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

Flashback Friday: 12 Ironies of Motherhood

September 16, 2011

1. Just when you figure out something your picky child will eat, she’ll decide she doesn’t like it anymore. “I don’t like chicken nuggets and mustard now, Mama!” Good thing I just bought them IN BULK at Costco!! 2. For once you make it to school on time — and then you realize it’s a […]

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Where Does the Time Go?

September 14, 2011

When my firstborn started preschool, I remember fantasizing about all the things I’d do with my newfound time and freedom. Then reality set in: factoring in drop-off and pick-up, all my free time amounted to roughly 2 hours, 2 mornings a week. As a fellow mom complained, barely enough time to buy and put away […]

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Who IS This Kindergartener?!

September 12, 2011

When I was little, I was the kid with butterflies in her stomach on the first day of school. I was the kid who got so excited/anxious about birthday parties and sleepovers that I’d literally make myself sick beforehand. I’m still having post-traumatic stress flashbacks from gymnastics camp when I was 7. Oh, I liked […]

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Where I Was That Day

September 9, 2011

I had started a new job a few months prior, and had just moved to Northern Virginia from Baltimore. I had not yet adjusted to the Washington, DC area, the traffic, or the job. It was my first position at a big company, AOL, and I sat in a sea of cubicles on the second […]

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Part 2 of My Q&A with Military Mom Kim Zook

September 7, 2011

In case you were off barbecuing or picnicking or otherwise enjoying your Labor Day on Monday, I introduced fellow mom, writer, blogger and military wife Kim Zook of Zook Book Nook. I’m not going to say Kim’s thoughtful insights on solo parenting, “me” time, and not feeling resentful towards a frequently absent spouse TOTALLY shut […]

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Meet Military Mom Kim Zook

September 5, 2011

Whenever I start feeling sorry for myself – say, when my husband’s away on a weeklong business trip during which I will have to manage dropping off and picking up 2 kids at 2 different schools, soccer, bedtime, packing lunches, work, etc. ALL BY MYSELF – I think of people like Kim Zook. Not only […]

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So What Ever Happened With…?

September 2, 2011

Have you ever met anyone who goes on and on about, say, their child’s sleep problems, potty training challenges, or their babysitter woes? And then all of a sudden the kid’s miraculously sleeping through the night, wearing underwear, and has the best sitter in the entire world, but the mom’s mysteriously tight-lipped and just says […]

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Flashback Wednesday: Extreme Juggling

August 31, 2011

With the hurricane aftermath, power outages, doctors’ appointments, deadlines, and the delayed start of school, this week has been so stressful I fear my head might literally explode at any moment. And you KNOW that would be a way worse clean-up than the time my youngest sneezed while eating yogurt. So I’m running this “how […]

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Hurricanes, Honeymoons & Kindergarten, Oh My!

August 29, 2011

Enough with the natural disasters, already! First an earthquake, now a hurricane? Mother Nature is messing with me. We were all bracing for the worst as we watched the nonstop news coverage of Hurricane Irene. We bought bottled water and batteries, charged our cell phones and checked the sump pump. The storm blew through Maryland […]

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Nature Girl

August 26, 2011

You know how I decided I’m a shopaholic in denial? Well, it turns out I’m also a repressed nature girl. Who knew?! I would never describe myself as an outdoorswoman. I prefer B&Bs to pup tents, carafes to canteens, down comforters to sleeping bags. I’m a big fan of electricity and indoor plumbing. Growing up, […]