Brian says: Growing up in a house without a father meant two things: playing “catch” was primarily a spectator’s sport and by default, you were last when it came to hot water and most other bathroom privileges. This also means acquiring a great deal of manly advice from one of the most influential males in …
Heather says: Life is messy. A few days ago, I was pulling apart a rotisserie chicken for chicken and dumpling soup. My mother-in-law walked past and commented something to the effect of, “I don’t know how you can do that.” (She didn’t say it in a rude manner, it was just a casual comment). I …
Dear Home Ec 101, I’m overwhelmed. There’s stuff everywhere, I was late to work again, there’s no food in the house, it’s hot, the kids are cranky, and my butt hurts. Signed, Not really a single reader, but a compilation of about 30 conversations over the past few weeks Heather says: Dude. I feel your …
Heather says: I’ve been fighting a sense of burnout, lately. I’m down to the last bit of the book, but the deadline is looming closer and paralysis is setting in. This morning, before I even poured my coffee this landed in my inbox. It made my day, so I thought I would share it with …
Dear Home Ec 101, I love your site and I want to love this chore list, but I don’t know how to make it work for our family. We have a 6 month old, a toddler, and two hairy cats. I work part time and have two days during the week to do chores. Can …
Dear Overwhelmed, Many new parents go through a period like this. Rest assured, you are not alone. Some of these have been covered elsewhere on the site. Get comfortable. This answer is going to take a while. Home Eccers, you’ve probably heard me say a lot of it before. Feel free to give Overwhelmed your …
Heather says: January 1st is an excellent time to take stock of what needs to change for positive growth. Life’s rough enough without creating additional problems. Just opening my calendar app makes my stomach clench and causes my eye to start twitching -truly an attractive quirk. Is my calendar that jam packed? Well, no it’s …
Heather says: Some weeks it feels like I have a lot more to own up to than others. I don’t know if it was the husband working night shift, being completely off track with my own sleep schedule, a stupid head cold, or just plain old emotional upheaval that made me feel and act just …
Ivy says: Yes, my post title does require that many exclamation points. I was away this weekend and it appears my husband and kids decided to trash the house beyond the limits of what I can stand. Awesome. Luckily, this year my youngest son goes to kindergarten so I’ll now have the house to myself …
Ivy says: As I’ve said here about 50 million times, Mr. Ivy is a restaurant manager. One of the common themes in our conversations is how other people manage the restaurant and how it meshes (or doesn’t mesh) with his own management style. Within your own household, you and your significant other will have different …