I dropped a box of 500 Q-tips on my bathroom floor. 500 is a lot of Q-tips. Those suckers can jump! They were everywhere. As I was picking them up, 500 times, I was reminded of something that I learned from a co-worker over a decade ago. She kept a Q-tip at her desk. One…
Musings on the Tamale Angel
When I was a girl I pined for a beautiful, ethereal, angel to grace the top of our Christmas tree. I envisioned the angels I'd seen in the pages of home magazines, or atop the trees in movies: layers of flowing, luxurious material as a dress, large feathered wings, and perfectly coifed hair. Instead, our…
Meanwhile: Back at the menagerie…
Do you know what this house needs? More animals! I'm pretty sure that's not my husband's opinion. The kids and I are always ready for another little face to look at and mouth to feed (and cage to clean.) I'm pleased to introduce the newest addition to this Maniacal Menagerie: Needles the Sonic Hedgehog Yes,…
Farewell 2014
Today is New Year's Eve. A time of reflection and a time of new beginnings. And... a time for overwhelming pressure and angst. Historically I've hated New Year's Eve. So much pressure. Pressure to dress up, go out and have an amazing night, have a passionate kiss at midnight, make resolutions that will lead you…
The happiest place on earth… and maybe even outerspace too.
Over the week of Halloween we took a family vacation to Disney World for the first time. I worried that maybe I'd waited too long since the kids are now 13 and 9. Would they still love it or feel the magic? Not only did the kids feel the magic; we all felt the magic, and…
Things I wish I could say to my kids… but don’t… not yet…
One of the best quotes I've ever come across was on a crafty little handmade sign in a vintage/resale/upcycle shop that read, "Raising children is like being pecked to death by chickens." It's only funny because it's true. Being in the trenches, day after day, hour after hour, with these little pecking chickens can push…
Less is more… at least with wasp spray.
This morning I was mid-yoga workout when my Girl-Child burst in on me with an emergency of epic proportions. WASP! In the living room! We're all going to die... or at least she thought she would die. I had to kill it. NOW! I'm usually a pacifist. Non-confrontational. A lover, not a fighter. But I…
A horse is a Horse… of course, unless it’s a kazoo…
"Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys..." Little did I know how much that song from my childhood would ring true later in life as I raise my own children. I should have known better. I should have listened to the warnings of others who had been down that road before me.…
Best friends? Forever!
I've never been a big fan of the term "best friend." Not since about third grade when Paige told me that I was only her third best friend. Third. When do you stop counting? Fifth? Tenth? With girls, B.F.Fs are like busses at a bus stop, if you wait around long enough you'll see dozens come…
You ARE ready for swimsuit season!
Every April there is an onslaught of "get ready for swimsuit season" propaganda fed to women (and probably men too, but being a woman, I have selective attention) through radio, television, and print ads. I would wage a guess that next to New Year's Resolutions, this is the diet industry's biggest money-making time. Get ready…
The Maniac's Menagerie 