It is a classic scenerio: A woman walks into a car dealership to inquire about trading in her car that is coming off lease for a new vehicle. First, the salesman strolls over and gives the twinkle-in-the-eye grin which she can only interpret as him assuming that she will be an easy sale. Why? more

I’m not exactly sure what got into to me, but on a recent Saturday I drove to the local rock and gravel store, ordered about 2 yards of crushed stone and river rocks, put the $200 or so on my credit card, and then spent two days shoveling, spreading and artfully arranging them on my driveway. more

I’m a pleaser. This puts me in solid company with a good many women. So many in fact, that Dr. Kevin Leman has dedicated a good portion of his life to helping those of us afflicted with the pleasing addiction. He has three books all sworn to helping women break the cycle. I should probably consider picking up “Women Who Try Too Hard: Breaking the Pleaser Habits” because I hate this insidious penchant. more

My 15-year-old son called me at work the other day with a familiar message: “I’m going to Sam’s house, OK?” “Why don’t you invite him over?” I say, struggling to keep the phone steady by trapping it between my ear and my shoulder as I continue to type on my computer. “No one’s home. Sam can’t come over if there’s no one home.” more

A new year is about to dawn and we all know what that means. Resolutions! For most people this involves list making. The enumeration of things to resolve; formal declarations of will regarding things we feel we should be accomplishing. As in, the will to exercise regularly. more

As I’m sure many working moms experience, I sometimes feel ambivalent about my choice to work full-time rather than care for my daughter at home. There are days when I think, “Maybe she’d be better off if I just sucked it up, lived extra-frugally and spent my weekdays with her instead of going to work while she’s at the sitter…” But a scary brush with layoffs last week had me feeling really good about earning a decent income. more

I was a relatively new divorcee when I started working at Company A. The full-time work was a welcome diversion from the emotionally hellish time I had just gone through, but it was the first time I’d worked full time as a mom. more

Who else was cheering for Glenn Close when she won Best Actress for her role in the Sony series, Damages. Why? more

A friend told me the other day that she schedules an hour of “me time” a  week, just to sit with herself,  to find some balance.  No reading, no kids, no personal handheld devices, no distractions.   When she uttered these words, the me I was currently sitting with paused to make sure I was still there even though I was with a friend. Her.   more

Is America’s emotional intelligence on the rise? We all take pride in this auspicious election for the obvious, ubiquitous reasons. more