No, that headline is NOT clickbait, I promise. You will recall that I recently had the mind blowing experience of meeting Sweet Valley High ghost writer and prolific author Eileen Goudge in the most unlikely of ways. Read about that HERE. And, seriously, grab the tissues: the story is a doozy. Eileen is a New […]
I Signed With A Literary Agent And Found Out My Dog Is A Murderer. On The Same Day.
There are moments in your life where time stops and you remember every single detail. I can remember with vivid clarity the morning the Challenger exploded and the details of 9/11 are seared on my brain. The first time Hubby kissed me. The day my father died. We all have those times where events transpire […]
The Keeper Has A Clothing Line!
So, you know how sometimes you get emails to your inbox and you look at them and immediately decide that they have to be spam because they sound so ridiculous? “You have 2 million dollars waiting for you in an offshore account in the Cayman Islands.” “You have won an all expenses paid cruise to […]
What I Learned From Planning A Blog Conference
Back in October, the owner of The Blog University (aka BlogU), a national blog conference, approached me about taking a position on their Steering Committee. She asked me if I’d be interested in planning all of the logistics for the conference. Basically, I would be in charge of ALL THE THINGS related to the location where the […]
The Keeper Has Scary News
The Keeper has scary news, bitchachos. Big SCARY news. But, before I divulge my big news, I’m going to give you a little background information to set the stage, if I may. When I started this blog in March 2013, I’ve often said that I had very low expectations. I was encouraged by a friend […]
Who Is The Keeper Of The Fruit Loops?
Since it’s looking like after three years, over 100 posts, close to 50 freelance articles AND three essays published in anthologies that this blogging thing might be a regular gig, I feel compelled to introduce myself to those of you reading (all 400 of you who subscribe…if you are reading and you haven’t subscribed, stop […]
The Keeper Has Flipp-ed Over Grocery Shopping
Recently, Hubby walked into the living room and announced that he was about to make my life easier. I raised my eyebrow, folded my arms across my chest, and waited. I mean, unless he was about to tell me that he’d hired the entire staff of Downton Abbey to start running my household, I was dubious. […]
So…..Why Do You Have A Blog?
Everyone always asks me, “What made you decide to start a blog?” And I always answer, “I have no earthly idea”. But, that’s not entirely true. As I kid, I always loved to write and my mom likes to remind me that my writing career started at the age of six when I wrote about […]
The Amazing Road Trip Race
Back in June, I floated a somewhat outrageous idea to Hubby: I wanted to drive the Fruit Loops to Texas to visit my mom in August. Yes, drive. 1600 miles one way. In a car. With two kids in tow. Alone. He took one look at me, raised his eyebrow and said, “You’re crazy”. And, […]
I Talk Early And Often To The Fruit Loops About Alcohol
I’m just going to say it out loud: I’m a good time at parties. A gooooood time, I tell you, and my friends will all willingly recount at least three stories that involve me, a party and adult beverages. Okay, probably five stories each and those who attended my 40th birthday party last Fall all […]
The Day I Met Tom Brokaw. Sort of.
When I was eight years old, my dad asked me if I wanted to skip school for the day and tag along on some of his business calls in New York City. My eight year old ears could barely believe what they were hearing: I’d always heard about the mysterious New York City and I couldn’t […]
Listen To The Keeper
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to be on stage. In fact, when I starred in the critically acclaimed play “The Little White Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings” at the age of six, a star was born. As I hopped around my elementary school stage, my parents tell me they realized they […]
I STILL Just Want To Pee Alone
Becoming a mother is mind blowing. Or, at least for ME it was. There were so many things I did not see coming: the inability to run quickly into a convenience store for coffee ever again, the number of Pinterest pins I had to acquire to keep up with the uber crafty, overachieving mom types […]
Operation: Surprise A Solider
In March of 2003, I was three weeks postpartum with Fruit Loop #1 and I watched with the rest of the world as our military invaded Iraq. I sat hour after hour, breastfeeding on my couch, glued to the television watching the coverage of our soldiers bravely standing up for freedom. MSNBC. ABC. CBS. CNN. […]
This Is My 40
I’ve been preparing for this day for my whole life. Like a beacon in the distance, the age of forty has been looming, staring me down, daring me to get there. Hearing those who have gone before me say, “It’s all downhill from there…” and “Forty isn’t THAT bad” and “Someday, this will be you”. […]
The Keeper Gets Interviewed
I am celebrating a BANNER week, people. Huge. Epic. It’s one of those “doesn’t come round often” kinds of weeks, I tell you. You might want to sit down for this: I was interviewed not once, but TWICE, this week. Yep. TWICE. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Two separate bloggers emailed me questions that they A). actually wanted me […]
Downton Abbey SuperFan
I am a Downton Abbey Superfan. SUPER. FAN. I’ve watched the show from it’s inception and it’s a safe assumption that on Sunday evenings in January, I can be found, drinking wine tea and speaking in a British accent. I’ve even forced recruited Hubby to enjoy all that is Downton Abbey. I don’t make him […]
The Keeper Gets Punched In The Throat
Sometimes, dreams really do come true. And, when those dreams involve a stalker like, fan girl obsession, it’s even sweeter when those dreams become realized. Lemme tell you a little back story: In December 2011, my BFF sent me a link with the words, “OMG. I’m crying I’m laughing soooooo hard…you have to read this…NOW”. […]