Creating a Momster
I’m committing one of the cardinal sins of writing by basing this entire essay on a cliché, but here goes: Motherhood changes you. The thing is, clichés become clichés for a reason. And the truth is that the experience of becoming a mother, whether by nature or nurture, impacts a woman in fundamental and profound […]
Love Is All We Need
My mother recently lost her father. He was 90, frail in mind and body and by all accounts, probably ready to go. In the end, he didn’t suffer. He died peacefully surrounded by people who loved him. In the days preceding my grandpa’s death, the hospice nurse called my mom and suggested that she say […]
Jill Orr: Keep Calm and Cheer On
Let’s face it: Most of us are not raising professional athletes. Most of us are probably not even raising college athletes. Competition being what it is these days, I think most of us are going to be lucky to raise an intramural athlete. So the sports-induced craziness seen at the courts, fields and tracks on […]
Best holiday shopping advice. Ever.
There are approximately 487 things on my current to-do list, all of which need to be done by Dec. 25th. My list is like a sea cucumber, which is neither as salty nor as refreshing as its name would suggest, in that if you were to cut it up into a million tiny pieces, it […]
The Mommy-Less Mommy Chronicles
Leaving the kids behind for a much needed vacay can be nerve-wracking. But as long as theyre alive when you get back, youll survive. And so will they