Happy Birthday, Half Pint

by paige on February 7, 2010

RAISE A CUPCAKE today to Laura Ingalls Wilder, memoirist and chronicler extraordinaire. Her Little House books were a staple of my childhood (and probably yours) and, I’m pleased to report, my own little Rock and River love her, too, giving me license to continue to indulge my Ingalls fixation well into adulthood. Though Laura has no living direct descendants, I think it’s not too hyperbolic to say that she’s a part of every family who ever read her tale–and that’s a lot of us. So, wish a happy birthday to Sister Laura, and be sure to read all about The Little House Cookbook!)

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BRRR. BLECCH. IT’S FEBRUARY. In college, this meant something called “Feb Club,” an organized party every single night of the year’s bleakest, longest-feeling month. In real life, this means a search for escape–virtual, if not real. [click to continue…]

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Don’t You Want Me, Baby?

by paige on January 29, 2010

THIS IS IT, dear sisters. It’s now or never. Do or die. What’s so urgent? Read on. [click to continue…]

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My Musical Mystery Tour

by paige on January 27, 2010

YouTube Preview ImageTHANKS TO MARION, I’m facing a challenge this week: to put together my own personal playlist, a measuring out of my life in coffeehouse tunes, if you will. This isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. Nowadays, I am so easily distracted by children, my own thoughts, and the details of life, that I forget that turning on music will make it all a bit easier. But when I was young, I operated with a constant soundtrack. [click to continue…]

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Join a Snow-Day Cookbook Swap

by paige on January 20, 2010

SNOW DAYS AND CABIN FEVER have set in at my house, along with, I fear, the flu. Instead of feeling trapped, I am determined to embrace my short-term life as a shut-in…and clean out the basement. What, you may be wondering, does this have to do with you? Or that pretty cookbook up above? Read on, dear sisters, read on. [click to continue…]

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The 3 Rules of Kindness

by paige on January 20, 2010

WHILE THAT PATRICIAN gentleman above may not look like Dr. Spock or Dr. Sears, he was way ahead of his time when it came to advice for moms and dads. He’s Henry James, the august novelist, and if I had only had the sense to follow his rules, I wouldn’t have ended yesterday evening by yelling at my daughter…to stop yelling. [click to continue…]

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Sweating With the Older Sisters

by paige on January 15, 2010

YouTube Preview ImageI WROTE BEFORE OF MY DECEMBER VOW to do a little more, err, shaking of my booty. I’ve kept it up, save during “vacation,” when I was without childcare (or school). Now that school’s back in session (thank heavens), I’m back at the gym, dancing up a storm. But this isn’t your ordinary cardio class. [click to continue…]

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Rock Versus River: The Morning Music Smackdown

by paige on January 13, 2010

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IT’S ALL ABOUT the music, folks. At least that’s what my charming children would like me to believe. [click to continue…]

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Greener Living Through Granola?

by paige on January 11, 2010

Granola goodness from AlanaREADING MICHAEL POLLAN’S The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which argues convincingly for eating food grown and produced locally, while simultaneously trying to pare down your family’s food budget, is a frustrating (to say the least) endeavor. Such has been my lot of late. [click to continue…]

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Paiges Through the Ages

by paige on January 8, 2010

Ages of PaigesN OTHING LIKE THE dawn of a new year to make a middle-aged person think of, well, aging. Gracefully or otherwise, I always say it’s better than the alternative (no one has ever accused me of sentimentality, in case you’re wondering) but that doesn’t mean that I always enjoy stark reminders of the ever-present physical (and emotional) changes wrought by the passing of time. A couple of days ago, one of those stark reminders arrived, of all places, in my mailbox. [click to continue…]

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