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

Shy, Snobby, or an Introvert? This Book Explains it All

April 13, 2012

Things I’ve been called in my life: shy, sensitive, cerebral, an enigma, quiet, mellow, snobby, stuck-up. Some compliments, some not. Some accurate, some not. What I know I am is an introvert. I like reading and writing. I like to socialize one-on-one or with small groups of friends. When I attend a big conference or […]

Read the full article →

When the Tooth Fairy Met the Easter Bunny

April 11, 2012

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: It was a big weekend at our house. The Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny showed up on THE SAME NIGHT. And look — the first ones to come in… Were the first ones to come out. My baby is growing up!

Read the full article →

Q&A with Writer Rebecca Schorr

April 9, 2012

Today I’ve invited a special guest to answer some questions for us about writing and publishing. I met Rebecca when she took my writing class a while back. Not only is she a fascinating person with many talents (A female rabbi! A professional singer!), but she is living proof that even newbie writers can and […]

Read the full article →

Spring Musings

April 6, 2012

My days may be filled with drama and stress and bodily fluids, but they are also punctuated by moments of real beauty. And no, I’m not talking about the glowing faces of my cherubic offspring. (Although they ARE pretty cute. Boogers, Band-Aids and all.) I’m talking about the breathtaking spectacle that is Baltimore in the […]

Read the full article →

No One Prepares You for This Stuff

April 4, 2012

Setting: My kitchen. Time: 6:30pm on a typical weeknight. Scenario: Something’s burning, someone’s bleeding, and someone’s crying. Simultaneously. There are so many parts of parenthood I was not prepared for before I became a mom. Even now, almost 6 years in, there are days – multiple times a day even – when I think to […]

Read the full article →

Guest Post: The Power of ‘No’

April 2, 2012

If you ask me, one of the hardest parts about being a parent is having to be the bad guy. And not just occasionally, like “No, sweetie, you can’t drive the car until you’re 16,” but constantly: “No, you can’t drink syrup from the bottle” and “No, you can’t pee in the neighbors’ rose bush” […]

Read the full article →

Why I Don’t Procrastinate

March 30, 2012

When I was in elementary school, we used to go visit my grandparents in Florida every year during our winter vacation. February in Connecticut was cold, gray, and dreary. I can’t tell you how much I looked forward to a sun-filled week of tennis and swimming, oranges and palm trees, not to mention unlimited access […]

Read the full article →

What Kind of Energy Are You Bringing?

March 28, 2012

I was at the gym, minding my own business while I did my stretching after my workout. Sometimes I pretend to stretch when really I’m just lying there enjoying my final moments of peace before I have to jump back into the fray of writing and toddler-wrangling. As I was lying there on the mat, […]

Read the full article →

What’s That Smell?

March 26, 2012

My 3yo son has the nose of a bloodhound. At least 5 times a day, he scrunches up his button nose and says, “Something stinks!” Since he is (still!) not fully potty trained, I usually reply, “Maybe it’s you.” Often the culprit is his older brother – what can I say? Boys are stinky – […]

Read the full article →

On Publishing, Unicorns, and Being Enough

March 23, 2012

Every once in a while, I’ll come across something that seems like it was written for me. That was the case when I discovered Just.Be.Enough., a website dedicated to empowering and inspiring women by sharing “the voices, the stories, the truths of many,” as it says in their mission statement. I’ve been a freelance writer […]