So you'll all be relieved to know that the children are still alive. And not locked in a closet. After last week's bad behavior episode that led up to the birthday extravaganza, Newt and Elfie seem to have "come down" from their royal delusions and are back to being regular old commoners like the rest [...]

This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite times of the year. Everyone else sees it as some sort of limbo-land period between semi-lame holidays. But at my house, we're cleaning, sorting through junk, and -- my favorite of all favorites -- throwing/giving stuff away. That's right, folks, it's Chinese New Year.I'm half-Chinese -- [...]

So I had a small nervous breakdown the other morning. As I mentioned in my holiday letter, Elfie has been getting "mean girled" at school recently. She's in first grade, and even though I know kids are capable of this type of thing starting at birth, it's been depressing because her school really focuses on [...]

I originally wrote this for another website, but they've changed formats and appear to have gone entirely video.  Which I honestly don't get because watching vlogs kind of annoys me (and with that statement, I've just sealed my fate and will be vlogging within the week).Anyway, my daughter's birthday was at the beginning of July.  [...]

There's always something to worry about when it comes to your kids. When they're infants, it's the high fever thing. When they start moving around, you almost feel like putting them in knee pads and a crash helmet. And then when they start interacting with other kids. . . well that just makes you want [...]

I went to my friend's house yesterday, for her twin daughters' birthday party, and I relaxed at an event for the first time in I don't even know how long. I've been in a sort of "birthday party hell" for the last couple of months. The kids have been invited to all of the places [...]

As I've mentioned before, ever since we changed schools, Elfie periodically asks me if I've made any new friends. She, incidentally, seems to be developing what sounds like a production of "The Real World -- Kindergarten Edition." There's the boy she's in love with and now apparently kisses. There are the mean girls who tease [...]

I have officially thrown in the towel. Or at least the cake pan.Newt's 7th birthday is coming up. A few months ago, when he declared that he was having his party at a well-know, pre-packaged bouncy-house place, I subtly tried to talk him out of it in favor of an at-home party with a cool [...]

My kids are really close. They play together, sleep in the same room, and freak out when the other one's hurt. Now that they're 5 and 6, they generally keep each other entertained and out of my hair (I feel this is my reward for having them 20 months apart and enduring years of double [...]