Three shopping trips, luckily with a sleeping baby, a few frazzled moments as we wandered from aisle to aisle, and five (or was it six?) bags later — and I think we’re done.
Welcome to back-to-school shopping season (who doesn’t have that commercial with “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” running through their brain?).
My kids received school supply lists on the last day of class in May. Knowing we only have a few weeks left (and I needed to write this post), we trekked out in the 100-plus temperatures …

I have my own personal Christmas angel this year. A good friend – knowing how bogged down I’ve been with work, holiday travelling and preparations for Christmas, offered to help organize my home.
She came over for an hour yesterday. The verdict: “Michelle, did you know you have 12 boxes of Cheerios and eight cans of ravioli?”
Nope. I didn’t know that.
That’s what happens I guess when a busy mom runs to the store to get the “necessities” and doesn’t realize many of them already reside in the home.
The other problem is I …

Santa has my thanks.
My kids and I accidentally stumbled on the jolly old man this past weekend at a local shopping mall. (Yes, parents, be warned. He’s already there.)
As the kids and I wandered through the crowd and marveled as the holiday decorations already in place, I spotted from the second level the tip top of a holiday house display. Not knowing the house was OCCUPIED, I called the kids over to look down below:
“SANTA!” they screamed.
Before I knew it they were on a hunt for the elevator.
One of the …

I got an e-mail alerting me to a “free” DVD giveaway from Brainy Baby. It’s not entirely free – you have to pay shipping and handling that’s $6.95 – but still, with holidays around the corner, this may be a nice, inexpensive gift for a child in your life.
Now through the end of December, families can go to www.myfreebrainybaby.com and order a free copy of one of the company’s most popular DVDs: music, ABCs, laugh and learn and colors and shapes. Of course this proably puts you on a permanent …

Sometimes moms hear words of wisdom: from other moms, their own moms, or even strangers.
Here’s mine from a Saturday running errands with the kids:
• Before sticking your hand down a garbage can at a local mall food court and asking the cleanup crew to open it for you after your 4-year-old screams, “You threw away my toy,” stick your hand in your pocket.
• Carry hand sanitizer in the car at all times. You never know when you’re going to need it.
• Before heading out of the house, even for five …

I bought a new pair of jeans Saturday. I got home and – yup – they don’t fit. I should have known. The scale told me so that morning but I ignored it.
When I stepped on it, the scale screamed back at me: You now weigh what you did in your last month of pregnancy four years ago!
And I’m not pregnant. Not even a teeny bit. Certainly not 9 months along.
I don’t work out. I don’t have the best eating habits. I sit in front of a computer 8 hours …