We had quite a fantastic Monday night around here. After a harrowing evening of negotiations, seventeen-year-old J finally bought (with his own money) a new car that is, according to our mechanic, reliable. It’s his third car. Wait, what? Didn’t I tell you about getting rid of Zeus and buying a second car that proved to be a terrible decision? Oopsie. Zeus the Neon (car #1) came down with a case of needing a repair that was much too expensive to have our mechanic fix and much too time-consuming for Jim and J to take on at home, so he sold it. And he, like his brother after he sold…
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Appreciating The (Hershey’s) Simple Pleasures
Eating chocolate makes us happy: it’s been proven through research. (And by the way, whomever came up with the idea to do the very first research study on that had to be a genius on Albert Einstein’s level.) When we eat chocolate, our brain releases endorphins and serotonin, making us feel less stressed out and a little bit euphoric at the same time. Enjoying chocolate comes very naturally to me, unfortunately. I come by it honestly: my mom is a total chocoholic, always looking at a dessert menu looking for chocolate content before deciding what to eat at any restaurant as well as stocking up on (and often hiding) chocolate…
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Grandma’s Desert Rose
Last week, we got busy with the demolition of our old bathtub in preparation for the plumber, who was coming to install the new bathtub. Have you ever demoed a cast iron bathtub? It’s not for sissies. But that’s a story for another day. I promise. Anyway, with all of the pounding and wall-shaking that resulted from our first attempt at the demo (you read that correctly: FIRST attempt), I thought it might behoove us to remove the dishes from the kitchen cabinets, which are on the other side of the wall from the bathtub. The cabinets containing our everyday dishes (an homage to our time in Knoxville, Tennessee, just…
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What Teenagers Do Behind Closed Doors
If there’s one thing you parents of young children should know about what happens when they become teenagers, it’s that their bedroom door will often be closed. (Technically there’s more than one thing you should know but let’s just tackle this one for today.) It’s all a part of their asserting independence and wanting real privacy, even though “real privacy”–in my family, anyway–isn’t scheduled to happen for the offspring until they are living on their own. For teens, closing the door can make circumstances more forgivable to play music really loudly, easier to have a quiet phone call after it is technically allowed, conducive to an illicit afternoon nap when…
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Let’s Talk About Finding A Sponsor, Shall We?
The pursuit of sponsors is a hot and heavy topic right now because bloggers are smack-dab in the middle of conference season, and the Big One (BlogHer) is coming up in less than one short month. I typically restrict my commentary on finding a sponsor (or sponsors!) to offline conversations with friends, but yesterday I hit my tipping point when I read an especially audacious sponsorship post and now feel compelled to share my view on it. (Hopefully this will provide some education or at least food for thought for those who are new to the scene.) Finding a sponsor to help pay for the costs of attending a blogging…
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Very Funny.
I am struggling. Okay, that sounds/reads a little on the melodramatic side. (I can’t help it. My mom didn’t call me Sarah Bernhardt for nothing.) There are big problems in the world…and this post is not about one of those. It’s about a big problem in MY world, and something that has been, as of late, causing quite a bit of consternation–and no, I did not misspell (or mean) constipation. Ready? *deep breath* I don’t know how to be funny. Yes, that’s it. (I warned you.) Here’s the thing: people tell me all the time how hilarious I am (apparently). But I’m not. Honestly. I usually think my ability to…
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Join The Club!
Life has been tough lately for two of my very best friends in the world, Liz and Momo. Both of them have been unfortunate recipients of terrible house-related luck and it just keeps piling on. Exhibit A–Liz Home: New Jersey Go-to Motto: “You can’t make this stuff up!” (also, the generally heavy use of the acronym “FUBAR“) On the weekend, she posted this on her Facebook page: Scorecard: 6/26: washer & dishwasher busted. 6/28: Water main breaks, no water. 6/29 Bridge collapse, damages county water supply pipes, water contaminated. 6/30: Rec’v word cannot repair dishwasher/washer until 7/2. 7/1: Road erupts, sink hole in front of house, no water. 7/2: See…
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That’s What Friends Are For
I guest-posted for my buddy Momo last night, on account of her entire neighborhood (city? I don’t know. Huge area) being out of power for the weekend with NO ELECTRICITY IN SIGHT for another week. Seriously. The post is pretty funny if I do say so myself. Figures I’d be “on fire” on someone else’s blog. I work really well under pressure. If you don’t already read Momo’s blog, WHY??? I mean, check it out here.
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Wait…July??? (And Other Thoughts)
…and then, when I woke up, I realized it was July first already. I’m not sure what is going on, but time is moving at warp speed: nothing new for me, really, but this is ridiculous. Six months of 2012 are gone already. Wasn’t it just New Year’s Eve? It’s not slowing down anytime soon, either. This month alone I’ve got a couple of college visits left (plus a weekend College Open House), a visit to Tennessee, final prep for BBSummit and the conference itself (along with a long weekend visit with Liz!), two events (so far!), continued workouts at The Dailey Method and Zumba, a magazine article deadline, and…