Abby Off the Record — The scoop on life, writing & raising kids

Stuff My Mom Sends Me

January 13, 2014

My mom is one of the dwindling few who still sends actual mail through the U.S. Post Office. Once or twice a month, an envelope arrives in our mailbox, bearing her signature loopy penmanship and always some marker-flourishes and an interesting stamp alongside the standard names and addresses. Sometimes she’ll include a sticker for the […]

Read the full article →

3 Tips for January Gym-Goers on How to Stick With It

January 10, 2014

Inches away from the women on either side of me, trying to avoid a foot to the face as I finished my crunches, I wondered, “Why are there so many people at the gym today?!” And then I remembered: oh, yeah. It’s January. January at the gym is like Christmas Eve at the mall: a […]

Read the full article →

But Can Gisele Do This?

January 8, 2014

OK, Gisele Bündchen. I see you in all your long-limbed, supermodel glory, serene and beautiful, doing yoga alongside your adorable baby in your tastefully appointed living room with the abstract art and the orchid, nary a plastic toy nor a wadded-up tissue in sight. We get it, you’re amazing. But can you do this, Gisele? […]

Read the full article →

When It’s Not About You

January 6, 2014

If you’re suffering from the post-holiday blues and feeling like your life is boring and predictable, have I got a book for you. By the time you finish The Husband’s Secret, by Liane Moriarty, you will be saying, “I take it back! Boring is good! I LOVE boring!” Has anyone called Moriarty the Australian Maeve […]

Read the full article →

11 Things I Learned in December

December 31, 2013

I’m back! Did you miss me? Aw, shucks… Well, let’s dive right in then, shall we? I can’t even remember how or when I found Emily Freeman’s blog, Chatting at the Sky. Since she’s a writer and a mother, like me, chances are high that someone forwarded me a post they thought I might like […]

Read the full article →

Holiday Hiatus

December 9, 2013

So I’ve made the executive decision to take a holiday hiatus from my blog. (“Hiatus” being just a fancy word for break. Word nerd, right here.) Maybe for a couple weeks, maybe through the end of the year, we’ll see. I trust you all will understand. Most people are too busy to read blogs this […]

Read the full article →

All I Want for Christmas is an iPod Touch and a Pet Hedgehog

December 6, 2013

Remember 2 years ago when all my older son wanted for Christmas was a ukulele and a pet mouse? Well, this year’s wishlist is just as perplexing: an iPod Touch and a real live hedgehog are the top two items. The kid keeps it interesting, I’ll give him that. Why he needs an iPod Touch, […]

Read the full article →

Master of the Monkey Bars

December 4, 2013

He comes home with his face glowing, his pants covered with leaves and dirt. (Those “soft pants” he loves attract mulch like a magnet.) “Mom! Guess what? I can do the monkey bars now!” Unbeknownst to me, my littlest guy had set himself a goal, tried and tried again, fallen, gotten back up, and finally […]

Read the full article →

Suffering from SAD (the Other Kind)

December 2, 2013

It’s that time of year again — the Festival of Trees! Christmas concerts! Visits with Santa! And I feel the pressure to pack it all in. Holiday merriment comes but once a year, right? And it’s my job as a mom to make sure my children experience the magic of the season, right? Even if […]

Read the full article →

Paper Bag Turkeys and What Second-Graders Are Thankful For

November 27, 2013

I have a thing for Thanksgiving. It’s one of the few holidays that doesn’t feel stressful or commercial to me. It’s about family, food, and feeling grateful. Period. I’ve gotten my boys on board with not viewing the holiday as simply a speed bump on the road between Halloween and Christmas. In fact, my 7yo […]