Parenting

Back In The Day — Before Nor’Easters, Netflix And School Shootings

March 2, 2018
English: An older photo of the front side of M...

So, I’m sitting here on a Friday afternoon as the northeast gets blasted by bad weather — rain, high winds and sleet. Back in the day, we called this sort of day “messy” or simply a day with “rain, wind, and sleet.” Now, it’s apparently called a Nor’easter. I actually dragged my butt to the […]

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An Inside Look At What REALLY Goes On In High School

January 4, 2018
UHS_20170504_0922

*This post is sponsored by A+E Networks and “Grown and Flown” My two older dudes have collectively been in three different high schools, so I feel pretty experienced at being a high school mom. One of the schools was an all-boys Catholic high school with very strict, rigid rules. Another school was our local public […]

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Decorating The College Dorm Room: Guys Vs. Girls

September 5, 2017
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Like many other parents of college-aged kids, I recently moved my oldest son into his college dorm room. Since he spent the past two years in boarding school, I considered myself a seasoned pro at purchasing all needed room supplies and took great pride in the fact that I could set up his dorm room in […]

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A Different View of High School Graduation

May 10, 2017

Embed from Getty Images   “Can you believe he’s graduating?!” a friend asked me when I told her my son was graduating high school in a few weeks. “Actually, yes I CAN believe it,” I answered, not giving her the usual replies of, “no, I can’t believe it. Where did the time go? How did my […]

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A Mom, Her Son and The Hope Of One More

September 14, 2016

As many of you know, the cause I support the most now and always will be to help raise funds for childhood cancer research. Sometimes, however, I like to support fundraising for happy reasons too and this one is a goodie. The woman I am about to tell you about has photographed my children on […]

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Learning To Drive…Again

March 23, 2016
A typical speed limit sign in the United State...

Here we go again! Middle Dude turned 16 this past January, which meant we once again have a dude in the house learning to drive. The first time around, when Big Dude got behind the wheel, I thought I was going to be terrified, but as you may recall, it wasn’t as harrowing an experience as […]

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The College Tour Season Begins

March 15, 2016
English: Outside of the Allegheny College Admi...

Spring break for some means relaxing at home, or skiing, or perhaps a trip to a tropical island. But, if you’ve got a high school junior at home, spring break can also mean it’s time to start touring colleges. Maybe not the dream vacation of sipping margaritas under the palm trees that you hoped for, […]

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One Less Dude In The House

September 22, 2015
English: View of Anderson Hall at Asheville Sc...

Well, it finally happened: My first Dude has left the nest. As you may recall, Big Dude has chosen to go to boarding school for his remaining time in high school. He found the right fit school, for both his academic and athletic development. In the weeks leading up to his departure, my Facebook newsfeed […]

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The Dreaded Summer Job

August 18, 2015
Meatballs III: Summer Job

Anybody who follows me on Facebook may have noticed this past summer that I’d occasionally receive comments or messages on my Wall from Big Dude that made it seem as if he was being held captive at a job in New Hampshire. Yes, he claimed to be miserable, that he wanted to come home early, […]

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Big Dude Turns 18…With A Special Gift From Me

August 6, 2015
Letter

Well, I did it. For anyone who’s been reading my blog from the early days (anyone? anyone?), you may recall the post where I divulged that I’ve been writing letters to my three boys since they were little. My plan was/is to write about their milestones, as well as fun times they may have already […]

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Sleep-Away Camp: The New Rehab (For Video Game Addicts)

June 2, 2015
No Video Games

It’s no secret that Little Dude loves his video games. A few years ago we attempted to put restrictions on his playing time. But then his diagnosis and subsequent year-long treatment happened and any restrictions were quickly tossed aside in favor of keeping him as comfortable and happy whenever possible. Post-treatment we remained lax, rationalizing that […]

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