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 [...]

Before I start this, let me just say that I know I'm a big, lucky whiner. I don't have to worry about going to the market and not coming home because someone blew me up with a car bomb. I know the water I'm drinking won't give me cholera. Hell, I don't even have to [...]

We've been, to put it mildly, disappointed with the kids' school lately.  Without going into too much detail, it's gotten away from the basic philosophy that they sold us on when we came into the place last year.  Which, well, kinda stinks.  Because now our kids love it, have friends there, and feel they'd die [...]

I was talking to my mother-in-law the other day, and she was telling me about their visit with -- follow me here -- my husband's cousin's daughter who has ADHD (hey, at least I didn't throw in step-son's ex-wife's dog).  Anyway, my mother-in-law suggested that we -- my husband, Tenzin, and I -- might be [...]

The kids are back in school, which means I theoretically have more time to sit and stare at my computer screen with the hope of getting something done.  It comes as no surprise that the sudden lack of beasties around the house has significantly boosted my concentration level.  It's sort of like the difference between [...]

This comes from a good friend who -- I must emphasize -- is one of the best moms I know.  Seriously.  She'd make June Cleaver go home and bust all the high heels off her shoes in a fitful rage of jealousy.  So all I know is, if it could happen to her. . . Here's [...]

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 [...]

The kids had their last day of school today -- definitely a mixed blessing. The upside: we're finally out of a place that served us well the majority of the time but ultimately ended up driving us crazy. Today I was forced to sit through a 20 minute conversation on the female archetype and it's [...]