Archive for December, 2016

Confessions of a Coke Zero Loving Mom by Zoe Richmond


As the calendar ticks over to 2017, New Year’s resolutions are plentiful.  Usually, getting more exercise and eating healthy is top of the list.   Hence, the reason gyms are in full throttle advertising mode. There is one ad that stood out in the crowd, The Balanced Calorie Initiative.  The American Beverage ...

One Foot in Front of the Other by Sharon O’Donnell


It's been a long time since I have blogged, but I thank Robin for keeping me around so that I can still express things here. Growing up in Raleigh, NC  in the 1960s and ‘70s, I have many memories of hot summer days at the outdoor Pullen Park pool, feeding peanuts ...

Pick an Archetype, Any Archetype by Pamela Francis


I tried to upload a new post the other day, and if you’ve been reading me lately you know that I’m on a bit of a rampage.  It’s quite uncharacteristic of my usual tone where I come off as really grateful, really positive and really keen on projecting that all ...

Sleep Apnea, My Sinus Infection, and What I Learned by Robin Gorman Newman


On Thanksgiving, I took very ill with what presented as a virus.  We are out of town for the holiday, so I visited a walk-in medical center near our hotel, and was given Mucinex and Flonase and toughed it out. When I returned home a few days later, I went to ...

“We’s in the west”: a look back at my 2016 escape from slavery, 350 days in by Pamela Francis


My mother has an arsenal of platitudes that she has picked up, mostly from the Bible, and many from Dr. Phil, I was dismayed to come to realize recently. Not that I have anything against Dr. Phil. I think he’s a pretty smart and compassionate guy, from what I’ve observed. ...

Just Believe by Andrea Santo Felcone


As a parent, you may worry about accidentally ruining childhood traditions--especially around the holidays. You may worry that you won’t be crafty enough, clever enough--stealthy enough--to pull off traditions like Santa or The Tooth Fairy. You may ask yourself: Am I deceptive enough to be a parent? After all, YOU don’t ...

Theatre Blogger: THE ILLUSIONISTS: Show Review by Nancie Steinberg


That's entertainment! If you enjoy magic and illusion, this is the Broadway show for you. It’s a limited engagement through the end of the month, so don’t wait. THE ILLUSIONISTS is set in the 1920s… a bygone golden age of magic and vaudeville. There are 8 Acts of wonder plucked from around the ...

Travel to Wilmington, Delaware with a Teen by Robin Gorman Newman


My husband has been logging long hours at work for some time, so we jumped at the opportunity to enjoy a family vacation over Thanksgiving.  Unfortunately, I took ill with a virus turned sinus infection, so we didn't get to do quite as much as we had hoped, but we ...

Guest Blog Post: BEYOND THE TIGER MOM: East-West Parenting for the Global Age by Maya Thiagarajan (Book Excerpt)


LEAVING THE GARDEN OF EDEN: Metaphors for childhood Childhood is often romanticized in Western literature. It is a time of unlimited freedom and beauty; a utopian, Edenic paradise. Much like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, children play happily in the garden of childhood, blissfully unaware of all the ...

Theatre Blogger: Motherhood Africa: My Home: Show Review by Nancie Steinberg


[caption id="attachment_24437" align="alignleft" width="200"] (Photo credit: Hanes Juergen-Hermann)[/caption] Mother Africa: My Home is a feast for the eyes. Circus Der Sinne is celebrating its 10th Anniversary with this show. There is music, singing, exuberant dancing, gymnastics, acrobatics, juggling (with balls, tables, and humans), hula hoops, unicycle and extreme balancing acts. I couldn’t ...