Blog

“The library in summer is the most wonderful thing because there you get books on any subject and read them each for only as long as they hold your interest, abandoning any that don't, halfway or a quarter of the way through if you like, and store up all that knowledge in the happy corners of your mind…” ― Polly Horvath, My One Hundred Adventures

My review of the new parenting book from former Stanford dean of fresmen Julie Lythcott-Haims appeared in the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Review. Whether you're the parent of a toddler, teen or twenty-something, it's worth a read!

How many times have you heard college-bound 18-year-olds and their parents weave the randomness story about college admission?

"It's sheer luck."

"It's unfair."

"It's a roll of the dice."

Does March Madness bring to mind college admissions instead of NCAA showdowns? Are you sick and tired of the status-mongering of college admission that brings $150-an-hour SAT test prep? Oh, and did you know there are more than 10 colleges in the United States worth applying to?

Books have been my constant companions for as long as I have memories. Here's who I've been hanging out with lately...

I am loving the blog HEY NATALIE JEAN these days! It is a sweet peek into the life of a mom and her toddler. I am endlessly nostalgic about motherhood. For several years, I was obsessed with A Baby Story on the Discovery Channel.

Sir Ian MacKellen and Cookie Monster recently explored the concept of delayed gratification on Sesame Street. But it's not the first time Cookie Monster has taken part in his own version of the Marshmallow Experiment. He's been talking delayed gratification for quite a few years.

I'm talking early decisions, the bill of goods that is the "perfect school" and how to trash talk in the face of rejection over at TeenLife in Dealing with Early Decision Rejection. You can read the entire piece here.

It's Joan Didion's birthday today -- December 5th.Mildly obsessed with Joan Didion for many years, you can see some ofher genius in this tribute:  Because it's Joan Didion's birthday, here are some of her very best quotes. It doesn't really do her justice, but it's a start. 

Pages