I will never forget my very first swim meet. I was 6, standing on the block overlooking what seemed like an ocean, holding my ears. Truth is, I was more afraid of the sound of the starting gun than the race itself. But when the bang went off, I jumped...

You're still in your maternity jeans, eyeing your skinnies with envy. But in your sleep-deprived state, looking like your old self seems like a cruel joke.

For any new mom who hasn't been blessed with a body that easily lets go of pregnancy pounds, bouncing back feels like a...

In today's wired world, candid moms bare souls on blogs, chronicle every detail of their daily lives on Facebook and share their joy and angst about parenting in a running stream of tweets. Often these intimate updates about the ups and downs of motherhood are deeply personal, sometimes sad, sometimes...

The day in question started off with an early morning check of my Blackberry and the upsetting news that a family history of breast cancer had caught up with a childhood friend. My heart sank. I looked outside at the dark morning. It was mid-June and the rain poured down....

Deep down, even on those days when you've cleaned up the kitchen umpteen times, you know your family appreciates all that you do. Do we really need a greeting card holiday to make us feel special? Well, it certainly doesn't hurt and right now, your loved ones are probably thinking...

My college roommate and I never really talked much about the day our children would play together. Yet there we were at the park, 17 years after leaving the dorms, trading stories about potty training and time-outs just as easily as we used to discuss our career hopes and dreams...

You need an afternoon of pampering. A massage? Yes. A facial? Totally. Some aromatherapy? You're there. If you crave the healing touch of a top notch spa but can't afford it these days, how about borrowing some of the ambiance and integrating it into your day? Here are five inexpensive...

We had anticipated the auspicious occasion for months...the day that we would finally bid farewell to a dear friend. This is a bit of a eulogy -- but not for a relative or neighbor or pet. I'm talking about the day we said bye bye to "Paci." He (yes, we...

I never thought I'd find myself smiling cheerfully at preschool drop-off trying to sell stuff to time-pressured parents. The last time I headed up a school bake sale was probably in high school. But when the job of "Challah Lady" fell into my lap this past fall, I figured how...

I'll admit it. I'm just as curious as the next woman about what Michelle Obama will wear on Inauguration Day. Dubbed the "commander in sheath" by Vanity Fair and the "first lady of fashion" by ABC News, it's little wonder why her wardrobe keeps us buzzing.

But beyond her shoes...

I had a revelation sitting amid piles of old credit card statements, junk mail and Christmas cards from years past. I was cleaning out my home office - the one my husband lovingly set up for me two years ago, when I left the full-time working world and embarked on...

I didn't take a shower until long after the sun went down tonight. When I finally ran the water, my day was just about over. It was defeating to stand there in the warm water, replaying what happened and trying to figure out where the time went. I had the...

So I was reading the New York Times the other day nodding my head as I scanned the headline, "To Buy Gifts, Mothers Do Without." It's not really news that moms sacrifice for their kids. But I found it interesting to read about surveys that quantify just how selfless...

A few weeks ago, I was mindlessly unpacking groceries when my two-and-a-half year old son delightfully cut through my daze. He had spotted a special treat I had picked up for him at the store and started gushing, "Thank you, Mommy! Thank you SO much!" Then he skipped over and...

Not long ago, on the way to the airport, I found myself watching in wonderment as a jumbo jet swooped in for a landing right over the top of my taxi.

"A plane! Look at the huge plane!" I nearly shouted.

Then I realized, except for...

Election Day got off to a rousing start over breakfast when my nearly three-year-old son stubbornly announced that he would NOT be going with me to "boat" because he did not want his feet to get wet. This, as his precocious twin sister pointed to a glamorous shot of Governor...

I really do believe that beauty comes from within. But when you've spent half the night at the bedside of a sick child, can't remember the last time you bought (or wore) mascara and despite all of your education, you find yourself unable to complete a sentence by 8PM, it's...

Money may be tight but your jeans don't have to be. Fitness professionals around the country agree that achieving amazing abs and toned thighs is more about your state of mind than the state of your bank account. In fact, trimming your budget may actually give you a...

For many moms, the reminders to do self breast exams go in one ear and out the other. We're busy. We forget. We don't really know if we're doing it right.

Breast cancer survivor Leigh Hurst decided there must be a better way to encourage women to take the time....

Not too long ago, I had my first real brush with the possibility of breast cancer. It was a crazy afternoon and I was racing to get to my annual check-up with my gynecologist. I was late. Traffic was terrible. I was regretting that I had tried to squeeze in...