Jennyphresh

LATEST ARTICLES ( 113 )

• 10 Ways in Which I Have Ruined My Sons' Lives (Irreparably. With Flawed Bagels,...

  

  I have ruined my sons' lives completely and forever and here is proof.1. I made my six-year-old take a shower. Yes, I actually made him take a shower. (He didn'... Read more

  Posted on 17 December 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Art and Love Therapy for Evil Little Boys

  

  Since our return from NH two weeks ago, my three boys have been on the verge of fratricide. At summer camp, they were all in separate cabins and left to... Read more

  Posted on 17 August 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Chapter 13: I Found My Smile...in Two Gallons of Mezcal

  

  "Miss Jennifer! Miss Jennifer! I'm going to buy ten chickens tomorrow!"Such were some of the first words that Manny spoke when he finally reached me by phone... Read more

  Posted on 03 July 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Chapter Twelve: Chippy and the Back Scratcher

  

  He made it. The Manny made it to Mexico. He's really there, and he is really not here. I think I'm suffering from a fair amount of disbelief. Read more

  Posted on 20 June 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Chapter Eleven: Mexico is for Lovers

  

  On Sunday (6/15/14), if all goes according to plan, the Manny will be winging his way toward his new home in sunny Mexico. The odds that he actually makes it... Read more

  Posted on 13 June 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Waters of the Afterlife Are Filled with Man-Killing Fish

  

  I recently had a conversation with Littlest Son, now age 6. Somehow we got on to speaking of the meaning of life, and where he might have been before he graced... Read more

  Posted on 30 May 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Part Ten: Tequila Farming!

  

  I never thought I'd say this, but lately I have been finding Manny something resembling...invaluable. Every single day, he comes downstairs quite early, before... Read more

  Posted on 19 May 2014 DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Spying on My Son at Recess

  

  Today I went on a little run to blow off some steam, in the middle of the day. And my normal route took me past the elementary school playground where Eldest So... Read more

  Posted on 01 May 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Part Nine: Conspiracy Theories

  

  Perseverate: To repeat something insistently or redundantly; to repeat a response after the cessation of the original stimulus. Read more

  Posted on 16 April 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Part Eight: Back in the House

  

  It's not over....For all we knew, the Manny had been living comfortably on a pig farm for the last several weeks, enjoying the company of his new porcine... Read more

  Posted on 21 March 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• I Immobilized My Kid With This Handy Device

  

  My child just had a panic attack. But I immobilized him quickly with the Papoose Board and he calmed down SO fast. The "spread-eagle" position is so comforting... Read more

  Posted on 28 February 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Part Seven: Crumbling Walls

  

  Hundreds of people wait for the end to this story. "Why not thousands?" I asked my friend. "Because you don't have a kitten playing a piano," he suggested.... Read more

  Posted on 25 February 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Part Six: Sober Up, We're Going Meat Shopping!

  

  One fine winter's morning, the Manny came down from the attic. I saw him padding through the kitchen in soft slippers, apologetically filling a glass of water... Read more

  Posted on 21 February 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Part Five: What a World

  

  The Manny was in the house.For a couple of hours, we heard nothing. He was up there, sleeping it off. I wondered when I would see him.Our upstairs bathroom has... Read more

  Posted on 18 February 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Part Four: Grey Gardens and Bellevue

  

  People have been stopping me on the street and asking, "Why didn't the Manny make that plane flight?! Tell me now, or I'll have to wring your neck. Whaddaya bee... Read more

  Posted on 17 February 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• 22 Awesomely Terrible Valentine's Day Gifts

  

  We now interrupt our regular Manny Diaries programming for our annual Valentine's special, in which we showcase a series of unfortunate Valentine's Day gifts... Read more

  Posted on 14 February 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Part Three: Evil Dentists

  

  Manny had been gone for almost seven weeks. We'd spoken to him a couple of times and he sounded just terrible. Mumbling and slurring, he told us that he had "th... Read more

  Posted on 12 February 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Manny Diaries, Part Two: A Drunk By Any Other Name

  

  Two days before Thanksgiving 2013, Manny announced that he'd been invited to a friend's house in the city to join them for the family meal. He hemmed and... Read more

  Posted on 11 February 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• A Man in My Attic and a Rodent in My Ceiling

  

  This past weekend we heard a scuttling and skittering inside the kitchen ceiling, occasionally rattling the lightbulbs in their sockets. Read more

  Posted on 10 February 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Franken-Meatballs and Disembodied Iguana Tails

  

  This is a story of the perils of working at home, as the mother of three young sons. This was my afternoon, and I have lived to tell the tale. Read more

  Posted on 30 January 2014 BOOKS, DIARIES, LIFESTYLE, SELF EXPRESSION