Last Thursday I had to do something that staggers the imagination.  I had to leave work to pick up a kid from school who wasn’t sick, to take her to a doctor she didn’t need to see, to get a prescription from a doctor who said she was fine, for a/… Read full post »

We have had a sudden run of new pet acquirement at the Hoadley household.  I’ve never had the money, time or space for my kids to have pets of their own, although they have asked repeatedly.  I have always had a dog in the house, but my kids have never had their… Read full post »

I’ve always enjoyed reading about the psychology behind male-female relationships.  Books like Why Men Marry Bitches and The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands line my shelves – or used to, until I went digital.  The meandering labyrinth of communication between the sexes is en… Read full post »

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~ Tenneva Jordan

I remember learning about magnets in school, but only understand on an intuitive level how they work.  Metal attracts to metal, and it… Read full post »

Today is my birthday.  This is it – I’m 45.  Middle-aged.  That is, of course, if I live to be at least 90.  If that’s not my destiny, it means my life is already more than half over.  It’s common around this age to begin rev/… Read full post »

As of December 4^th, I have another teenage daughter.

I am the mother of two teens now.  It’s not as big an adjustment the second time around, I am finding.  Although I know it is going to be very different, as this child is very different from her older sister.… Read full post »

‘Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the house,
The drywall dust settled,
Smothering a mouse.

The stockings swung gently
In the living room breeze,
Blowing through ill-fitting windows,
Making everyone freeze.

One wall freshly painted,
The others, not so much,
The furniture shoved/… Read full post »

One of the first things that happens to most new moms is they stop looking after themselves.  Their entire being is focused on looking after their new baby.  For some of us, that never goes away.

My kids always seem to need new clothes.  I shop once or twice a year,… Read full post »

Well I haven't been on here much lately - been too busy trying to get my new website, www.lisahoadley-travelwriter.com,  up and running.  But it is done at last, the final touch being my starting a new blog on Open Salon called In Your Own Backyard.  The posts will cover a variety… Read full post »

I almost don't believe it, but it has finally happened - my career jigsaw pieces have suddenly fallen into place.  In hindsight, I can't believe I didn't see this a year ago. I must be even more obtuse than I had already given myself credit for.

I've been spending most of… Read full post »

Outside of reading Dilbert daily, I don't read any of Scott Adams' books or blogs.  I love Dilbert; the corporate environment he lampoons is no different from a law firm.  Now he's in hot water over a post on his blog called Pegs and Holes that many, including Salon, have taken… Read full post »

This is a re-post, slightly revised, for Father's Day.

"Did we ever tell you you were adopted?"

I looked up from my book.  My dad was standing in the doorway of the living room, looking at me.  I stared, uncomprehending; what he had said made no sense.  I wasn't adopted.  I'd… Read full post »

                                                  &… Read full post »

Here it is the May 24th weekend and I am home alone.  My kids are at their dad's, my husband is fishing - he says he'll be home Sunday morning but I'll believe it when I see it.  Meanwhile I am having an orgy of spring cleaning, tossing every piece of… Read full post »

When I left my first husband… Read full post »

March Break in Ontario - a time where many families pack up and take off for a week of fun.  However, the term “budget travel” is fast becoming an oxymoron in today’s economic climate, especially for large families.  A deal advertised on my Travelalerts.com newsletter caug… Read full post »

As if life wasn't hard enough.  I have a stressful job, three kids, a husband who sees nothing bothersome about hanging drywall at 10:30 p.m., a messy house, two dogs...but I was holding it all together.  The house is not clean, but not dirty.  I know where… Read full post »

Monday, January 17, 2011.  Weight:  191 lbs.  Exercise:  2 days of moving furniture and cleaning.

"The reality of life is that your perceptions -- right or wrong -- influence everything else you do. When you get a proper perspective of your perceptions, you may be surprised how ma… Read full post »

Thursday, January 6, 2011.  Weight:  not checking til Jan. 31.  Exercise:  20 minutes on the WiiFit last night.

Press on- nothing can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is alm… Read full post »

Merry Christmas Everybody!!!! 

It’s that time of year again – shopping, presents and parties, accompanied by mall madness, parking chaos and headaches the morning after.  In keeping with the holiday spirit, I present to you the first-ever Hoadley Family Christmas Letter!… Read full post »

SOMEDAY NEVER COMES

A little girl lived with unspoken dreams,
Others expectations met first.
Escape at eighteen, desires anticipated.
Now it is my turn.

What do I do to find my life?
This is your life, they say.
Finish school; find a job; get married; have kids.
Done – now is it my turn?

The kids need… Read full post »

Sunday, November 14, 2010.  Weight:  190 lbs.  Exercise: dog walking.

Everything you now do is something you have chosen to do. Some people don't want to believe that. But if you're over age twenty-one, your life is what you're making of it. To change your life, you need to change your… Read full post »

Sunday, October 31, 2010.  Weight:  188 lbs.  Exercise:  2 hours walking around trick or treating.

I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween. ~
Author Unknown.

Another Halloween is over, this one somewhat marred by a frigid temperature that made it all a… Read full post »

Saturday, October 30, 2010.  Weight:  188 lbs.  Exercise: walking around the mall.

Well, I have not yet gone to the bank.  Or cleaned off my desk.  Or finished my articles.  But, I did lose another pound.  So I celebrated by buying a matching bra/undie set at Zeller… Read full post »

Whenever I'm depressed I write a poem about how shitty I'm feeling my life is at that moment; it strengthens my resolve to change.

A WASTED LIFE

A labored breath in, a shuddered breath out,
I struggle to see through the darkness.
Whispering voices, mournful tones,
All talking about me&hel/… Read full post »