Author Archives: Ilene

Love and Taxes

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“A.” worked at a desk on the ground floor with a stack of paper 1040’s to his right.  He wore a business suit and tie.  I took him to be around 80. I had gotten his name from my mother, as in years past, he and my stepfather worked side by side offering free tax preparation assistance at the public library. I had been hiding from my tax returns this year.  Fortunately, during the days when I made money, I had the good sense not to spend all of it on vacations and designer handbags and put some away.   … Continue reading →

Bring on the Noise

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  “I think I know what you’re going to decide,” I say, after I’ve explained her options. “You do?” “I’m pretty sure of it.” “Is it OK? Mommy, is it OK?” The letter explained that our town will have two cheer squads this year for the age level of my daughter.  One will be competitive, whose goal will be to win the national title in their division, and one squad will be non-competitive, who will cheer at football games.   Their decision to split into two squads does not surprise me, since many of the parents of these girls, as … Continue reading →

5 For Friday: Guest Post at Coach Daddy

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  Oh, the joy of going grocery shopping by yourself – a luxury that only a mother could understand. A mall without kids in tow?  It feels as if you’ve just won the lottery. A girl’s night out? Heaven. Earlier this week, I confessed to not being the “best” at this mom thing. There are times, I’m selfish. There are times that even after being away from my kids all day, I just want to leave the house alone. If I am going to get really honest, there are five places where I’d actually prefer to never take my kids … Continue reading →

Nine Things I {Almost} Know for Sure about Parenthood

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  I’m not the best at this mom thing. There are times, I’m selfish. I’d rather write a blog post or go for a run than get down on the floor and play Legos with my kids.  There are times I don’t listen the way I should.  There are times I yell. I have come to look upon motherhood as a work in progress.  In some instances, I have let go of certain ideals.  In other instances, I have adopted new ones.  Just when I think I have something figured out, I realize how very little I actually know.   … Continue reading →

#unfaithful

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  I haven’t listened to the pitchers and catchers report once this year, guys. Quite truthfully, I’m avoiding baseball entirely. Avoidance seems to be the best way for me to deal with a bout of cognitive dissonance that began last spring, when I, a supposed tried and true Yankee fan, got all hot and bothered by another team. To make matters worse, that team was the Mets. ### I married into Yankee fandom eleven years ago. My husband, a California native, traded in his beloved Padres for the Pinstripes when he arrived in New Jersey as a teenager. We had … Continue reading →

The Fierce Diva Guide to Romance

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  I swear I’m not jaded, guys.  I’m a romantic at heart.  Really, I am!   Love heals. Love conquers all!  Love is kind, at least most of the time, anyway. However, the “thrill of the chase” thing is a different story.  Back in “the day,” I was never one to wait for a guy to call first, and I was always a bad “rules girl.”  Besides, that “chase-loving Neanderthal” usually dropped me like a bad piece of mammoth meat the moment I would show the tiniest bit of interest back.  Sounds eerily like a Taylor Swift song, does it not? … Continue reading →

Miles to Go Before I Sleep – Fierce Diva Anniversary Edition

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  I was going for witty and slightly profound.  I thought I’d sprinkle in a little bit of my “yoga talk,” as I often do. But the words weren’t there. So after 17 drafts or so, I scratched the idea of writing a "first anniversary of blogging post" and decided to speak my post instead. I created a vlog. In the words of Lisa and Ashley, "Oh. honey! No!"  That vlog was disastrous – like bad enough for Lisa and Ashley's pinboard disastrous.  My eyebrows move when I talk.  A lot. When I viewed the video I took of myself … Continue reading →

Diva Versus the Board of Education

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The members of Board of Education nodded their heads in unison as if prompted by ventriloquists, while we took turns making our remarks. That only seven parents out of a school with 300 students showed up did not help our cause.  Perhaps I expected too much from people.  It was "American Idol"  night after all, and after a long day at work, people needed to catch up on the Important Things!  Like playing Words with Friends! And Farmville!   Despite our pleas, the forced resignation of our school's highly respected, untenured principal was accepted. He was the casualty of politics, … Continue reading →

The Coolest Guy on Facebook

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Confession:  I’m not really that great of a Facebook “friend.” My timeline is one filled with shameless self- promotion. “Please buy Girl Scout cookies!”  “Come to my yoga class!”  I brag about my kids.  I get on my soapbox about rescuing dogs.   I use it to pimp my blog so that if you’re not subscribed to my Fierce Diva page, I’ve still cornered you into getting alerts about new posts (although I’d love you forever if you go like my Fierce Diva page.  I mean that).   Now, if you want a timeline that’s truly worth following, may I suggest putting … Continue reading →

Finding Infinity

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The fall was a blur.  Suddenly, there was one of me, and one of me to get everything done that used to get done by two.  There were the logistics of running a house, paying for a house, and being the 24/7 parent for my children, with little to no down time.   In the back of my mind, I knew there were “big decisions” that needed to be made, yet, I promised myself in the heat of my finding my footing, that I would put off those decisions until January.  The one crusade that I had decided upon was being … Continue reading →