I have loved Tessa from the the moment I knew of her existence, but the lovin’ wasn’t proven until she was about 3 months old.
My husband Rob had a conference in Costa Rica one summer, and I didn’t want to miss the chance to travel with him. So we recruited two babysitters — the [...]

CONTEST CLOSED. Random.org chose #8, #1 and #4 as the three winners of the Float Tank experience through A New Spirit Wellness Center & Spa. JoAnn, Eileen and T, please contact Lori for information on getting your prize. Thanks to everyone who entered!
Oh, yes. I was tense going in. Two kinds of tense.
I [...]

No Barbie dolls — check.
No disparaging of my own body — check.
Frequent reminders that what’s inside matter more than what’s outside — check.
Daughter without self-esteem issues — out of checks.

I naively thought, when my daughter was an infant, that doing these checked items would go a long way to helping Tessa develop healthy self-esteem. [...]

Here’s the way I saw the social universe during junior high and high school:
Top rung: Football and basketball players; cheerleaders/pompon girls
2nd rung: Other jocks; friends of jocks and cheerleaders
3rd rung: Cowboys
4th rung: Smart geeks
5th rung: Band weenies and choir/theater people
6th rung: Stoners
Really, this list overstates the importance of rungs [...]

I was her first. She and my dad had waited nearly 4 years after getting married for my arrival.
Mom and Dad both had a strange sense of humor, as evidenced by the names they came up with for me. Good thing I was a girl and became Lori. If I’d been a boy, according to [...]

**CONTEST CLOSED. Congratulations to Rachel Lucero, winner of the Girls Only tickets. Thank you to all who entered!**
I went in seeking redemption.
The last time I invited my friend, Kim, to live theater, it was to Puppetry of the Pen!s several years ago. Did you see that? It was the most awful waste of time and [...]

I’ll confess. My kids bring home toys once in awhile without paying for them.
Perhaps I should explain.
There is a hidden gem in the northwest corner of Denver proper. In the lower level (OK, basement) of the Smiley branch of the Denver Public Library system at certain times of the week, your kids can enjoy….Other People’s [...]