A perfect start to this vacation in New York City - a hectic place that has been a part of my life since childhood. Growing up in New Jersey we spent quite a few Saturday's walking Fifth Ave looking at the holiday windows, munching on pretzels as big as our heads and sipping on hot chocolate to keep warm. Other times we ate dinners of food from other countries and cultures when my father's business associates were in town. Some of my favorite memories were going to Broadway s

Tomorrow I'm leaving for a very overdue vacation and I'm heading...home. Yes there's a big part of me that considers the east coast especially Boston my home. I know, I know, I've lived in L.A. for almost ten years. For moment it's where I live and not my home. Maybe that will change when life with my child becomes the new normal but I'm not sure. Over the last 3 years when I've travelled east I' ve wondered if this will be the last one by myself. There are so many peop

It's a special day for a very special lady - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! My mother truly mastered motherhood. She was the most selfless, giving, thoughtful, patient and strong parent to both my brother and I. We didn't always appreciate or understand it, particularly between the ages of 12 - 17 but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone reading this. I'm not exaggerating when I say my Mami was a remarkable parent, often having to act as mother and father when my dad traveled for months

Waiting isn't always easy for a planner which I am. So I get into these moments when I start to think about completely random things you'll do when your a mom. Like if I could put together the perfect playlist of modern songs for Baby's sleepytime playliist. Some of this obsession comes from my teaching days and the painful option of naptime music we listened to day after day and week after week. So I'm warning any of my friends or family if they get us "Return to Pooh Co

I have a serious collection of Charlie Brown figures, books and all kinds of treasures. My love for him started almost 20 years ago when I hit what I thought was some bad luck. I whined one day to a friend that I was like Charlie Brown and had a little black cloud following me around and we became soulmates. When I got my head together and my luck "changed" I also realized that I had been misrepresenting Charlie Brown. He was actually a resilient little boy who got up over

"Alex, are you excited for football season?" one of my co-workers asked me the other day. I looked at her funny because I'm DEEP in baseball mode, praying the Red Sox can make it to the playoffs. Then it occured to me and I asked, "Are you ready for some treats? Is that why you're asking?" She shyly nodded and I grinned knowing my football season activities makes everyone happy. Every Sunday I tune in to watch my Patriots (and other teams if there is nothing else on) and ba

Carefully or gusto? Timidly or like a linebacker? I'm not sure there's a right answer. Or maybe the right answer is it depends on the day. Take this website as an example. I started my "official" adoption journey a little over a year ago and made the decision to become a mother almost 3 years ago. But it wasn't until very recently, in the quiet of a Saturday afternoon that I started to feel anxious. Not desperate but I started to worry I wasn't doing enough to make my dr