Lately, I’ve read several good articles and blog pieces about the difficulty of making new mom friends. I can identify with these authors because last year seemed to be my year of constant angst about friendships. Do I have enough friends? How can I make new friends? Does it reall… Read full post »

 Hi Everyone, 

I haven't been on OS in a while becaue I've been working, working, working! But, I wanted to share a few sites I've discovered where you can publish your own pieces (of course, OS is our top choice, but writers can always use options!).  

 Yahoo Associated Cont… Read full post »

The Trendy BFF Necklace For Girls (image: Bing Images) 

Up until recently, I didn’t pay much attention to the term “BFF” or Best Friend Forever. I’ve seen the term used on mom blogs and elsewhere, but the few times I’ve paid attention to it, I assumed… Read full post »

Not long ago, I had an interesting conversation with a friend I hadn’t seen in awhile. We’re not close, but we like each other a lot and every time we run into each other, we can’t stop talking. She recently went through a very contentious divorce. She has children and the… Read full post »

My baby son and me, 2003  

My mother was a complicated person in life and in death. She died when I was nineteen, after a long battle with breast cancer. Actually, calling her struggle a “battle” isn’t entirely accurate because she never once saw a doctor.&nb… Read full post »

A new study from the University of Washington in Seattle finds that while working outside the home is good for mothers’ mental health, so-called “supermoms” have higher rates of depression than those working moms who are willing to let go of their expectations of perfection at home… Read full post »

Today, A missing bus bench on busy La Cienega Blvd. (Photo: iphone with Instagram) 

Somebody is removing Los Angeles bus benches and residents are angry. Well, some residents are mad. Mainly those people who ride the buses and want to sit down with their groceries, their kids or… Read full post »

For weeks, my husband and I have been trying to get together with family friends at their request. It’s something we’ve done many times over the years with our two families, until recently. What’s changed? Their three kids’ activities have become so tightly booked they don&rsq… Read full post »

(Image: Dragonartz.net) 

An article in the New York Times Wednesday reports that a new, highly accurate non-invasive blood test can determine a baby’s sex as early as seven weeks into a woman’s pregnancy. The test uses fetal DNA in the mother’s blood to uncover t… Read full post »

The Garden At My Kids' L.A. Private Elementary School (photo: my iphone)

This is a somewhat warped tale about class, geography, race, wealth and bureaucratic bungling. As a private elementary school mom, I’m often asked why the Los Angeles private elementary school admission proce… Read full post »

(Photo: Annie Leibovitz for Vogue Magazine) 

My friends know I’m a huge fan of the President and Mrs. Obama. Still, I write this knowing that many Americans are justifiably unhappy with the President. A failing economy, wars and out-of-control joblessness are legitimate reasons… Read full post »

(Image: Bing Clip Art) 

A big story today on ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA) highlighted a growing trend: moms who drink wine at play dates. These events are known as cocktail playdates.

The first time I heard about this topic was a few years ago, when the book, Sippy… Read full post »

Goggles: Strangers Stop To Speak To Her 

The other day my 11 year-old daughter told me she thinks I’m friendly and outgoing. I was secretly thrilled. Those aren’t two adjectives I’d use to describe myself, but I’ll gladly embrace them, especially coming fro… Read full post »

I snapped this photo of a poster on a mailbox in Los Angeles on 3rd Street/Crescent Heights.  Maybe some of you have seen it before, but I hadn't and it caught my attention. Photo: My iphone Read full post »

Mayim Bialik (photo Khurak.net)

When I asked the question, “Are Celebrity Moms Too Perfect?” on my Los Angeles private schools blog, it was a reasonable question based on recent—and very controversial-- statements made by two celebrity moms made about parenting.… Read full post »

My home office. There's nothing corporate about it.  

When I couldn’t take it anymore, I quit my job. Not in the usual, professional, two-weeks notice method preferred by corporations. No, I walked off the job. A six-figure, corporate job. I slammed the door behind me. Liter… Read full post »

Me and my step-mom, Anne, at my son's football game 

I never expected to call anyone my step-mom. To have a step-mom means your dad got divorced and he remarried or his wife died. In my case, it was the latter. My mom died when I was nineteen, meaning… Read full post »

(The Willows Community School Garden/photo: The Willows School) 

An Urban Private School

The garden at The Willows Community School, an urban school in an industrial area of Culver City, CA, sits on the corner of the main yard. When my daughter started kindergarten, I quickly rea… Read full post »

Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar nominated the Frank Lloyd Wright Hollyhock House located in Barnsdall Art Park, Los Angeles, for inclusion on the list of United Nations World Heritage Sites. 

To qualify for World Heritage status, a building must be, among other things, a “master… Read full post »

(Image courtesy of Dish Networks/Bing Images) 

Today, Oprah Winfrey announced she will take over as CEO of the failing Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), according to The Wall Street Journal and Forbes.com. This is in addition to her current title of chairman. In May, Oprah Winfrey ende… Read full post »

(Photo: Popwatch)

On July 15-17, L.A .will experience an event that could bring the city to a standstill: the two day closure of a portion of the 405 Freeway that connects the San Fernando Valley to the Westside of L.A. The freeway closure is necessary in order to remove half… Read full post »

(Photo courtesy of clker.com clip art/Bing) 

My daughter is 10 years old and just completed 4^th grade at a progressive, private school in Los Angeles.  Lately, I’ve been astounded to see how many of her classmates have their own Facebook pages. 

My first encounter with k… Read full post »

I’m American through and through. Not like the apple pie kind of American but, there are certain things about me that brand me as an American. They aren’t good or bad, they just are. I only speak one language, English. I was a workaholic when I had a corporate job. I… Read full post »

In a recent post, Tara Kamiya, founder of the wonderful blog, Multi Cultural Familia, wrote about the surprise she encountered when she got ready to open a daycare, “Now as I complete my application to start a daycare in New York State I find out that ‘Time-Out’ is prohibi… Read full post »

The View From My (Sort Of) Beverly Hills Backyard 

The seemingly impossible happened. I live in the 90210. Yes, Beverly Hills, for those of you who don’t live in Los Angeles. But, as I’m sure you do know, the home of Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills (one of my… Read full post »