To prepare for our first child's birth, my husband and I have been doing lots of research – the safest car seats, convertible cribs, folding strollers – you name it and one of us has googled it. But I've found that as I prepare for the physical arrival of our little… Read full post »

Years ago, my parents gave me and my husband a weekend on the Maine coast as a gift for our first anniversary. We were so excited – it was a thoughtful and generous gift, and we never could have afforded it on our own. The weekend sounded so great that they… Read full post »

“Oh come on – you guys know and you're just holding out! I can see it!” My mom said recently, during our usual Sunday visit.

I looked to my husband. He blinked back. We had no idea what she was talking about.

“You'd tell me, right?… Read full post »

You know, I think my dad is happier when there's a big scary storm on the way, whether it be snow or hurricane. It's like it gives him something to do and tell everyone about (and "tell" = harass). "Fill up the gas tank, buy water and batteries, and batten down… Read full post »

I recently bought one of those oil misting bottles that I can fill with an oil of my choice and spray on pots and pans for all my non-stick cooking and baking needs. But standing in the kitchen tools section of Bed, Bath & Beyond, my husband just stared at me,… Read full post »

The school year is beginning, and my biggest fear has been realized: I don't have a job. I tried. I tried really, really hard. I graduated summa cum laude from one of the top education programs in the country, I was voted “top teacher” by my students three years in a… Read full post »

It's hard to follow current events and the news and not be aware of what's going on politically right now, and the “war on women,” as it's being put. Women's issues are front and center – dominating the campaigns, dominating the headlines, and being argued about on blogs, at podium… Read full post »

I hate voting. Well, wait – I should rephrase. It's not the act of voting that I dislike – quite the opposite. Voting is important – critical, even. If you don't vote, you're not participating – you're not even trying, and then you have no right to dislike it when you… Read full post »

My favorite kinds of recipes are “whatever” recipes, and this one definitely falls into that category. A whatever recipe is when the measurements are not specific, and you can just use either whatever you have on-hand, or whatever you feel like throwing in. Because life has lots of whatev… Read full post »

As a kid, I had a hard time with proverbs and riddles. Never a fan of unanswerable questions either, I used to slump my shoulders and sigh whenever somebody asked me if the glass were half full or half empty. “It depends,” was always my eye-rolled reply. “If someone poured water… Read full post »

For anyone who has ever had students from China, you know that any good essay, project, presentation, or -heck- paragraph, begins with that beloved, ingrained phrase, “as we all know.” The best part is that most of the time, we don't all know it. I've gotten such beauties as, “As we… Read full post »

These are exceedingly delicious, and always feed both me and my husband for three nights + a little leftover after that. I think I get requests for this dinner once a month or so.

 I adapted this recipe from a Rachel Ray one. Not usually a fan of hers, but… Read full post »

I applied for my first non-teaching job today. I haven't given up hope that I'll get a teaching job, but I'm starting to consider Plan Bs. And Cs and Ds and Es.

I heard a report yesterday on NPR about farmhands who make $100 a day picking sweet… Read full post »

I got fed up with buying face wash, toner, moisturizer, blemish attacker, serums, eye moisturizer, facial scrub, masks...the list goes on. I just got plain old fed up and annoyed at how much this junk costs and how little result I ever notice from it.

I have an… Read full post »

I really like granola, but it's seriously and unnecessarily expensive, and often kinda crappy.  I was really excited when Cook's Illustrated came out with a recipe, but I found it was kinda plain and bland - too many oats and not enough other stuff. So I used… Read full post »

Every summer of my childhood was spent on Cape Cod at my grandparents’ house, where it was considered a crown of glory to be the first family member in the Atlantic Ocean at the start to the season. Really, though, it was a title that my father wore every year, and… Read full post »

Yesterday I tried making a few slight adjustments to the basic gluten free sandwich bread recipe I had been using --

• Instead of 1 1/4 cup of warm water, I used 1 cup milk + 1/4 cup water to proof the yeast
• I added 2 teaspoons baking powder
• I
… Read full post »

Riding in the car late at night, I turned to my husband and asked him when he had started liking opera. We were about a third of the way through our hour-long ride home from the city after having just seen a bad opera. The theatre was beautiful and antiqued, but… Read full post »

In hopes that others can learn from my GF mistakes:

I'm pissed off with how much gluten-free stuff costs. Flour mixes, baking mixes, pasta, beer, bread, crackers, granola bars, cereal, tortillas...you name it and it's at least three times the cost of normal stuff. GF beer completely at utterly… Read full post »

My Turkey Chili Recipe

It's evolved a lot over a few years, and my husband and I really like this version. It comes together quickly (except for the brown rice, but leftover rice or microwave pouches of rice could be used if you're short on time), and it makes lots… Read full post »

My love affair with the hot caffeinated beverage began when I was twelve. Most people would probably consider that too young to start drinking coffee, and when you factor in that I am today the same height I was at age… Read full post »

An attempt at seeing humor in dealing with infertility. Probably a bit snarkier than I intended.

A list of things I've heard while dealing with it (somewhat exaggerated for effect):

“My sister's cousin's boyfriend's best friend's neighbor's dog walker tried to conceive for like, ten years, and… Read full post »

When I was in the sixth grade, the doctor told me I needed glasses. I only noticed my declining vision whenever I looked at the board at school, so I didn't see it as necessary. I didn't tell my parents what the doctor had said, and they didn't make me get… Read full post »

Pregnancy tests are total and utter crap. Bullshit. Useless things we buy for twenty bucks and then pee on.

Here's the thing – the packaging and the advertisements all looove to boast about how you can take their tests “5 days before your missed period” and that they're… Read full post »

Dear Dr. Google,

I really need to stop using you. I “you-ed” a new vocabulary term for my ever-expanding list of medical words I didn't really want to know earlier today. It's seven syllables long. Hysterosalpingogram. I have to take a breath at the halfway point just to… Read full post »