Challenge yourself every day. Try climbing the stairs carrying two soccer balls while wearing your father's shoes. Remember, failure IS an option. De-clutter! Start by throwing all your dishes in the garbage. After that I suggest toothbrushes and important paper work. Pee on the floor and stomp in it like a puddle. You'll be shocked how much better you feel. Whether the glass is half empty or half full is irrelevant if you dump it out on the sofa. You're welcome. If you're feeling aggressive, or just bored, scream in a cat's face. Don't ever be afraid to hand someone an ice cube while they're on the toilet. That stuff is cold. You don't have to be in pain! Socks are poison. Trust me, don't ... Continue reading →

The portion of Florida third graders that could be held back jumped to 18 percent this year as a result of low scores on the state's rigorous new standardized reading exam. That figure represents 36,577 students who face possible retention -- up from 32,429 last year, according to the Associated Press. Students must score a 2 or better on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which is graded on a 1 to 5 scale, to be promoted to the fourth grade. Students who fail have an opportunity for redemption on an alternative skills assessment, which could include a student work portfolio or summer courses. Across the state, 56 percent of third-graders passed the reading exam with a score of 3 or higher -- officials were expecting ... Continue reading →

I have a recurring vision of a roller coaster. It's a behemoth of a thing, which would be named Intimidator or Titan if my mental picture were that specific, and it is not only towering but also thunderous. In my mind's eye it heads skyward, then plummets toward earth, and immediately roars upward once again. People I love are on that coaster -- most often my children -- but I'm not barreling and shrieking with them. Instead I am standing, and observing, from solid, stable ground. No, this isn't a dream. It's parenting. Growing up has its ups and downs, some wild, many downright frightening. Our kids must stay on for the ride, because you can't get from childhood to adulthood without all these lurches ... Continue reading →

I have a recurring vision of a roller coaster. It's a behemoth of a thing, which would be named Intimidator or Titan if my mental picture were that specific, and it is not only towering but also thunderous. In my mind's eye it heads skyward, then plummets toward earth, and immediately roars upward once again. People I love are on that coaster -- most often my children -- but I'm not barreling and shrieking with them. Instead I am standing, and observing, from solid, stable ground. No, this isn't a dream. It's parenting. Growing up has its ups and downs, some wild, many downright frightening. Our kids must stay on for the ride, because you can't get from childhood to adulthood without all these lurches ... Continue reading →

I have a recurring vision of a roller coaster. It's a behemoth of a thing, which would be named Intimidator or Titan if my mental picture were that specific, and it is not only towering but also thunderous. In my mind's eye it heads skyward, then plummets toward earth, and immediately roars upward once again. People I love are on that coaster -- most often my children -- but I'm not barreling and shrieking with them. Instead I am standing, and observing, from solid, stable ground. No, this isn't a dream. It's parenting. Growing up has its ups and downs, some wild, many downright frightening. Our kids must stay on for the ride, because you can't get from childhood to adulthood without all these lurches ... Continue reading →

My husband is the introverted type, so out of respect for his privacy, I'd like to talk to you about his vasectomy. We put it off longer than we should have. I guess the ideal time might have been between baby no. 2 and baby no. 3, but we're super happy with the one that slid underneath the closing door, all Indiana Jones-style: "Waaaaiiiiit you have one moooore!" But at some point you have to just make the arbitrary decision that you're done meeting new offspring. So we finally made the call that it was time to turn the spigot off. An informal survey revealed that getting a vasectomy was the birth control method of choice among the vast majority of older parents in our ... Continue reading →

Gerry and Zach Bissinger were born three minutes apart in 1983, and those minutes made all the difference. They arrived nearly three months early; while the fact that either survived defies medical odds, Gerry, the oldest, was left with no impairments, while Zach, the youngest, was deprived of oxygen while waiting to exit, and will forever function at the cognitive level of an 8-year-old. "The three minutes that define my twins, and the three minutes that define me," is how their father, the writer Buzz Bissinger (whom you probably know best as the author of "Friday Night Lights"), described them in an interview. Those three minutes mean "everything is accentuated when Zach does it, all the normal questions and firsts." They mean that Gerry went ... Continue reading →

Yahoo! Business & Human Rights Summit Women, Technology and Social/Digital Media Washington, DC, May 18, 2012 The Yahoo! Business & Human Rights Program will host its fourth annual Business & Human Rights Summit, Change Your World DC, at The Newseum-Knight Convention Center in Washington, DC on Friday, May 18, 2012. Change Your World DC will showcase the ways that women are using technology and social media to influence policy, govern, engage and inspire voters, address social issues and change the world. REGISTER TO ATTEND HERE Change Your World! Yahoo! Business & Human Rights Summit on Women, Technology and Social/Digital Media May 17-18, 2012, Washington, DC The Newseum- Knight Conference Center 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 (Please use Freedom Forum entrance located on 6th ... Continue reading →

The first thing I did when I learned I was pregnant was find myself a copy of "What To Expect When You're Expecting."According to the book's publisher, that makes me like 90 percent of pregnant women in the country. Soon I was a nervous wreck. According to my very informal polling, that makes me like a hefty percentage of readers of the book. Instead of reassurance that healthy eating would mean a healthy child, "What To Expect" gave me a plan called "The Best Odds Diet" which required a spreadsheet to track daily servings of protein, fat and carbs. I quickly gave up, ate what I considered reasonably healthy food, and spent a lot of time feeling inadequate and guilty. Instead of a practical primer ... Continue reading →