I know it's a gimmick, I really do. But I also have to love all of these new "100-calorie" products.

Typically, you get a little taste of the good stuff in a cute little baggie, and it's enough to satisfy the craving for junk food before it turns into an entire package of Oreo cookies.

But I don't have too much of a weakness for Oreos or Doritos. For me...it's all about the cupcakes.

So when I saw that Hostess had created 100-calorie… Read More

I'm just so in love with trail running lately!

I do most of my running early in the morning - beginning somewhere between 5 and 6 a.m. Consequently, during most of the year, I run in darkness (with a ton of reflective gear and flashing lights so the few cars out can see me and my friends) on major, well-lit streets. It's not very interesting, but at least I've got my girlfriends and it's better than the treadmill!

But I am so… Read More

I know it's a blessing that my husband's business has been so successful that on his first anniversary, he's going to be opening in a larger space. We didn't anticipate this growth so quickly!

But moving a small business means a lot of work - especially since the hubby wants to close this Thursday in the old shop, re-open on Tuesday in the new shop. That means we've got to get as much ready as we can, now!

Yesterday we spent the… Read More

My husband is an auto mechanic. For the last eight years of marriage, this has meant he periodically finds used cars and tells me what I'm going to drive. I really haven't minded this; in fact, I found it liberating from the worries of auto repair and maintenance, plus no car payments!

But the cars he chose didn't really fit with my personality and lifestyle. I became a mom at age 25; I felt like I was too young then to… Read More

Running is such an easy sport. We learn to run as kids, right, and it requires no special equipment. (That doesn't mean we can't spend hundreds on stuff to help us run, whether it be mp3 players, technical clothing, heart-rate monitors, gps devices, et cetera - but we don't NEED any of that stuff.)

But we do need great running shoes. The other day, one of my running partners learned that lesson the hard way. We were out for a trail… Read More

I guess this is a weird side effect of making time for myself nearly every day: I don't feel like I deserve "Mother's Day."

It's a little embarrassing to be fawned over like I was today, given cards and gifts and flowers (but what a rockin' husband I have for giving me the new pink Zune!). My hubby, kids and I met his parents for a picnic, and when we were going to leave, my mother-in-law asked what we were going… Read More