The Definition of Clean »

Laura on Life
 
The definition of the word “clean?”  It’s all relative.  It depends on which relative is doing the cleaning.
            Two of my boys, the youngest two, ages 13 and 8, are in charge of cleaning one of the bathrooms in my house.  I have put them in charge of that bathroom because they are [...]

When You’re Hot, You’re Not »

Laura on Life
 
Trying to have a rational conversation with a child is like trying to capture sand in a sieve.  They have so many things going on in their head all at once that some of the simplest concepts are lost somewhere between your mouth and their ears.
            For example, I could say to my [...]

Ladies Night Out »

Laura on Life
In the past, the concept of Ladies Night Out has been a “yeah, right!” in the back of my mind.  It happens so rarely that, when it does, I don’t even recognize it as a Ladies Night Out.  It’s more like a “Oh-my-gosh-we-forgot-the-kids Night.”
I recently made [...]

The Laws of Nature »

I woke up this morning wondering what I was going to wear today.  My only two pairs of pants with elastic waistbands were in the wash and I had put on a little too much poundage to comfortably wear any of the others.
Maybe today was a good day to start [...]

Laura on Life »

Laura on Life

This is an excerpt from my book, Laura On Life: Corn Dogs and Dust Bunnies:
I witnessed a rather amusing spectacle the other day:  A bird was picking a fight with my cat.  As I watched, this bird would swoop down and bean my cat on the [...]

Trimming Your Home »

Laura on Life
We’ll just add some trim.
This is an expression that is used with astonishing frequency in our home.
As do-it-yourself people (read cheap), we are always taking on projects for which we have not been properly trained.  “Trim,” as a noun, is the word we use to [...]

Compromise is a four-letter word. »

Compromise is a four-letter word.
Alright, so that’s a lie.  But so is the long-held belief that compromise is the secret to a happy marriage.  Not true, doesn’t work.  Compromising doesn’t make either one of us happy.
That win-win situation that many self-help books preach?  It doesn’t exist.   Whoever wrote [...]

The Hazards of Reading »

When I want to stimulate my mind without stimulating the rest of me, I read.  There is nothing more relaxing.  Even watching TV has a certain stress factor attached to it, especially if you are not in possession of the remote or you are not technologically inclined, both of [...]

Garage Sale Angst »

Laura on Life
When having a garage sale, there are two kinds of people:  Those who want to make some extra money and those who simply want to get rid of their stuff.
            My husband is a hoarder.  Not a full-blown, needs-therapy kind of hoarder, but the kind that thinks if we’re going to sell our [...]

Exercising At Walmart »

Going to a Walmart store feels like going to the dentist.  I know I should go because the prices are generally cheaper than other stores and I can do most of my shopping in one stop.  But I would rather eat dirt than go to Walmart.
            As soon as I pull into that sea of [...]