Spring Break is over, and the seniors at the school where I teach are now exercising their traditional senior privilege and wearing college sweatshirts. Most of them have heard from the colleges they applied to, and many have made their decisions.

Watching these girls, I can't help but feel wistful about the kind of competitive world they live in.

I remember when AP exams were for students who loved a subject and wanted a little extra challenge. APs… Read More

No practical pointers here, just a few thoughts to keep you sane. I'm too cranky to offer helpfully optimistic tips today.

1.) When people tell you they had an easy time potty training their now-grown kids, don't believe it. It's not true. It's just that they have blocked the pain.

2.) Potty training is not a straight line. A few steps forward, more steps back, a few steps to the side ...

3.) There will be accidents. … Read More

Somehow, my little three-and-a-half year olds are aware of the days of the week. They look forward to Saturdays, when they can come downstairs in pajamas. Usually, we get dressed leisurely and have breakfast in our jammies. Sometime before lunch, we stroll to the library.

Today, though, we went to our city's annual Easter Egg Hunt. It's actually a candy free-for-all, with sweets strewn all over the park. Hundreds of kids are there, but still, no one goes home… Read More

Being a mom means being adaptable.

Usually, for snacks, my daughters sit at their kids' table. Today, though, they asked to have a "picnic." That means that they sit on the floor, either inside or outside on our breezeway, and they get some of their play dishes and have a more rugged-style snack.

People with strict rules about where the kids can eat might cringe, but I have actually derived a lot of pleasure watching the girls set… Read More

My husband's twin sister and her best friend recently travelled all the way from New Jersey to visit us and to see my niece march in Disneyland with her high school marching band. (Her band was terrific! And I managed to record the whole thing with my video camera ... on pause. Ugh!)

My sister-in-law and her friend generously offered to watch my daughters for an evening so my husband and I could go out, and we took them… Read More

I have a crazy dream that I will someday have the perfect bag for every occasion. I imagine that the bag will contain just the right number of perfectly-sized pockets and that when I fill the bag with the day's necessities, it will not be too heavy. It will, of course, be a stylish bag as well.

Just as soon as we emptied our big ol' diaper bag and put it in the closet, I got this… Read More