• Childhood Memories,  Confessions,  Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  I'm Apparently Old.,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    TV Or Not TV? That Is The Question.

    August 22, 2013

    It is not an understatement to say that television has been a major presence in my life. I’m convinced that the reason why my skin is so fair is because as a little kid I was much happier sitting in front of the TV than I was outside in the fresh air and sunshine. It’s also probably part of the reason why I was reading at a third grade level in Kindergarten, because “Sesame Street” and “The Electric Company”. It’s also probably why I never could perform a proper cartwheel. During the 1970s my TV habit grew, and this was BEFORE CABLE, kids. We had the rabbit ear antenna attached…

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  • Confessions,  Queen of Denial,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    PSA: Listen To Your Body!

    July 1, 2013

    Show of hands: how many of you listen to your body? Uh-huh. Same here. Over the years I have been a pretty stubborn person when it comes to going to the doctor. I’m not talking about physicals and womanly checkups and such. Those I do, no problem. What I mean is, when something out-of-the-ordinary comes up, I typically dig my heels in for as long as possible (Queen of Denial) rather than call my doctor. I usually make the call once Jim and I get into an argument discussion about how hard-headed I am. I don’t know for sure why I am the way I am when it comes to…

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  • Confessions,  Food,  Jew Stuff

    Eating Easter Candy Does Not Equal Celebrating Easter

    March 30, 2013

    I’ve had some odd encounters lately, and I thought I’d write a quick post about why that’s been happening as a public service announcement of sorts. Here’s what’s up: 1.My family is Jewish AND 2. We have been seen enjoying Easter-exclusive candies like Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs, Cadbury Cream Eggs (the caramel ones, too), Hershey Eggs, and several others. For years, actually. There seems to be a belief among some out there in society that it’s weird for Jews to eat Easter candy because Jews aren’t supposed to celebrate Easter. We aren’t celebrating Easter. The truth is, we just like the candy. I understand that it was totally natural for…

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  • Blessings,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Shameless Promotion

    Totally Worth Your Time

    January 24, 2013

    Having blogged for more than five years–which, face it, is like twenty-five years in internet time–often I come up with a great idea for a post and then realize that I may have written about it already. If it’s something worth repeating, I put a new twist on it and present it to you again*, sort of like re-gifting, but better. And with that… I received a card today from a friend we haven’t seen in a while, and when I opened it I was pleasantly surprised to see that every inch of the inside was covered in handwriting. It was a note describing how much she and her family…

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  • My Kid Has Mad Skillz,  Proud Moments

    It’s Not About The Bike. (Well, Maybe A Little.)

    January 18, 2013

    Cycling is on everyone’s minds this week and though I don’t feel the need or desire to use any of my real estate here on Suburban Scrawl to share my opinion about he-who-shall-not-be-named, I have been thinking about bikes and thought I’d tell you about one very special bicycle. When D was about six, we decided it was time to purchase a bike for him. Jim’s main hobby has been cycling for, well, forever, and even though we weren’t about to spend the money to get a top-of-the-line bike for our kid who would outgrow it before the payment was even a memory, we certainly spent some time in the…

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  • How To,  The Dailey Method,  Working On My Fitness

    Get Moving!

    January 2, 2013

    As everyone knows, January is the month in which people make New Year’s resolutions. I don’t have numbers (and am too lazy to look them up), but the majority of people fail after a short attempt at trying to make changes: that’s why the health clubs are packed to the gills from the first of January until about February fifteenth. On February sixteenth, all of us gym rats get the place to ourselves again, like clockwork. If you have a resolution to work on your fitness this year, I’ve got some suggestions for you. 1. Make small goals. If you’re starting a brand-new exercise program, it would be silly and…

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  • Review

    The Wells Fargo Community: Making College Financial Planning A Little Less Scary

    December 15, 2012

    For most parents, the thought of planning for their kids’ years in college is extremely daunting. It doesn’t have the feel of “just another milestone” in our children’s lives, perhaps because there are major bucks attached to the decision. The cost of college can be right up there with the cost of purchasing a house, and even if the parents and the student share the expense and there are scholarships involved, a bit of trepidation is totally normal. The cost of full-time enrollment at college ranges widely, from a couple thousand dollars per year at a community college to–are you sitting down?–SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS per year* (includes room and board)…

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  • How To,  My Kids Have Mad Skillz,  Pretty Pictures

    Displaying Artwork For Geniuses

    December 14, 2012

    When the boys were little, the amount of papers and artwork they used to bring home from school (not to mention what they produced at home) was ridiculous. I bought a plastic storage container for each of them and put select items in them to save for posterity. Every now and then, I’d come across something that I didn’t want to put in a time capsule. Of course, I didn’t want it laying around the house, either. I needed a place where I could look at it whenever I wanted to, but it was out of the way at all other times. Enter my kitchen cabinets. The insides of the…

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  • How To,  Jew Stuff

    From The Archives, Because It’s THAT Time Of Year

    December 2, 2012

    With the calendar being flipped to December again (that always seems to happen this time of year!), I thought I’d republish this post from last year, because I’m sure it will be useful…again. This was originally posted here on December 6, 2011. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or something else? I have written about this topic twice before, but alas, it’s that time of year once again, and I always get questions. (Plus, one of my better posts on the topic was a whole three years ago, and many of you weren’t readers back then, so…time for a refresher.) Let me start out with my disclaimer: though I naturally think that…

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  • Food,  How To,  I've Got Mad Skillz

    Plate Prop Demo, Or “Evidence of My Crazy”: You Pick.

    November 24, 2012

    I learned this week that Fiestaware knives, when combined with dinner plates that are completely flat (rather than having a deeper part in the middle), don’t cut it (see what I did there?) when it comes to propping my Thanksgiving plate adequately enough so that the gravy stays on the turkey where it belongs. I had to use a spoon instead, bottom-side-up. Backstory here.

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