There are numerous reasons to join a book club, but reading books is not one. At least not in my experience. Book Club is just a suburban euphemism for drunk women shooting the shit. When my kids were little, they stole all my sanity, so I needed a way to claim some of it back. One evening, a friend brought me to her book club. It was a bit bizarre, but there was hardly any book discussion. Since I hadn’t read the book, I could join in the conversation and enjoy the evening. Fifteen years later, my book club is still going strong. We still pick books, meet monthly and call our group chat “Book Club Beauties.” However, if we had bylaws finishing and discussing books would barely be an addendum. I may be an anomaly in these sensory-overloaded times. Despite all the zillion distractions from social media, phone…

Animal Welfare Please Do Not Read I never had a dog growing up. I had a fish. Not sure if you can consider a menu item a pet. Living in an apartment, I tried for a Hamster or Gerbil. My mother’s claim was that she would move out if anyone brought home a rodent. Many times I wanted to challenge that threat. I come from a long line of cat haters, but once I found freedom in my first apartment, I decided that I would get one. I ended up with some sort of long hair grey Persian or Himalayan cat that I named Jacqueline, and I ridiculously pronounced it with a pompous French accent. I lost the cat. Not a euphemism for death, as I literally lost the cat when I took her for a ride. Hindsight be damned as a couple of questions come to mind. Why the hell was…

Mother’s Day wasn’t much of a big deal in my home. It does seem odd looking back. Dad was a kind man, but for some reason, Mother’s Day wasn’t his thing. Maybe because her birthday was a few days before, or maybe it was because she only had one kid. Barely a mother. As I got older, he left mothers day to me. He would give me money and tell me to buy her something, but I never quite hit the mark. One year I bought her a Dustbuster, and she didn’t talk to either of us for a while. I still think it was a cool gift. Mothers Day is Boring in the USA Mothers Day worldwide is way more exciting than some overpriced flowers, cards, and a nice dinner that is standard fare in this country. The best way it’s celebrated is in Yugoslavia, where children creep…

I was such a smug mother in the very beginning. My kids are only 15 months apart, practically twins. I had a one and two-year-old, and I couldn’t wait to tell everyone how brilliant of me to have kids so close in age. They had the same frame of reference. We took them to the same movies, watched the same TV shows, went to the same mommy and me classes, and even had the same friends. I made it seem like this was the divine plan, not that I was 40 when I had my first kid, so I needed to act quickly on the second. Wasn’t I wonderful? That lasted one year. Then my daughter started to speak, and she realized that an annoying creature was ruining her life. It wasn’t that bad. Most of the reasons I mentioned above held fast. The elementary school years went super quickly.…

and will not find on my Blog Below are five Blogs geared toward Women whose kids have flown the coop or are about to fly out of the nest. I love that they are all written by women (and a man or two) approaching a new stage of life, finding a purpose, and sharing their journey. Or they want to make a quick buck which I can’t fault. These grown and flown kids can still suck your wallet dry. Older Mommy Still Yummy Older Mommy Still Yummy I rarely ever bake. When I do, it’s something with a gazillion calories and always chocolate. If it’s not chocolate, it’s not worth my effort. Monica creates fun desserts that might make a complete baking idiot like me dust off my silicone spatula. As well as sharing yummy treats, Monica and her husband also travel, entertain and even throw in some healthy living options.…