When you smoke, you probably think often about quitting. However, it is just so easy to continue, to not have to worry about the withdrawal symptoms, and say you’ll quit tomorrow. You will find that, as with so many other things in life, the hardest part of quitting is saying to yourself “I want... read more

I was recently tasked with bringing a breakfast casserole to a morning meeting, but wasn’t sure what to include to entice everyone’s appetites.  I decided to create on my own recipe - with my adventuous husband’s help, of course! The result was a casserole that was quickly devoured. ... read more

Earlier today, I was in a local store, browsing through Halloween candy. A woman walked past me with a child of about 5, who asked, “Mom, what are we giving out for Halloween this year?” The “grownup” answered seriously with, “Poison…so their parents can have some nice fun.” ???????? I... read more

In the writing world, NaNoWriMo can make an author out of an everyday person. In addition, it only takes one month! The explanation is simple: A phenomenon called NaNoWriMo, meaning National Novel Writing Month, was started several years ago in 1999. During the month of November, anyone with an idea... read more

I am a work at home mother of 5 children. Needless to say, I am “Fashionably Challenged”. Over the course of the last 6 years, my entire wardrobe has been filled with maternity choices. I haven’t had much else to choose from, as I am certainly not one of those ladies who gains 5 to... read more

Babysitting is a big responsibility. It should not be seen as a way to make a quick buck without doing any work. You should know that when the adults of the household step out of the door, any life and death situations that may come along will be in your hands. This isn’t to say that some nights won’t... read more

Everyone loves to have a lot of friends. It is nice being able to pick up the phone to chat about a bad day, to go out to a movie, or even to just sit in the bookstore on Saturday night drinking lattes and discussing the latest magazine quiz. These options are something we appreciate having available... read more

A few weeks back, I wrote a piece here on the Compendium about odd noises in my house, and figured it’s time for an update. (I know you’ve all been anxiously awaiting hearing more!) Anyway, they have continued. My husband awoke one night, swearing he’d heard something hitting the screen; one... read more

There is the most amusing situation going on right now where I work: two preschoolers are totally smitten with each other. On Monday, two classes were outside at the same time, which rarely happens. We teachers noticed one of the boys-almost 5-following a 3 ½ year old cutie around the playground.... read more

To-date, I’ve moved 9 times within a 5-year span.  No, I’m not in the military, nor do I have record of evictions.  My moves have all been voluntary or work-related, and by now, I consider myself an expert in the art of packing, moving, and unpacking.  My last three moves have involved... read more