Yesterday was Mother's Day and I awoke to find a handmade card from my daughter on the breakfast table. On the outside it said, "Happy Mother's Day" and on the inside it said, "from the child who cares! Love, Tabitha."



I laughed, I knew she'd tried to get her brother, Jordan to help her with the card and he wouldn't do it.



Jordan usually comes up with a verse then Tabitha does the artwork. My husband and I have some wonderful cards they've created. But Jordan refused to participate this Mother's Day and his sister wasn't happy about it.



She's going to make a perfect wife and mother one day- I can tell by the guilt she helped me heap on her brother! So instead of a greeting card, Jordan was guilted into giving me a foot massage. I love being a mother!



Every time I blog I vow not to wait so long to blog the next time, but like most mothers my life is busy. I'm grateful for the hectic, busy lifestyle of a woman with children. All to quickly mine have grown up.



I miss having young children and it's one reason Nutcracker Publishing Company hosts, "Hunt for a Cure" a community Easter Egg Hunt where proceeds are donated to our local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure team. http://www.komennctriangle.org



This year when the Easter Bunny hopped down our lane, he was joined by Tickles Tabitha.



Both my children were born in the spring and at our house Easter kicks off the social season. We've been celebrating and my waistline reflects it. I've enjoyed my children's birthdays, my brother-in-law Andy's retirement ceremony from the Navy, Tabitha's and Jordan's Confirmation, our neighbor's First Holy Communion and Tabitha's Prom and of course, Jordan's getting his driver's permit.



To be honest, the last two were what I'd call stress eating events, rather than celebratory suppers, at least for me.



Did I mention my husband is on a job located in Texas and he flies in only ever 2-3 weeks?



Luckily there's a Harris Teeter down the road and when life gets tough I get chocolate.



Happy Cancer-tankerous Mommy's Day!

I wish Rosie O Donnell would pick on me; I could use the publicity.

Many of you know that in October of 2001, I won what for any writer, much less an unknown, one-woman independent self-publisher, was the equivalent of winning the lottery- an appearance to promote my book, Tickles Tabitha’s Cancer-tankerous Mommy on the Rosie O Donnell Show.

Suddenly I went from being the town idiot, who’d invested hard-earned money to start a business she knew absolutely nothing about, so she could publish a children’s book-- God forbid-- about a mean ole Mommy with CANCER, to a nationally recognized Expert.

I was still teetering to obtain balance on the publicity pedestal when I got knocked off and onto my butt by the Anthrax virus. Anthrax had been found in NBC studios at Rockefeller Plaza where the O Donnell show aired and my appearance was cancelled.

It was devastating, humiliating, and a crushing blow to my mother, mother-in-law, and other significant others who’d bragged to their friends about my upcoming appearance.

It was an even bigger disappointment for all those pretend friends, snooty relatives, and colleagues (you know who you are) who were hoping to see me make a fool of my self on national television.

As for me my non-appearance on the Rosie O Donnell Show was the best publicity my book and publishing company has ever received.

A press release about my non appearance was picked up by the wire and I got calls from across the country. I didn’t make it to NYC but my book did and O Donnell recommended it on her show and gave copies to her studio audience.

Today I realize an endorsement from Rosie is just too old school. I've concluded the best thing Rosie O Donnell could do for an author is insult them publicly.

I'm no longer aspiring to guest on The View instead all I ask is that Rosie say she hates Tickles Tabitha's Cancer-tankerous Mommy and the witch who wrote it.

Come on Rosie, feud with me.

I’ve got several thousand copies of Tickles Tabitha’s Cancer-tankerous Mommy I’d like to sell. Not to mention, the "real" Tickles Tabitha is all grown up and with a few nasty remarks from you, I might could afford to send her to college.