tell you that you’re beautiful is one of the greatest perks of parenting.

** Morgan Freeman…

So I got that old familiar pit in the bottom of my motherly stomach again yesterday.  It happened when I dropped my son off for his first day of Sports Camp.  Yes, it's that same ol' dreaded feeling I seem to get whenever I leave my timid little guy in a strange new environment.  You see, unlike his mama, he's quite the shy type, and it takes every bit of my willpower not to play the…

** A successful night is when the Tooth Fairy remembers to do her duty AND even has change for a twenty!  Holla!

** Nine year olds evidently need to be reminded not to stick jelly beans up their noses.

** It's amazing how a closed bathroom door means nothing to my kids until they're the ones behind it.

** I like road trips…

Dads are People Too.

In honor of Father’s Day and all fathers, I wanted to write a bit about their importance.

I recently learned a new term. It is called “father-void” homes. A father-void home is one where there is an identified father but he has no presence in the home or in the lives of his children. This is compared to “father-less” homes which in the past has meant “no father to be found.” In most cases, there are father’s, they just may not be present,…

As I've said before, I'm convinced that motherhood kills your brain cells.  It's certainly done a number on my memory cause I can't seem to get anybody's name straight in my household.  I don't know how the hell that Duggar family does it when I can't even keep track of the four of us!

Back when I was a teacher, I was…

As a single mom of two, there were a lot of things about life and motherhood that I learned the hard way. There are many moments I'd love to be able to go back and redo, and there are times when I look back at moments that…

For those moms of boys, there is a camaraderie among us. We are the moms who have grown accustomed to rough-and-tumble play, checking pants pockets on laundry day for small critters, stepping on Legos with bare feet (and trying not to let your son hear you curse…

** Just so we're clear, I will still drink the wine if a fruit fly lands in my glass.

** The end of the school year is when all the crap that's been shoved into a tiny desk for nine months suddenly makes its way into your kitchen (or your trash).

** My son thinks I grew up in the early 1900's.  Awesome.

** When you don't have…

If you have a kid in any kind of organized sport, then you've most likely witnessed some pretty awful sportsmanship at one time or another.  It's bad enough when it's another kid displaying the rotten behavior, but when it's an adult?  Well, that's just the lowest of the low.  And this past weekend I had the misfortune of observing THE most jack asinine…

** Nothing says true love like having to ask your spouse how long you've been married.

** If a black cat runs in front of you, just pretend like it didn't.

** Kids ask why even when they don't give a rat's ass about the answer.

** You know times are tough when Dee Snider is doing…

My kids are getting to that dreaded age where every flippin' weekend they beg for a sleepover.  As soon as school gets out on Friday, they start hittin' me up for a party in their pj's.  And I don't know about you, but I am not a big fan of the sleepover, mainly because it ends up biting ME in the ass the next day.

Now my son is not really the issue, since he…

I’m standing at the kitchen counter about to start dinner.  I open the cabinet to round up the ingredients for this evening’s meal and I see it, that seemingly innocent white-lidded jar, beckoning my attention.  I look away and continue gathering my supplies, but its call is too great to ignore.  I remove the Nutella  from the cabinet and slowly twist off…

What have I done?

I know my 11-year-old son is a capable child.  He likes to help his dad out at the store and recently our neighbors hired him to look after their cats while they are away on vacation.  He does well in school, is a brown belt in karate, loves to play everything from "Bach Minuet in G Major" to "Moves Likes Jagger" on the piano, puts his dirty clothes in the hamper (mostly), keeps his room fairly neat, is always up and dressed for school on time, is helpful,…

** The self-checkout lanes at the grocery store are no place for morons.

** Wednesday evening was evidently "Be An Asshole" night at my house.  (I didn't get the memo.)

** It's impossible NOT to smile when you see a dog hanging out a car window, beard blowing in the breeze.

** My son claims to "love being…

By Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D. and Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D.

Remember what it was like to be in school, afraid of the big bully in the neighborhood? The documentary Bully reignited the national dialogue about this challenge for kids, following several students and their families over the course of one school year.

Bullying is pervasive in our society today – research indicates that one in three children have been…

I received an unexpected gift this Mothers Day. It was delivered from my past and came wrapped in a twenty year old quilted lavender bedspread. It was packed up in the back of our storage closet, propped up between the wooden crib where my babies slept and the plastic crates that my daughter recently brought home…

This school year is coming to an end and we are limping across the finish line (in some cases, literally).  Only two of my kids are in school, I can only imagine what it is going to be like when all three of them are.  Which, as my six-year-old pointed out, will only be one more school year because then the one-year-old will be in a morning program for three days a week and begin taking dance classes.  Oh, and as a bonus, my eight-year-old threw in the statement, "and you will be older then…

Our country continues to be in a strained economy. These past few years have been a humbling experience for me and my children. And while it has been a stressful time, many good things have come of it. We have found ways to do without, redefined our true needs and have a better understanding of what are our priorities. For example, in our family, we value time together now more than ever. And through difficult times we have grown closer and work much better as a team.

It is important,…

After celebrating Mother's Day this past weekend, I'm not afraid to toot my own horn and say that my kids are huge fans of their mama.  In fact, my poor husband is often shoved to the side when it comes to which parent they prefer.  And as hunky dory as this all may sound in theory, it isn't always sunshine and roses.

For example, I could be all the way…