I need to explain something boring first in order to tell you about something that I was having trouble with earlier today. Bear with me for just a paragraph or two ;) Did you know that clicking on someone’s link to a product or page at Amazon.com can make that person some money? It’s called…

So where do you draw the line between sharing something personal about your kid which might help other kids, and protecting their privacy? Personally, I err on the side of privacy. I know you would never have guessed since, you know, I’m writing this on my personal “mommy” blog, but that’s the way it is.…

At the last minute I’ve discovered that Henry needs a “disposable” lunch for his field trip, and that means I can’t send along his metal drink bottle. So which is better for my 6 year old? A baggie full of water, or a can of coke zero. Hurry up people, I’m packing lunches now and…

My oldest boy Henry is almost 7 and still has some funkiness in the way he pronounces words. Usually all it takes is a simple reminder, and he stops saying “lellow” and remembers to say “yellow.” The word “first” is a completely different story. He simply cannot pronounce it any other way than “forst.” (Is…

Hey folks. Many of you probably don’t know about my other blog, Try Handmade. And that’s cool because that blog and this one have different audiences. But I’ve just started offering ads over there and I thought I’d offer a special deal to those of you who suffer through reading Plain Jane Mom. Do you…

A fully-formed tarte on a doilly — so what did I do?

Chicago! But unlike 2 years ago, the conference will be all in one venue. No more shuttles, wasting time walking for blocks to get to events. Everything will be happening at the Chicago Sheraton & Towers. Read the announcement post to hear why it isn’t happening in any of the cities people voted for. The…

I try not to get caught up. I try not to think he’s going to be the one to solve many of our problems. I try to remember that he too is a politician, and what have they done for us lately. But it’s really hard to keep it up. I do believe in him.…

What kind of sick freak puts ZIPPERS on infant pants??

My policy on Halloween candy is “Ohmygod, just eat it now so I don’t have to hear you whine about it.” In that spirit, the day after Halloween, my boys’ treat buckets were getting pretty low. So low, in fact, that they began pelting each other with candy they didn’t like. So I asked them…

We thought it would be a good idea for the boys to watch some of the Presidential debate, but now I’m not so sure. They walked in right as Obama was saying this: Parents are going to have to show more responsibility. They’ve got to turn off the TV set, put away the video games,…

I would love one day to be able to walk into my own bathroom and not be greeted by the sight of my childrens’ poop in the toilet. That is all.

Last Monday night, Craig and I did something unusual. We went out on a weeknight! My wonderful mom stayed with the kids and Craig and I got to see David Byrne in concert in San Francisco at Davies Symphony Hall. It was pretty much like the blown-out image above and so much fun! You might…

Ever heard of Alltop? It’s the brainchild of Guy Kawasaki, Will Mayall, and Kathryn Henkens and is a huge strictly moderated compilation of top sites in, as of today, 213 topics. I can’t imagine the work required to curate this collection, but somehow they manage it. Just yesterday they launched a redesign because the site…

If you were planning on going to BlogHer Reach in Nashville, Greensboro, Atlanta or New Orleans, unfortunately BlogHer has just canceled those. I’m sorry I missed this announcement when it was made last week, but if you’re quick hopefully you can cancel any travel arrangements you made without too many fees. The remaining Reach tours…

I was up a million times last night (kids, cat, battery beeping on cell phone…) and am completely wiped today. In lieu of anything meaningful, I’m going to ask you all a question I’ve wondered about for a long time. Why are people up in arms about kids eating yogurt from a tube? We buy…

First of all, who names their band !!!. I think they’ve just renamed themselves ‘Chk Chk Chk’ which isn’t a whole lot better, but WAY more google-friendly than trying to search on “!!!” Trust me, I tried. Anyway, bizarro ungooglable name aside, this band rocks. “Heart of Hearts” has a kind of Jamiroquai flavor (and…

It’s kind of nice to be hearing anything at all, but to tell you the truth I would have preferred to hear this last year. My oldest kids are one year apart in school, and this year I have a boy in first grade and another in kindergarten. So you’d think I’d have this kindergarten…

You have a sweet heart. And an amazing brain. You’re a wonderful artist. And a generous big brother. You’re a take-charge kind of kid. And a real nutjob. If you had your way, you’d be drawing and building and constructing and designing and planning 24 hours a day. You believe (as do I) that sleep…

I just relayed this information to a coworker and was surprised to learn that this isn’t universal knowledge. Her son had just been to his first high school dance and had danced with a girl for the first time. I told her to tell him this. “Stairway to Heaven” is the very best song to…