“The Wedge” I just read a report that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration is now recommending that parents never use sleep positioners for their babies, due to the risk of suffocation.  Upon hearing this, I can’t help but hark back to 1994, when I had my first child. At the time, the “must have”Read more about Parental Guilt and the First Child Learning Curve[…]

It’s not uncommon for us to find wild mushrooms growing in our yard during the summer, particularly when we’ve had some humid weather (and no, we NEVER eat them–not worth the risk!), but every once in a while we get a giant mushroom like this one:  I’m told it’s a “puffball mushroom”. This one seemsRead more about A Ginormous Mushroom[…]

Spotted this totally awful Halloween t-shirt at Walmart, and laughed way harder than I should have: Fun fact: it also glows in the dark.

Earlier today, I had a friend who was questioning the info she’d gotten on her credit score report–it didn’t seem to jive with what she expected, and she was stressing over it.  Ever since the cyber-hack on the Equifax site, lots of people have been trying to monitor their credit more closely, and with goodRead more about Making Sense of Your Free Credit Score[…]

Seriously, though….the song “Perfect” off of Ed Sheeran’s album “Divide” is tailor-made to be THE wedding song for at least the next 5 years.  It’s got a beautiful melody, and let’s face it: everything this guy touches lately turns to gold (or platinum).  If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out:

Have you seen this commercial yet? It’s for a product called “The Sock Slider”– and it promises that you’ll never have to bend down again to put your socks on. This is actually pretty ingenious. If you’re an able-bodied person, putting on your socks is something you take for granted. But, if you’ve ever beenRead more about As Seen on TV: The Sock Slider[…]

When my children were very young, I started a family tradition that has endured to this day: on the morning of your birthday, you can have ANYTHING you want for breakfast. That’s right, no limits.  A hamburger with all the trimmings? Sure thing.  Macaroni and Cheese? Absolutely. Ice cream?  Of course! And yes, ice creamRead more about Ice Cream for Breakfast: A Long-Standing Family Tradition is Finally Validated[…]

This story about the illnesses suffered by U.S. Diplomats in Cuba just keeps getting stranger and stranger.  You can read the latest report by the Daily Mail at this link:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4846540/New-sonic-attack-against-diplomats-Cuba.html Quick overview: more than a dozen U.S. diplomats in Cuba have fallen ill between November 2016 and April 2017 (and now, another 3 peopleRead more about Mysterious Illness Affecting U.S. Diplomats in Cuba: A Theory[…]

Waiter: Would you like an after dinner drink? Me: Hmmm…do you have any other grappas that aren’t on the menu?Waiter: Um, well…what are you looking for?Me: Like, a grappa, but something the chef smuggled over from the old country. A bottle without a label. A bottle with something growing in it.Waiter: We have Ouzo…but it’s veryRead more about Ouzo. Neat. (a.k.a. Happy 26th Anniversary to my long-suffering husband)[…]

The news of Senator John McCain’s cancer diagnosis has led to an avalanche of well wishes from across the globe.  I’m saddened for him and his family, and I’m praying that he will have a good outcome as he deals with this health crisis. One thing that has bothered me, though, are the well-meaning declarationsRead more about Well Wishes for Senator John McCain[…]