We put up our Christmas tree over the weekend, a fake tree that the husband and I bought several years ago. It's 48-inches of pre-lit fiber optic Christmas cheer that comes with its own stand.

Although putting up the tree didn't take very long because it's only 4-feet tall...

I love the Holidays. I'm not one of these Grinches who complains about being sick of Christmas music or the commercialization of Christmas or how Chanukah isn't actually one of the major Jewish holidays.

Growing up with a Jewish father and a converted-Jew mother, we observed both Christmas and...

My son, the Juban Princeling, recently attended his first bris. I know what you're saying: wasn't his own bris, his first bris? To which I laughingly answer: no, it wasn't. Because he didn't have one. I am a bad Jew.

The Princeling was circumcised in the hospital when...

I'm not a scientist or anything, but I've seen a lot of movies and shows on the Discovery Science Channel, and I'm pretty sure my apartment is some sort of vortex or wormhole or portal to another dimension or parallel universe.

Hear me out.

Things in my apartment will suddenly...

There's been some confusion on this blog about the Juban Princeling - that's not his real name, and we do not call him that at home. My son's nickname at home is the Kraken because he is a giant, omnivorous sea monster.

One night when he was two...

Here's what we in the Lopez Household have been up to in the month since I last posted a blog entry about the adventures of parenting the Juban Princeling.

September 28, 2009: Day 1
Juban Princeling develops a stuffy/runny nose and cough.

September 29, 2009: Day 2

My third and final interview for my "Super Moms" series wraps up with mom-terpreneur, Melissa Lopata. Along with her business partner Ellen Bari, Melissa created a website called the Momasphere, a site that encourages mothers to become "whole women." While the Momasphere is currently local to Brooklyn, New York,...

Last week I introduced a three-part series called "Super Moms." This week my Super Mom is Amanda Doss, aka "Murder City Mandy" from the Bronx Gridlock, part of Gotham Girls Roller Derby here in New York.

I met Amanda recently at an October 2008 birthday party for neighborhood babies....

I feel like this economy is forcing a lot of people to get really creative with how they make a living and support themselves. Moms especially are getting in on the act, either out of necessity to supplement their families' income, or because they see the current economic and cultural...

This Thursday, October 8, my son the Juban Princeling will turn one year old.

I know it's a cliche to say so, but I can't believe he's a year old already! It feels like just last week I was printing out fertility charts and plotting my basal body temperature and...

One of the things no one tells you before you get pregnant is that baby weight is pretty much impossible to lose. Unlike other weight, which sheds itself nicely with a healthy diet and some exercise, baby weight seems to stick around like a drunk party guest who can't take...

Long before the Juban Princeling was born I wanted to color my hair candy apple, fire truck, maraschino cherry, candy cane red. Unfortunately, I spent most of my pre-baby adult life working in conservative offices, where hair colors that did not occur in nature were frowned upon.

With...

A lot of my son's milestones seem to just sort of happen. One day while I was changing his diaper he clapped his hands. Another day while playing with his father he let go and stood alone for several seconds. One night he slept for 12 straight hours and that...

This Friday, August 28, my mom celebrates her 60th birthday. In honor of her milestone, I'm handing this week's post over to her. She's a much nicer person than I am, so please be kind in your comments.

Mom, meet my HuffPo audience. HuffPo audience, meet my mom. Take it...

The other day I received an email from one of my mom friends on vacation:

"Exactly as I expected we got some funny comments from the uninitiated childless friends -- my personal fave is that my friend's husband is going to be the type of dad who just carries a...

To Be Read on October 8, 2020

My Dearest, Darling Juban Princeling Son:

Happy 12th birthday! I hope you are studying hard for your Bar Mitzvah and not beating up too much on your younger sibling.

I'm writing to you from the year 2009 to give you some advice. By...

My family loves Halloween. Of course we do 0- we're all geeks, and Halloween is like the geek High Holy Days.

Back when we were kids, my brother Mr. Funny would start planning his Halloween costumes on November 1. He always had these great, elaborate ideas, and since...

SPOILER ALERT! The following post assumes that everyone reading it has either already seen the movies mentioned, or has no plans to see them and doesn't care if I ruin the ending/twist at the end. Ok, then.

The problem with growing up in America and being so bombarded with pop...

Sometimes I have moments that, as a mother, overwhelm me with a very broad spectrum of emotions all at once, and I have to take a step back and let myself live in that moment and feel whatever it is I need to feel. I'm sure a lot of mothers...

I like to think of myself as generally "unflappable." Changing the Juban Princeling's poopy diapers doesn't usually bother me that much. Getting puked on barely elicits a reaction from me anymore. And, while I don't love it when he gets his vaccines, I don't faint or cry when they happen....