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

A Life Lesson with a Side of Pasta

January 11, 2012

For the most part, I am happy to go with the flow, smile and nod, let the little things go. I’m not a pushover, I just don’t see the point of making a fuss about something just because you can. But I draw the line at eating baby cow. A friend of mine was given […]

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For Mindy Kaling: 5 Reasons Marriage Rocks

January 9, 2012

One of the books I got for Christmas was Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), a collection of humor essays by the comedy writer and actress who plays Kelly Kapoor on The Office. While I am not as big a fan of The Office as my husband is, I AM […]

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Ketchup Is a Vegetable and Wine Can Come Out Your Nose

January 6, 2012

Speaking of funny books about parenting, it is scary how much I related to Robin O’Bryant’s Ketchup Is A Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves, which she sent me after reaching out to me online. (Note to budding authors: this is a smart strategy!) Sure, some aspects of motherhood are universal – sleep deprivation, […]

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My E-book Has Launched!

January 4, 2012

You know how you think some things are going to be totally simple, no big deal, get-it-done-in-a-day tasks? Like, say, sending out Christmas cards or planning your child’s birthday party? And then before you know it, you’ve spent countless hours and dollars on the darn thing and it drags on and on and you’re so […]

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Looking Back at 2011

January 2, 2012

There’s just something about this time of year that makes people all introspective, isn’t there? The older I get, and the busier I get, the easier it is for me to forget everything that happened in the past year. It can all seem to run together in one big blur of sleep-work-school-kids-no sleep-housework-bills-errands-etc. But taking […]

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Top Chef: Kindergarten

December 30, 2011

One of the best things about our holiday this year is that we didn’t go anywhere. No packing, no traveling, no traffic or flight delays. We got to stay home, snug as a bug in a rug. (Which is actually kind of a gross expression when you think about it.) On the morning of Christmas […]

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What Santa Brought

December 28, 2011

You know what’s funny? That we thought we were scaling back this Christmas. This year, I vowed, we would not go overboard, would not stay up wrapping presents until midnight on Christmas Eve, would not get overwhelmed and start shoving presents into closets to save for birthdays. And yet, that’s EXACTLY what happened. Again. One […]

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A Musical Merry Christmas

December 25, 2011

A little Christmas cheer from our house to yours. Happy holidays!

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Flashback Friday: Family Gift Guide

December 23, 2011

It’s an unfortunate fact of life that I am a lousy gift-giver. Occasionally, I come up with an amazingly perfect, personal, creative gift, such as the year I got my mom a customized antique locket from Etsy containing pictures of her grandchildren. Alas, I cannot sustain that level of gift-giving year after year. Especially with […]

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Booty Wash and Baby Jesus

December 21, 2011

You know how my posts usually have some kind of central theme or point? Yeah, not so much today. What do you want from me?! It’s only 4 days until Christmas and I haven’t wrapped a thing! Hope you enjoy this collection of random snippets from my life: When I was a kid, we lived […]