Member Articles

By Jeannie MacDonald

Stepmothering
They say step-mothering is a thankless task. They are wrong. Maybe I just have an amazing kid. Maybe what I lacked in uterine contractions I gained…
Baking
I've never drunk the Martha Stewart Kool-Aid. My house is not immaculate. I don’t own a glue gun. I also don’t scrapbook, garden or knit. Alright,…
Multitasking
Warning. What I am about to say may shock, horrify, and yes, even repulse you. It may run contrary to one of your core beliefs. It may seem like an…
I'm Annoyed
So my brain’s Annoyance Tolerator Chip crashed the other day. Since then, I’ve found myself irritated with…let’s see…just…
Mom Holidays
Recently, I Googled “holidays” and was surprised to learn how many there are. We all know about Presidents’ Day, the 4th of July,…
Lies We Tell Ourselves
War, famine and toe fungus are scary. Scarier still are the lies we tell ourselves.Take our national obesity problem. Fast-food outlets pioneered the…
Closet Archeology: What's in Yours?
Indiana Jones and that Bedouin shepherd who discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls have nothing on me. I recently led an archeological dig that rivals anything…
Instant Gratification Is Overrated
If you ask me, instant gratification is vastly overrated.Oh, sure. Scoring a right-in-front parking space is swell. Being first in line when a supermarket…
Baby Showers: What Would an Alien Think?
I often wonder what alien species would think if they attended a baby shower. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for fertility and dessert buffets.…
Marital Dinosaurs
My parents have been married for 54 years.Yes, you read that right. Not 54 months, which would be considered an eternity in a culture that invented the…
Minnesota Moms
Is it just me, or are more and more Americans behaving badly?Stars going into rehab. Politicians caught in scandals. Cell phones blaring offensive ringtones…
You don't have to be old to be an "Expert Elderly"
My friend Pat Carr is a smart, talented guy (Harvard MBA, president of his company). He’s also got a knack for describing ordinary things in a funny…
Tighten that belt!
F. Scott Fitzgerald was right: The rich are different from you and me.When the wealthy need to trim expenses, they mothball one of the jets in their private…
Wack chefs
I love dining out. Everything about it is pleasurable.Somebody else buys and schleps the food to the kitchen. Somebody else’s eyes water chopping…
Phobias
What are you afraid of?I mean, aside from the usual suspects, like terrorism and cellulite?Fortunately, I’m not held hostage by a fear of chopsticks…
"Controlled" chaos
As professional mothers, we like to think of ourselves as nurturing parents, accomplished career women, and (need I say?) totally babelicious. But the…
Laid off? Don't freak out!
My husband, John, works in high-tech start-ups, which means we know from layoffs. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that your time…
Simple gifts
I think it’s time we all started using “the good china” on March 4th or June 27th, not just on Thanksgiving or Christmas. Sure, it makes…
Picky eaters (adult edition)
Remember dinner parties? Where you’d serve food, guests would eat what was put in front of them, and everybody went home happy? Unless you’re…