Womens Forum - The Place For Moms

Hello, fabulous moms!

Woo hoo--we get a whole day devoted just to us, and this Mother's Day, I encourage you to make the most of it. Whether you're a mom, sister, aunt, friend, grandmother or fairy godmother (always wanted one of those), this week, we celebrate you and all you give to the lucky ones in your life.

Happy May!

What a great month this is--from Mother's Day  to the end of school (for some), the last week of teaching (for me), and the promise of spring and summer (they say it's coming...we shall see :), I find myself dreaming about the beach, bbqs, good summer reads (feel free to pass on any recommendations!), and what I hope will be a leisurely summer with my family.

A few weeks ago, I found myself sitting on an exam table at my ear-nose-throat doctor's office, about to have a CT scan--just one more test to help figure out what to do about my lousy allergies. It was really the kind of day where I had a million things to accomplish, and quite frankly, having a head CT wasn't exactly topping my list of fun things to do (that day, or any day for that matter). And then, like so many times in my life, fate intervened.

Hello, friends! Spring has finally spring in New England. Well, to tell you the truth, it sprung and then sprung again--right out of here--leaving us behind after two beautiful days of 70 degree weather. And, as I write this? It's a balmy (ha) 37 degrees...brrr. Welcome to life in New England, LOL.

So it goes like this:

Like many of you, I spend a good deal of my time working from home. Whether I'm blogging or shooting videos for Womensforum.com, or working on a lesson plan for the classes I teach, much of what I do on a given day happens in my home office, kitchen or, truth be told, from my couch where, currently, my five-year-old is half-asleep on top of me...an interesting combination of the fever he has been running for the past day, a few episodes of Max and Ruby, and a dose of children's Tylenol.

Over the past few days, I've been reading (with horror) the absolutely tragic, violent, and impossible-to-believe details regarding how Josh Powell, a 29-year-old-father and person of interest in his wife Susan Powell's 2009 disappearance, deliberately set his Washington state home ablaze on Sunday in a double murder-homicide that claimed his life and the precious lives of his young sons, 7-year-old Charles, and 5-year-old Braden.

Well, it had to happen sooner or later: after a thus far mild winter, New England is now under a blanket of snow (brrr....) and I find myself counting the days till spring (about 90, give or take). Why does that seem like forever? Because, the truth of the matter is, that if you live in New England, it is forever, LOL.

This week marked my son's fifth birthday and with that special day came so many gifts and rewards for this mom, that I simply couldn't stop smiling all day.

The morning started off with Morgan waking up just as the sun was creeping through his window, full alert style, ready to bolt out of bed and asking "Is today my birthday?" Without waiting for the answer her already knew, he jumped up, did some silly five-year-old jig of sorts and then got dressed and washed up faster than I've ever witnessed, in order to see what surprises might await him.

Dear Friends,

Well, it's that time of year again.

No, I'm not talking about twinkling ornaments (gorgeous), or gifts under the tree or by the menorah (love them all) or even the magic of the holidays (although there's absolutely no denying it, no matter what you celebrate!)

Last night I watched a painful, difficult, yet very important interview with Piers Morgan and Anne O'Brien, the mother of the late Phoebe Prince, whom you might recall, took her own life after being relentlessly bullied at her South Hadley, Massachusetts school in January of last year. Phoebe was just 15-years-old at the time of her death, and last night, her mother gave her first interview about the loss of her daughter, the school system that failed her, and the role that social media played in her daughter's tragedy.

For the past few days, I have been trying to no avail, to put my thoughts on paper to share with you regarding the unconscionable acts (46 counts of sexual assault) that have been alleged against Penn State's former football coach, Jerry Sandusky, the absolutely lack of follow-through by the University's all-time hero and head coach, Joe Paterno and former University president, Graham Spanier, and the long line of people who seemingly turned a blind eye to the rape and sexual assault of what appears to be more than ten children.

Dear Friends,

I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the beautiful days of autumn.

This past week, as you may have heard, millions of people lost power (including me) when an unprecedented October snow storm hit New England and other communities along the East Coast.

As you already know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, but what you might not know is that while we proudly wear our pink ribbons this month (why not all year round?) October is also National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, something not often spoken about with the same openness and reverence as breast cancer.

Dear Friends,

As you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and everywhere you look--from department stores to the NFL (no, I'm not joking--players were sporting pink sneakers and matching armbands during many of this Sunday's games), the message is clear: early detection saves lives and breast cancer awareness is, at long last, part of our national, mainstream consciousness.

Dear Friends,

Did you happen to notice all the Halloween candy lining the shelves at your local stores this past week? Can you believe it? We're midway through September and Halloween, Thanksgiving, and all things holidays are right around the corner.