Warning: LONG POST AHEAD. (Sorry. It’s worth it: I promise!) One of my favorite things about being a blogger is that I have been afforded experiences that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to enjoy. My non-blogger friends are often flabbergasted at my stories of, say, driving a car for a week just for the purpose of reviewing it or getting a preview copy of a television show before the general public gets to watch it. Some of these unique experiences involve meeting people who I wouldn’t normally run across on the streets of Chicago (or the western burbs for that matter). Monday night was one of those nights, and…
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Update: Operation Precious CARgo!
It seems like only yesterday that I signed on to be a team captain for Chevrolet’s Operation Precious CARgo, in which twelve teams would collect donations of baby registry items for expectant military moms, but it’s over already. We had the culminating event last night, and it was really fun. All twelve captains and all twelve military moms were invited to Chevrolet of Naperville for the party, and even though not everybody could make it (one of the moms had her baby on Wednesday!), we had a great crowd. When we first arrived, we all had to unload our donations and bring them into the dealership. It was pretty exciting…
- Amazing People, Best Thing Ever, Blessings, My Friends Have Mad Skillz, Something That Could Change Your Life, We Are An Awesome Couple
WWTBD
So I have this little side project called “Listen To Your Mother”. It’s not something I would ever want to handle by myself, and in fact, I am not. I just want to take a moment today to express some gratitude for my partner and co-producer, Tracey. Tracey and I knew each other before we joined forces (Wonder Twin powers, activate!) on LTYM, but only socially. As in, I had seen her dance like Elaine from “Seinfeld” and it’s one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever observed. As you can imagine, co-producing a behemoth such as LTYM requires more than just dancing. Even though I knew that Tracey was…
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Inside The Life Of A Teenager
We don’t see a whole lot of J these days. Like many teenagers, his waking hours are full of commitments that keep him out of the house (and when he’s home, out of the family room), starting very early in the morning. On weekdays, he gets up around 5:30 a.m. to shower. He’s outside starting his car by 6:30. He picks up his best friend on his way to school. High school begins at 7:20. High school ends at 2:25. He drops his best friend off at home before heading straight for work. He works from about 3:00 until 5:30 each weekday (except for what he calls “No Work Wednesdays!”).…
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The Balance of Parenting
I think it’s important to have hobbies and interests that aren’t directly related to my children. I have always believed that if I focused 100% of myself on raising my kids, I would be gasping for air when they eventually went out on their own. Me, rolling myself up in the fetal position in a corner of my house when J, the younger of my two sons, waves goodbye really isn’t an attractive mental image, and so although I am a very active parent, I maintain activities that don’t rely on my kids being around. I feel like it makes me a better parent, that I have more to offer.…