So the end of 2009 brought all kinds of change for us. And after a year where change was kind of the theme, I’m over it!
We sent Nici home. Back to Austria. Never to return.
Remember Nici? She was our au pair. She was with us for 14 weeks. She was supposed to become one of [...]

Saturday was one of those days that you wake up and wish you could fast-forward through. We went from a football game to a group lunch to a birthday party to a group dinner. And in between all of that, there was no stopping at home to hang with the dogs. And I could see [...]

These last few weeks have been hell. I’ve had a chronic cough that’s kept me up at night, made my sides ache, my throat bleed and my psyche weep for relief. My doctor said I had asthma, made worse by allergies. She wrote prescriptions for two inhalers and gave me an in-office breathing treatment. By [...]

I’m having one of those days, you know? The kind where you wish you could go to sleep, rewind and start all over.
Sunday night, reading books in Pea’s bed to the girls, I’m pretty sure that Coco broke my nose. She beaned me, square in the face, with her tiny little head. She was fine. [...]

Why do I even bother? With my hair? I wear it long. I always have. The bangs are new, since about 18 months ago. That’s when I first noticed the giant streak of melasma from those insane pregnancy hormones planted smack in the middle of my forehead that needed to be hidden from the world. [...]

Check out my newest post on how we’re coping with Pea’s not-so-hot sleep habits on…
The Bump!

What a phenomenal day I had with the family: hiking, making bookshelves, reading new books, dinner out at our favorite restaurant. The weather was incredible, and now? Both children are tucked into their respective beds, and it’s lights out. They are exhausted. I love it when the day ends this way!
What is not so lovable [...]

I have a secret: I am not all that flexible. I like things a certain way, and until I had kids, the universe granted me that. My way. And then, my life turned into a partnership, which allowed for slightly less of my way, but still, it was manageable. But then kids came along, and [...]

In the end, I went with the swirls. While I do love the whole nesting theme for a baby shower, birds and all, in the end I decided that since this is #2 for my girlfriend, we’re going to keep it simple. As in a sprinkle, not a full-on shower. I’m still working on the [...]

I don’t care who you voted for. I don’t care about your party affiliation. Read this. Listen to this. And then tell me why you are proud to be an American. Today. On the day of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.
We’ve come a long way, baby…

Happy Election Day. Hope everyone got out and rocked the vote. You know, because… vote or die. Just kidding. A quick trip down Memory Lane of MTV’s election coverage of days gone by.
Since I turned 18, I have never missed a vote. Not even mid-term elections. It is my civic duty, I truly believe that. [...]

Before my parents divorced, when I was 8 or so, we lived in a beautiful home in the suburbs of Chicago. I went to an elementary school that can only be described as ’sweet.’ I was shuttled in by one of several mothers, including my own, who were part of a carpool. And the entrance [...]

Melissa the Mouth. That’s not just a title. It’s my nickname. My father coined it back in the early 70s, when I first started talking. And it stuck. I am a talker. Remember when you were a kid, and the teacher would send home your report card with a comment section? Mine always said two [...]

I took the girls out for breakfast this morning, because yesterday we were snowed in. I tend to get cabin fever. And quickly. So I was itching to get out first thing this morning, and the timing was made all the more appropriate by daylight savings time. Let’s hear it for [...]

I’m feeling irritable tonight. I don’t know if it’s the nightmare I just went through of sorting all of my recycling for tomorrow’s pick-up or if it’s my husband’s lack of attention at what might need to be done around the house. I’m leaning towards the latter. While he’s great with the [...]