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

An Unexpected Show of Thanks

November 19, 2012

The other week, an email arrived in my inbox with the subject line: “A note of thanks.” It was from a woman who took my essay class last year. Like many of my students, she was already a good writer when we met, but lacked the confidence to call herself a writer and send her […]

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When You Live Far Away from Family

November 16, 2012

One of the blogs I read every time a new post hits my inbox is Just.Be.Enough. Sadly, there just aren’t that many places on the internet where the content, and comments, are consistently positive, thoughtful, and well-written. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve shied away from commenting or contributing to a blog because […]

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Seeking Comfort from the Cosbys

November 14, 2012

You young’uns may not know this, but before there was “Modern Family,” there was “The Cosby Show.” I grew up watching this sitcom every week with my family, which is significant because we didn’t watch a lot of TV in our house. Boy, do some things change. Anyway, I loved those Huxtables. Five kids, a […]

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What Writers Can Learn From an Underdog Actress

November 12, 2012

I love a good underdog story. People who defied the odds, did what they said couldn’t be done – whoever “they” are. Since I spend a lot of time at the gym reading Entertainment Weekly while I pretend to work out, I find a lot of these unlikely success stories come from the entertainment industry. […]

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Sometimes Life is a Rotten Falafel

November 9, 2012

I’m not proud of it, but every once in a while I fall apart. Work stuff, family stuff, or simply life in general with its hurricanes and school closings and that mother of all parenting nightmares, daylight savings, conspire to do me in. I’ll find myself in my bathrobe in the middle of the day, […]

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A Kids’ View of Voting

November 6, 2012

Hiya, people! This here’s a special Election Day edition of Abby Off the Record. Longtime readers may recall the last election, when I attempted to be a part of our nation’s history and watch President Obama’s swearing in ceremony with my 2yo. Let’s just say he was not impressed. This time around, that 2yo is […]

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Life Stories Large and Small from Author Lee Woodruff

November 5, 2012

Like many people, I remember when ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff was struck by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq in 2006. The handsome husband and father of 4 sustained a severe brain injury that nearly killed him. The story was all over the news for some time. But it was only […]

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Holiday Hangover

November 2, 2012

Thursday, 4pm, the day after Halloween. Riley, the kid who never naps, is crashed out on the couch in a post-Kit Kat coma. After a long day of mainlining M&Ms and candy corn, a late night of trick-or-treating, and a morning of sugar-induced meltdowns, the kid has had it. And so have I. I am […]

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A Halloween Video

October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween from Miles and Riley! (With a little off-camera coaching from Mom.) Hope your holiday is filled with more treats than tricks.

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WTH, Mother Nature?

October 29, 2012

Before I had kids, I’m not sure I ever fully appreciated the magnitude of natural disasters. I’m sure I was annoyed when my power went out, or a couple feet of snow kept me stuck in my apartment. But it was nothing like the pure panic that shoots through you on a Sunday afternoon after […]