Get the family together, they said — it'll be fun, they said — I’ve been married for 22 years. Over time, my husband and I have come to realize that our relatives have many traits in common, particularly our respective mothers. While that might make them equally irksome occasionally, it does not make them kindred spirits. They have unflattering opinions of each other…

Some lessons are more valuable than others — Two months minus one day. That is how long you can go past your car payment due date before the finance company seriously thinks about taking their car back. I learned that lesson as a child while driving to GMAC headquarters with my mom so she could make a payment…

My daughter reminded me that sometimes, you just gotta write — What inspires someone to write? I have spent more days than I care to admit staring at an empty notebook or empty screen, waiting for the universe to drop gold-plated, glittering sentences that read like music and stir people’s souls. I always read advice about how you should write down…

Maybe I do tend to put myself last, but is it that big a deal? — Our cat Hailey is the sweetest kitty ever. Unfortunately, she has been a little barfy lately. She’s been to the vet, and we’ve changed her food, but she still has her moments, as cats do. Hailey’s also decided the best play time is when we’re all asleep. Helpfully, I’m a…

I forgot to write, which it turns out is vital for a writer — I’m a writer. No, really, I swear it. I wrote a lot as a child, won a few essay contests, got an English degree, and became an IT consultant. OK, that last piece did not fit in the puzzle, but there weren’t a lot of booths at the college job…

Sometimes, life reminds you that you’re capable of more than you know — My husband and I have been married for over 21 years. He knew I had Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) before we got married, but back then, I was working full time, equally sharing chores around the house, and happy to go on outings. Over the years, my health has deteriorated, and…

So much for television being an escape mechanism — When my daughter, Amelia, was a newborn, she was constantly at my side unless she was sleeping in her crib at night. I ceased watching television so I wouldn’t warp her brain — with three notable exceptions. She liked to nap in our living room on my lap for hours…

There’s always that one neighbor who stops by unannounced — Once in a while, our doorbell camera catches an opossum scurrying across the porch overnight. Even shrouded in near-darkness, our suburban friend seems like a cute, scrappy thing, and there’s no damage beyond the occasional opossum poop or some dug-up mulch, so we’ve never been particularly concerned. …

If it were easy to make choices, everyone would do it — It’s been too long since I published anything. Weeks seemed to disappear in minutes until over a month had vanished. My plans didn’t stand a chance against reality. Best laid plans I had it all mapped out last fall. I would continue to homeschool my daughter Amelia, try to ramp up my online…