My mother raised us to believe that it was not a vacation unless we were staying in a hotel. Simultaneously, however, she earned her title as Mom-Cheapola-Cheapola. I have staying in some serious dives. Serious. What would you expect to find in a Motel 6 on the outskirts of Vegas? Use your imagination. Or there …
One of the great joys of watching Moira grow has been her fascination with books. She loves them as objects, and she loves them as stories. She could have gotten that from either parent, really. The chief design challenge in our little house has been how to incorporate bookshelves. Every single room in the house …
In which Florence recounts a stormy night in the McNeel House. So, last night we had a storm. A big storm. The kind that sounds like the roof is cracking open, you know? I’m not going to lie, I probably would not have known this, or any of the household events, if it weren’t for …
I have a thing for lights at night. Maybe because I’m afraid of the dark, and I’m so thankful for any light that alleviates that. Maybe it’s because light seems more precious in the dark. More specific and intentional. Best I can tell, I’m not alone in that. The world seems to have a love …
Whenever I travel (or sometimes just in life), it’s fun to have a bizarre goal. A life non-sequitur. Something that I’ve found online, through a friend, or in a novel that makes no sense with the rest of the itinerary (or my life). Nine times out of ten, they are my favorite part of the trip …
Sometimes I wonder why I didn’t just make my blog a travel blog. I love to travel, I work in travel… But my travel writing has always been pretty mundane. I’m not good at reflecting on places I’ve only been to once for a brief moment. On the other hand, keeping a diary of where …
Recently the internet has been all abuzz with post-baby mom bodies and how we need to celebrate them. I’m not that cool. I don’t have the moxie to flaunt it in my skivvies these days. In fact, last weekend marked the first truly public debut of me wearing a mom swimsuit. I’ve never had that rockin’ …
I am convinced that if rearing children were easy, the internet would crumble for lack of wholesome content. And thank goodness, because at the first whimper from Moira “World’s Easiest Baby” McNeel, and I am sprinting to my laptop, or whatever screen I can get to, to figure out what’s wrong, how to fix it, …
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In which Florence regales what happened during the break (read in the voice of Florence, which sounds uncannily like a 14-year-old Claire Danes) Wow. Having this Little Hairless Pup around has changed…well, not much really. I’m still not allowed to sleep on the furniture. I’m still not allowed to eat off the table. Wiley’s still …
Anyone who watches Jon Stewart knows that the Veterans Affairs department is deeply mired in a beurocratic malaise that is only getting deeper. Now they’ve fired Eric Shinseki, but analysts and law makers seem to agree that the long wait times covered up by lying and cheating is likely to continue. Our veterans are no …