I had to open the front door all by myself today.For the first time in almost ten years, the doorbell rang, and I found myself all alone, face-to-face with a strange man. No intimidating presence at my side. No low bark encouraging the guy to take a half-step back. No furry head pressed against my [...]

So today's my birthday. I'm 42. And I've been sick as a dog for four days.I'm trying to teeter toward falling off the happy side of this cliff. As I always tell my kids when they point out an alarmingly old person, "It's better than the alternative." So today I just keep telling myself, as [...]

So every year, for about the past fifteen years, I've written a holiday letter. It's kind of how this whole blogging thing got started. As you might imagine, my letters weren't exactly laundry lists of the fantastic trips we'd taken or stories about how the kids came home with "Student of the Week" bumper stickers. [...]

Incidentally, this is not me.About a week ago, a few days before Thanksgiving, I thought I broke my ass.  I'm not talking in a figurative "I really broke my ass trying to get that blah blah blah finished," sort of way.  I actually mean broke my ass.We were sledding -- my least favorite "sport" due [...]

Here's one that scared the bejesus out of me at the time but, as currently described, sounds more like an episode of  I Love Lucy.  You can read more about the kid, the dog, and the rest of the family at my blog, Partly Sunny, Chance of Rain.  And thanks for stopping by.  --Tammy SoongI [...]

We're less than two weeks away from the anniversary of my mom's death, and I stupidly (and, yes, incredibly) thought this would only be difficult on the actual day it occurred and not all the days leading up to it.  But then what would I know -- I'm a newbie mourner.My first clue was when [...]

Many years ago, before the addition of the children, I was the type of person who always sent birthday cards, thank-you notes, and new-baby gifts. Today, I'm lucky if people get a "Happy B-day!" from me on Facebook. My grandmother would probably be rolling over in her grave (were she not cremated). She was the [...]

My friend Brian once said that having a dog is "guaranteed heartbreak." Knowing this eventuality, it's somewhat mysterious why logical, intelligent people would continue to get them as pets. But for those of us whose lives have been saved by dogs, I suppose it's not a big mystery (and when I say "saved," I don't [...]

I've lost one of my best friends.She didn't die. She didn't move away. She didn't stop speaking to me because I stepped over the line about her kids, husband, mother, dog, weight, hair, housekeeping, or political opinions. No.She went back to work.Technically speaking, I'm a stay-at-home mom. I worked liked a dog volunteering for the [...]