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I’ve got no strings to hold me down

Day 3: A girl could start to like being on her own. Oh, sure I miss Basil and Catherine, but what a treat to have my own agenda for the day — no place to be, no friends to drive, no predetermined mealtimes, kid-specific errands or shopping requests. I don’t have to stay awake past … Continue reading →

Lessons in stress relief from an unlikely source

I got the biggest kick out of a toddler in church yesterday. She was about 3, dressed in a beautiful ivory dress trimmed with satin ribbons and seed pearls, crinoline underneath so it stuck out just so. An ivory sweater and tights and shiny black Mary Janes completed the ensemble. Her mother had pulled the girl’s … Continue reading →

In the eye of the beholder — or not

Basil and I had a cultural experience last weekend, or as I prefer to think of it: An Hour of My LIfe I’ll Never Get Back. He’s something of a Groupon and Living Social junkie lately, getting us deals on restaurant meals and deli orders. Always very proud of himself. This time, he had a … Continue reading →

Sick daze

Like every third person I meet, I’m sick. Just a cold or other minor bug, but enough to mess with my schedule. Probably like you, my life is planned down to the millisecond. There is always too much to do and too little time to get it done. Plus a special work project over these … Continue reading →

A closet full of heart and soles

A friend mentioned last night that she hates shoes. What?! She might as well have said she hates diamonds or pearls, the creamy comfort of mac and cheese or the bracing sip of fresh-squeezed lemonade, lazy summer afternoons or visits from Santa Claus. What woman HATES shoes? (Especially one sporting the black suede flats she … Continue reading →

Repeating history, yet again

I will NEVER learn. Nineteen years and counting, and I STILL can’t stop myself from inviting Basil on shopping trips. (My husband, that is, not the herb.) And every single time, I spend most of the trip either trying to move him along or traversing every square inch of the store trying to find where … Continue reading →

Originally posted on Mostly Bright Ideas:
Most of us spent our childhoods bouncing back and forth between our own wants and the demands of various authority figures. In many ways, it seemed like some kind of game that we woke up in the middle of, and that required us to figure out the rules as…

Snow fun

Yesterday was our first snow day of the year — a small storm, but just big enough to bring all activity to a halt  in lower Fairfield County. My Jazzercise class was canceled; lunch with a friend got postponed, and I found my heart singing a bit at the idea that I could spend the … Continue reading →

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all peace, joy and a little spontaneous laughter, today and every day. Merry Christmas!

Pieces on Earth

Add a new catch phrase to Christmas at the Vaneches: TIMMMMMMBER! It was already a crazy day — the end to yet another teeth-clenching, chaotic week that had me way behind the eight ball as the Big Day neared. For the first time I can remember, I am not ready for Christmas. Earlier today, I … Continue reading →