I was a sucker for firsts – just like every other new mom. The first steps, the first words, the first time my boys, Michael and Sam, slept through the night. Sam, at 2 months old; Michael, at age 8. Sigh. Even their first caterpillar in a jar, oblivious to the coming trauma if it didn’t make…

Let’s talk about the bathroom scale. No, not that bathroom scale; the bathroom rating scale! Over the years, I’ve noticed that some public bathrooms desperately need an upgrade. So, I developed a one-through-ten scale for public bathrooms, rating them for all my friends and family…

Ever notice how the gadgets and gizmos that were supposed to make our lives easier have somehow made them feel more complicated? I don’t know about you, but there are days when I feel like an out-of-place relic, trying to navigate a world…

It began when I was driving home from teaching 3rd graders after a long day. I was about 38 years old. As a child, I must have had deep thoughts, with my nose always in a book, because I had resting “frownie” face. This cultivated deep furrows…

I love having adult children. They’re like the grown-up versions of those little people who used to live in my house, but with jobs and their own mortgages. I count my two adult sons and their wives among my closest friends. We share laughs, beers…

As I approach my 60th birthday, I find myself feeling a bit clueless after retiring from teaching elementary school for more than 30 years. I look at young people with a mix of fright and disdain, wondering how they can be so confident in their youth…