Stressed? Tired? Overwhelmed by the innumerable appointments, never-ending meal planning, and just one more extracurricular obligation forcing your brain to fire on all cylinders? Fear not! I have just the solution for you—and in 5 easy steps, no less. Make a list of everything you must accomplish for the day. And write it on paper so that you can experience the full thrill of crossing it off with a red pen. (I highly recommend Pilot G-2 0.7mm gel pens—link in my Amazon Store

Last night, as I cleared the dinner table, I watched my daughter playing mother in the living room. She held her own sippy cup, still half-full of milk, up to her baby doll's rosy plastic lips. When she proceeded to lose her grip and drop the bottle squarely on her baby's head, I heard her say "owie" and then give lots of kisses to the site of the imaginary wound. She rocked her baby, sang her Twinkle Twinkle, and tucked her in tight on the dog's bed with a pillow and blanket

We ended up in the Emergency Room yesterday. My daughter is not yet two, and she has had the same ever-loving cough for a quarter of her life. And sure, it's the weather and it's the daycare and it's all the things. But still. 6 months is too long. I brought her to the pediatrician first thing in the morning, expecting the usual 20-minute visit; to leave with a new prescription and crossed fingers. I didn't even think to eat breakfast before we left the house. We waited a lon

It's 5:03 on a Wednesday. The day has been long, though not particularly unkind. Just more of the same: waking up too late, rushing to get the baby changed and out the door, a busy work day packed with back-to-back meetings and fires to put out. It is not unfamiliar, but it drains me nonetheless. I have been waiting for this. All day, I have been waiting. At long last, I ease my aching bones into the swivel chair, and she dresses me like a queen in a draping black robe. She d