Monthly Archives: February 2021

Feeding the Family

Posted on February 16, 2021 by admin

I’m making dinner tonight. This may not seem like a great and noble feat to many of you, but then, you’ve probably never been subjected to my mad culinary skills (or lack thereof). Chris has to mold the minds of … Continue reading →

Posted in Man Of My Dreams, My Kids | Tagged 80s love songs, Chopped, cooking, Crock Pot meals, editing term papers, feeding the family, food prep, making dinner, preparing a meal | Leave a comment

The Scary Query

Posted on February 15, 2021 by admin

Like most human beings, we have a great deal going on in our lives right now. Some things I can write about, others not so much. But here’s something: I just returned from a glorious week at the 2014 Heartland … Continue reading →

Posted in Write On | Tagged 2014 Heartland Film Festival, landing an agent, Parting Gifts, publishing, query letters | Leave a comment

Mama Love

Posted on February 12, 2021 by admin

It is her birthday today, my Mama. And also, Elvis’s. I always have to do the math. Mom had me when she was 30… I am 43… that makes her 73 today. 73 years is a long time to be … Continue reading →

Posted in We Are Family | Tagged a mother's love, black belt in karate, Brown County, Chevrolet Chevette, Easy Bake Oven, Elvis, family reunions, hamburger pie, Happy Days, John Denver, Kenny Rogers, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Lake Tippecanoe, Laverne and Shirley, my mom, Neil Diamond, St. Michael's School, The Coliseum, tuna casserole, Twinkies, Willie Nelson | Leave a comment

Pack Animals

Posted on February 12, 2021 by admin

My kids often remind me of the hyenas in “The Lion King.” The maniacal laughter, the irreverence, the bad jokes, the drooling, the food scavenging, the mange. One minute, they’re in sync and united to take down their common enemy … Continue reading →

Posted in My Kids | Tagged Disney Princesses, Hakuna Matata, hyenas, saxophone, school drop-off line, sibling love, siblings, Soup Nazi, Stephen King, The Lion King, violin | Leave a comment

Things That Make Me Cry

Posted on February 11, 2021 by admin

All the things. Every. Single. Thing. I’m a crier — a messy, red-nosed, puffy-faced crier. I cry happy tears, sad tears, grateful tears, angry tears, scared tears, confused tears. I cry them all. Lately, though, I think I’m getting worse. … Continue reading →

Posted in Me Myself And I | Tagged #Johngreen, #tfios, beer commercials, Brandi Carlile, cathartic crying, Florida, Ghost, good health, Guinness, hormones, Indianapolis Zoo, Indigo Girls, John Green, red wine, River, Rocketeer, Spring Break, St. George Island, Take a Chance on Me, The Fault in Our Stars, the Olympics, Turpentine", Wake County SPCA | Leave a comment

Thoughts on Parenting, Single or Otherwise

Posted on February 11, 2021 by admin

My “Expected Grace” post went a little viral over the past two months. Over a million people have read it. One million! (Yes, I’m holding my pinky finger up to my lips and channeling Dr. Evil.) It’s been a fun … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Thinks | Tagged choosing kindness, Expected Grace, iPhones, life is not a competition, listening to each other, parenting, raising good kids, seeing each other, single-parenting, technology | Leave a comment

Slow but Steady

Posted on February 11, 2021 by admin

“26.2 miles didn’t seem all that long. If you’re in a car, it’s just a few exits down the interstate. But in road-weary Brooks, it’s, well, 26.2 miles. One step after another. Right, left, right, left.” You can read the … Continue reading →

Posted in Write On | Tagged 26.2 miles, Brooks running shoes, Dave Matthews, Gu, Guster, Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Mamalode, Michael Jackson, reaching for goals, running a marathon, The Runners Forum, training for a marathon, turning 40 | Leave a comment

The Heart of It All

Posted on February 10, 2021 by admin

I just returned from ten glorious days in Indianapolis at the Heartland Film Festival. This little October sabbatical is my guilty pleasure — watching life-altering movies, visiting with old friends (and making new ones), dressing in black tie for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Thinks, Man Of My Dreams, My Kids, We Are Family | Tagged 2013 Heartland Film Festival, 23 Blast, advocating for yourself, Blood Brother, Commencement, Dave Matthews, Derik Nelson, DMB, Geoffrey Rush, Hand and Asha, Heartland Film Festival, Hide Your Smiling Faces, IMA, John Green, Life According to Sam, Life Inside Out, Markus Zusah, progeria, Sam Berns, Sophie Nelisse, The Book Thief, The Toby, This Is Where We Live, Walking the Camino | Leave a comment

Seventeen

Posted on February 9, 2021 by admin

“Seventeen” is a mid-70s love song by Janis Ian– horrible in the way all mid-70s love songs are — but with a message and a universality that has earned it a permanent home on my “Sappy Love Songs” playlist. Because … Continue reading →

Posted in My Kids | Tagged 70s love songs, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, Blanton's Bourbon, Blue's Clues, Desitin, Fire and Rain, firstborn birthday, Friday night football, growing up, James Taylor, Janis Ian, Johnson's Baby Lotion, Notre Dame, Richard Scarry, Seventeen, Something in the Way She Moves, son turning seventeen, Speedo, video games, Where the Red Fern Grows | Leave a comment

Big

Posted on February 9, 2021 by admin

Two weeks ago, I lost nine pounds. Last week, I gained eight of them back. This is not a new story in my anthology. I have always been Oprah-esque in my ability to lose and gain, to rinse and repeat. … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Thinks | Tagged basketball, bingeing and purging, body dysmorphic syndrome, body love, bulimia, Dexatrim, donuts, Homer Simpson, laxatives, measuring a life, training for a marathon, weight gain, weight loss | Leave a comment

Monthly Archives: February 2021

Feeding the Family

The Scary Query

Mama Love

Pack Animals

Things That Make Me Cry

Thoughts on Parenting, Single or Otherwise

Slow but Steady

The Heart of It All

Seventeen

Big

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