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

Parenthood Is the Cure for Perfectionism

March 25, 2013

When I’m not reading novels or essays, I read a lot of celebrity interviews. (That Jennifer Lawrence is a breath of fresh air, isn’t she?) One question that always cracks me up is when the interviewer asks an actress — and it’s only women who get asked this question — some variation of, how do […]

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Artist or Businessperson?

March 22, 2013

As long as I can remember in my adult life, I have grappled with two sides of myself: artist vs. businessperson. It’s why I gravitate towards people with offbeat careers and too many tattoos while still maintaining a (neglected) LinkedIn profile. It’s why I have two sets of business cards and two websites. It’s why […]

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Nesting or Nuts? How Pregnancy Turned Me Into an Old Lady

March 20, 2013

Everyone knows that when a woman is pregnant, the nesting instinct kicks in, right? The urge to cook, clean, decorate… Well, that’s not exactly how it happened with me. MY nesting instinct turned me into a senior citizen. Seriously, I was one afghan and a pair of dentures short of being a Golden Girl. Read […]

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Reading Round-Up: Fiction Edition

March 18, 2013

I’m in reading mode again. I go in spurts, reading nothing but food labels for months – Extra Cheddar Goldfish have the same amount of fiber as regular, FYI – then I will feel my brain cells atrophying and reach for a book. Or, you know, if nothing’s on TV. In a shocking twist, this […]

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Flashback Friday: A Beary Exciting Adventure

March 15, 2013

We went ba-a-ack. To Build-a-Bear Workshop, that is. The birthday outing of choice for my boys. This time it was 4yo Riley’s turn to experience this wonderland of plush playthings. It brought me back to the first day I ever stepped foot into “The Workshop.” A Beary Exciting Adventure My 6yo son had been looking […]

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How Do You Deal With Mom Guilt?

March 13, 2013

Guilt is funny thing. There’s the self-imposed kind, and there’s the kind other people feed into. Just mention breastfeeding or working vs. stay-at-home moms, stand back, and watch the guilt-inducing comments fly. Then there are a few rare souls who claim it’s an entirely wasted emotion and that you should get over it — in […]

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Creating Abundance with Boxes of Tissues

March 11, 2013

A few weeks ago I spent the weekend visiting my aunt. While there, I noticed something besides the astounding lack of chaos, mess, and noise in a house without small children. And it’s not that most people eat meals sitting down. It’s that all throughout her house she had boxes of tissues, bottles of lotion, […]

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Lusting After High-Quality Paper Goods

March 8, 2013

When I was little, my family lived in Germany for a bit. That was where my mother became enamored with papiergeschäfte – stationery stores, basically, but so much more than a Hallmark store or a Staples. More like Papyrus, if you’ve ever been to one of those, or a museum gift shop. Gorgeous, unique cards […]

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Keeping Your Home Organized with Kids — Is It Possible?

March 6, 2013

Yesterday I looked around my house and saw this: bowls of congealed oatmeal on the kitchen table, construction paper confetti under the dining room table, a smattering of superheroes and Matchbox cars on the family room rug, and — the crowning touch — a Pokemon action figure IN the toilet. Surveying this scene, it would […]

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A Movie That Gets Writers Right

March 4, 2013

As I’ve said, my husband and I don’t always get the chance to watch an entire movie in one evening. (A whole 2 hours without interruption?!) So when we do, that’s momentous in itself. When it’s a movie we both end up liking, well, that’s even rarer than a kid going to bed at his […]