My son and his friends looked ridiculous as they posed for Homecoming pictures. Though they were all freshly shaven and wearing ties, they were also donning silly white “clout goggles.” Because my son isn’t old enough to drive yet, the boys had gathered at our home so that I could drive them to the dance. […]
When Cancer Comes To Your Family, It’s Hard To Remember All The Things
This is a sponsored post. I was compensated by Med-IQ through educational grants from AbbVie, Astellas, and Genentech to write about communicating symptoms and treatment side effects with the healthcare team. All opinions are my own. My father and I had a long history of arguing. Both stubborn to a fault, we would spar over […]
When Cancer Came To My Family, The Hidden Stresses Were Surprising
I was compensated by Med-IQ through educational grants from AbbVie, Astellas, and Genentech to write about managing distress for cancer patients and their caregivers. All opinions are my own. When my phone buzzed in my pocket, I was filing papers on a brisk January morning. I smiled when I saw my Dad’s number pop up on my […]
Parents, We Need To Talk About The Word “Commitment”
Parents, we need to have a chat. *pauses to allow parents to grab coffee and gather ’round* Can we please talk about the word, “commitment”? Or, shall I say, the overuse of the word “commitment” when we are talking to our teens about their extracurricular activities? (My apologies to the parents who thought I was […]
10 “Unputdownable” Books You Should Buy Yourself This Winter
For as long as I can remember, reading has been my salvation. In fact, my earliest memory is that of my then eighteen month self sitting in a play pen on a hot summer’s day while looking at the Golden Book “The Poky Little Puppy.” For a shy girl who moved a lot growing up, […]
If You Ask Me What I Do All Day, I Will Junk Punch You
When the Fruit Loops were small, I was a stay at home mom. Mostly. By “mostly”, I mean that while yes, I started my blog and worked part time as a nurse, for the most part, my main job was keeping the Fruit Loops from completely spilling out of the box. And, it continued that […]
The Phrase I Used To Hate To Hear From Other Mothers
When I was a new mom in 2003, I had the luxury of being able to stay home full time with my son when he arrived. Before he came, I envisioned long afternoons of cuddling and bonding, making gourmet meals for my husband and catching up on all of the books on my night stand […]
Connecticut Has A Free Submarine Museum and Your Kids Will Love It
Traveling is my FAVORITE. And, there’s I love more than sharing my experiences from the road with pretty much anyone who will listen. Which brings me to my new series, Keeper of The Fruit Loops Approved! It’s official AF, I tell you. When I find a restaurant, museum or location that I love, I’m going […]
My Smart Phone Makes Me Feel Like I Can Rule The World
I am fairly certain I could rule the world with my iPhone. From scheduling play dates, to managing Hubby’s schedule, to counting calories, to connecting with my friends, my iPhone is my right hand man. From my kitchen, I can arrange food delivery for a bereaved friend, tweet to Ellen DeGeneres (Hey Ellen, call me, m’kay?), […]
I Had The Birds And The Bees Talk With My Son And It Was Awkward AF
As a parent, there are a few moments that stop you in your tracks and make you want to run screaming from the room: the first time you realize your toddler can reach the top of the stairs in under three seconds, the first time you hear a swear word out of one of your […]
We May Have Kids But Our Marriage Was Here First
Scene: the dinner table, a few years ago. Fruit Loop #2: “How do you KNOW that you should marry a person?” Fruit Loop #1: “When you meet the right person, a spark happens. Then you have to nurture the spark so it becomes a flame and then eventually a bonfire across your marriage. And wick size […]
The Day My Toddler’s Mouth Almost Had Me Arrested At Preschool
It all started out so innocently. All I had to do was get the 2-year-old to his first day of preschool with a 2-week-old infant in tow. I’m a bachelor’s educated RN with many years of ICU experience. I’ve managed patient flow. I’ve run ICU codes. A 2-year-old and an infant? Pfft. Easy peasy. What […]
The Keeper Goes To A Video Shoot. Yes, Really.
When I was about 8 years old, my father took me to Rockefeller Plaza. I had been allowed to skip school and accompany my father to an early morning business meeting in Midtown. It was a cold February day and I remember being amazed by the sites and sounds of the bustling New York cityscape. […]
36 Thoughts All Moms Have While Bathing Suit Shopping
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: aging is not kind on a woman’s body. I know, I know. It came as total shock to me, too. Particularly yesterday, when I was standing in the fluorescent lights of a Target dressing room, trying on bathing suits. Bathing suit shopping is hard after […]
The Keeper Is Going To Graceland. Sort of.
When I was fifteen, I volunteered at a local hospital in the Mail and Flowers department. A few times a week, I donned a blue gingham smock and would spend several hours delivering, well, mail and flowers to the patients and families. As I’d make my way through the hospital, the sights and sounds of […]
The Time I Became A Cat Burglar. Literally.
I am responsible AF. Well, except when it comes to taking care of my friends’ pets. Then all bets are off. I feel as though it should be said that I have zero pet sitting skills. I didn’t own pets as a kid and I was 41 years old when our first family pet joined […]
The Day My Heart Grew By Two Feet
He climbed up on my lap and nestled his toddler body against mine. As he shifted to get comfortable, my belly shifted, presumably his sister’s first act of defiance against her older brother. His hair was wet and he smelled faintly of baby shampoo and talc. With his pacifier nestled in his mouth, he grinned […]
The Song Remembers When
When I was in fifth-grade, my family and I moved to a far away to a foreign land called Texas. Having grown up in the Northeast, being the daughter of two Yankees who “pahked the cah in Hahvahd yahd,” and suddenly being deposited in the land of big skies, cowboys, and boots was a culture […]