Bad Puddy Tat!
Today I was out in the backyard with our yellow lab, Holly. She was snuffling around by our back fence area when I saw her freeze. Her ears were twitching like mad and she held still while looking at ...

Snow Falling Again...
Wow. I just looked outside and our yard is completely covered in snow again. I have a feeling school will get cancelled tomorrow.

My Superpowers Came In Handy Again.
On New Year's Day, I went to see the movie, "Bedtime Stories", with my friend, Chris and all our kids. Her kids are very close in age to mine. It's nice to be able to take the kids to see a real movie ...

Closing up Chalkboard
This is my last post on my Chalkboard blog. Not so much for lack of material (thanks, Seattle Schools!), but due to the incredible amount of time and energy it takes to maintain a one-person blog. I sometimes ...

Friday fun--Let it snow?
We're all extreme weather freaks in our house. The prospect of winds, snow and ice due to a "low pressure system 'bomb'" (from as KOMO News' Scott Sistek described it) has us absolutely giddy. Well, maybe ...

A pricey, peaceful cove amid the storms
For me, the district's current closure and consolidation process is much like the outer band of a hurricane, pitching our family and our school around while darker skies loom ahead.

Riding Out The Storm
Things have been getting rough lately. Really rough. And I mean really really.

Zero to Sixty
I bet by now you've started thinking I've dropped off the face of the earth. I haven't, although my world has turned upside down.

And Then There Were Three
Up 'til now I've pretty much only shared the fact that we are adopting an older child from foster care, but not much more beyond that. I had a curious reader ask me for more specifics: What age range? ...

Something cool for back-to-school
Hi - sorry I've been missing for a while. I am working on developing a list of green products made in here at home for folks who are looking to find safely made materials that haven't traveled 10,000 ...

Ballard Cool Moms - unite!
A coupla cool moms in Ballard are gathering to start this Seattle neighborhood's gang of families who will work to reduce global warming.

Green high chairs
I've missed you! I am working on several projects that I will share soon, so have not had time to jot down all the green ideas I find every day! Here is a little tidbit I thought I'd send along -- a few ...

Joe The Plum...er...Writer?
So apparently Joe the Plumber has a book out. Woo-hoo you say? Well, not everyone's thrilled. Here's Timothy Egan's op-ed in the NY Times about it.

Here's to Girlfriends
Last spring I read The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan and LOVED it. You could say it's a book about cancer, but really it's about life. Life in that "middle place" when your parents are still semi-parental-seeming ...

I'm Back...Sort Of
After crawling into a cave and writing a travel memoir for the past seven months, I have now emerged to find that Seattle's actually having a pretty nice summer. Too bad I missed the first half of it.

Show Me You're Responsible
Last night after 9:00 p.m. I got an automated call from the school district where we live. They were calling to inform us that due to severe weather - flooding - school would be canceled.

Spelling Words
Zion really struggles with reading and writing. Spelling is a combination of those two, so naturally he's not fond of that, either. Tonight he brought home his first set of spelling words of 2009 and ...

Selfishness: Learned or Inherited?
A couple of days ago I took Maya and Zion to the bank to cash a Christmas check from a relative. They put half in their savings accounts; the remainder was theirs to spend at will. Zion bought some Legos ...

Supplemental Candidate
On Saturday morning I asked my husband if he had taken his Glucosamine and Chondroitin. When he said no, I reached into the cabinet, poured out a couple of tablets, and put them in his hand. Of course ...

A LOST reader has been found
I know it's been a long time since I last posted a blog entry. There is a reason for it: I've taken a (gasp!) real job. Since the demise of the King County Journal, which carried my weekly column for ...

Wait 'til you see Seattle
She always used to tell us, "Wait 'til you see Seattle!"

$50,000 tribute to nanny
By Mitch Fryer LEADER TIMES Thursday, October 23, 2008

Top Ten Ways to Care for Your Nanny
In an effort to maintain a healthy, loving and long relationship with your nanny, its important to start the relationship off right and to care for your nanny throughout your relationship. Here are some ...

Top 10 Nanny Safety Tips!
Top 10 Nanny Safety Tips