Soon the back to school commercials will be coming out, with images of parents skipping through aisles of No. 2 pencils, binders and lunch boxes, the sound systems blasting, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. The message is parents cannot wait to get their kids back into a routine and out of their hair. Not me. I dread September and have been known to literally sob while packing new school supplies in backpacks with the tags still on them, staining crisp notebooks with

If you know me well, you should probably stop reading, as you have heard me vent about this before. I have been shouting into the wind for as long as my kids have played travel sports about the toll it takes on the family. It isn’t that I don’t think kids should play sports, quite the opposite. I think sports are a great physical and emotional outlet, teach valuable life lessons and encourage solid friendships. I am jealous of my girls with all of their opportunities on the f

I just read a study revealing that during the K-2nd grade years, kids get significantly fatter during the summer months. At first pass, this seems impossible, but when I really think about it, it seems probable. My kids’ summers are not the summers of my youth, where we left the house after breakfast and came home when the street lights went on, dirty, sweaty, sunburned and exhausted. The activity kids do today are more organized, meaning more time listening to instruction th

The tick population here in the northeast is predicted to be larger than ever. More ticks equals more risk for tick borne diseases like Lyme. We can blame the warm winter and the increase in the population of the white footed mouse, a favorite host of the deer tick. Additionally, I don’t know about you, but I am seeing deer everywhere I turn these days. Last year, the CDC reported about 30,000 new cases of Lyme, with higher numbers expected this year. As if this isn’t bad eno

As usual, I am rolling out of summer hair fried, liver angry, skin neglected and jeans tight. About a week ago I was lamenting the end of my favorite season, but I took a look in a full length mirror by accident yesterday and realized it is time for fall. Yes, I am hoping big sweaters will help disguise the damage done, but I am also hoping reentry to the real world will make it easier to cork the wine, put the guacamole away and find my running shoes. Just as my kids will ha

July 4th should have me thinking about independence and freedom. It should be a day to be grateful for the gift of being able to raise children in a country where girls are educated, free speech is embraced and equality is valued. Instead, I will probably be worrying about the danger of fireworks, the choking hazards of hot dogs and the sugar content of red and blue jello. At what point did parenting become paranoid? I remember Fourth of July barbecues growing up. After makin