Category: We B Late Blog
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Bringing Up Baby, One Milestone at a Time
My Baby is Two Months Old! Thanks to my constant barrage of announcements, photos, reminders, and videos (which, to be honest, are even starting to annoy me), I’m sure you are well aware that my book, Once a Prompt a Time, is two months old today. And just as with the real thing, I’ve learned…
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Introducing “Once a Prompt a Time”
Once a Prompt a Time is a collection of 44 innovative short stories spanning multiple genres, and each inspired by a unique writing contest prompt. Whether 100 words or 3,000, each story was written under a tight deadline (sometimes just 24 hours!) and within the guidelines of specific and decidedly unusual prompts. Like the prompts…
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Gee Toto, I Don’t Think We’re in 1975 Anymore
About 15 years ago, I was talking to a friend who I thought was just a little older than me. She mentioned she had just attended her 50th High School Reunion. I hope my facial expression didn’t give away my thoughts: Holy cow! She’s 68 years old. I had no idea she was that old.…
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How to Succeed in Procrastination Without Really Trying: A Five-Year Case Study
We B Late turned ten years old last October, but had become so dormant that it seemed a funeral was a better idea than a birthday party. Instead, earlier this year, it was given a new look to start its second decade. I resolved at that time to bring and keep it up to date.…
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Christmas (and then some) in July
As the tiniest-ever turkey waits in our fridge (likely the first and only time it will actually be thawed by Thursday morning), I struggle with a couple of dilemmas. First, what kind of new math do I need to justify three pies, six sides, and eight bottles of wine for four adults? Second, and more…
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Broadway Melody of COVID-19
Unless you’ve been living in a cave somewhere, you know the only hope for mankind surviving the Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is for all of us to properly wash our hands. (Actually, that cave thing might work, too, but I digress.) A critical component of that hand washing protocol is that we scrub for a minimum…
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“I have no words.”
I’ve never had writer’s block. Sure, there have been times that I didn’t write anything… sometimes months at a time. Just take a look at the gaping holes in this blog. But that wasn’t writer’s block. That was laziness, a new grandson, distraction, Netflix, procrastination, or (more often than I’d like to admit) an all-consuming…
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Marty Helwich: A Life Cut Short, Yet Lived to the Fullest
Last month, my sister’s beloved husband, Marty, succumbed to pancreatic cancer, having been diagnosed just after Christmas. Marty was truly one of the best people I’ve ever known, and I am just one of countless family and friends still reeling from this unfathomable loss. It was my honor and privilege to offer a eulogy at his…
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How To Develop a Maternal (A/K/A Survival) Instinct
Bringing up children who are morally sound and destined to become productive members of society involves a great commitment on the part of parents. It requires, of course, not just telling them how to behave, but by being a living example of your teachings — “walking the walk” as they say. Parents need to model…
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Up Yours, Tidying Up
We used to host two big gatherings every year: a huge cookout Memorial Day weekend and a “both sides of the family along with anyone who didn’t have anywhere else to go” Thanksgiving feast. The first and foremost reason for these events was because I love to entertain and truly believe the more the merrier.…