A Brave New Pug
family . health . pets . texas . UncategorizedThatcher had surgery yesterday. She had a small skin cancer tumor on her chest. The vet, who I really like, used phrases like “mastic cells” and “clean surgical margins” And I used phrases like “cost” and “bill.” Go ahead and judge. But yes, with an 11-year-old pug, I have some concerns about spending good money
My dentist, book clubs, and Jump Rope for the Heart
education . family . health . motherhood . texas . UncategorizedI’ll be honest. This post is just one big lead up to how much I dislike Jump Rope for the Heart. I went to the dentist yesterday. I love the office but they are a chatty bunch. The dentist, Dr. Rooster-in-the-hen-house, is a friendly, older man with a sanguine face and a deep abiding respect
You, Sir, are kicked out of “The Menagerie”
motherhood . texas . Uncategorized“He just blowed for you,” Darcy said from the back seat, eyes wide and still confusing her prepositions. Were we in trouble? He doesn’t look happy. Well, I pissed off the new crossing guard at Jackson’s school this morning. He’s a man in his 60s with a handheld stop sign and a whistle he’s not a afraid
Grandma Pug, her physical, and my healthy distrust of cats
pets . Uncategorized“Be right back,” the vet tech says smiling as he closes the exam room door. No, you won’t be right back. Just tell me about how long I’ll be waiting on you. You have no intentions of being right back. The lies begin. And with that, Doug leaves me and Thatcher in the sixty degree exam room with it’s
Helping Your Middle School Student with his/her failing grades [FULL TEXT]
education . freelance writing . motherhoodOriginally published on March 30, 2017 in On Parenting, the Lifestyle section of the Washington Post. It needed trimming for WaPo but I wanted to put the full text on my site. It was really well received and even tweeted by the National Council for Teachers of English & Dad 2.0 Summit. So it’s the
The 90s Nostalgia Writer Position at Bustle Mag
entertainment . freelance writing . workThere’s a part-time position open in the Lifestyle vertical at Bustle. One of the questions on the application is “Give us sample pitches” that pertain to this vertical. I thought it would be fun to share my possible articles for Bustle. Headline: How Mariah Carey saved 90s music. Vision of Love was released in
Lieselotte Landgrebe, 1932-2016
family . long island . motherhoodMy grandmother died last month. Below is the eulogy that I wrote for her and read at her funeral… Oma wasn’t your typical grandma/nana type. No smells of baked goods wafting from a kitchen window or overly saccharine compliments. She was German-American, a child of the Great Depression, and she survived many hardships. Her way
Earlier this week, in an effort combat the longer summer days and make sure my kids sleep in (purely for my own sake), I taped cardboard on their window behind the blackout curtains. See the screenshot from Facebook. Judging by the emojis, other moms are in the same boat or were when their respective children
The opening chords of Fifth Harmony’s “Work from Home” trigger a hysterical reaction in both of my children. Darcy closes her eyes (a classic Darcy dance move) and begins conducting an invisible orchestra of synthesizers. And Jackson hides behind a “curtain,” or whatever piece of furniture will hide him adequately so he can make a big